09 M3 Coupe vs 08 Carrera S

[graider]

can you elaborate more on the z06. i'm interested in this car now.

Originally Posted by elh0102

I'm amazed that this discussion not only remains alive, but seems to gather some steam every year. Sport sedan and sports car, a comparison that never should have seen the first line of type, or word of discussion. Yet here it is, living on in its own absurdity, and better testimony to our own ego-impaired thinking has never been offered.

I've owned both cars, and too many others, with lots of street and track miles accumulated. I'm convinced of three things:

The M3 is the best sport sedan in its class.

The 911 platform has been taken to a level by Porsche that many thought impossible (Let's see, how many other makers have found that space behind the rear axle as the magic residence for the engine?). Basically, put enough rubber back there and you can tame the oversteer, at the expense of considerable on-throttle understeer.

The best car in which to learn high hp handling dynamics at a level of finesse is a Z06. If you don't like them, buy one anyway and do at least one track season in it.

[elh0102]

Originally Posted by graider

can you elaborate more on the z06. i'm interested in this car now.

The ZO6 has about everything a casual weekend track driver needs. It is an extremely neutral car. You don't have much protective understeer, so it's really a car for someone serious about learning handling dynamics and car control. IMO, that is best learned in a neutral handling car, where your inputs are relatively unfiltered. Some folks complain about the car being a bit squirrelly in high speed turns. This can be an alignment issue, but the point is well taken. Given a neutral car with a lot of power, you don't play with the throttle unless you mean it. If you are balancing the car near the edge, just a little throttle may loosen the rear, and you have to be attentive to sensing it early, and catching it with a bit of steering input. Again, if it's done early and smoothly, the car stays on line.

Brakes are very good and need nothing but proper pads and fluid.

Steering and overall suspension feel is not as good as BMW or Porsche, but not as bad as the critics claim.

The interior. Well, the seats suck. If you do much track stuff you will need to change them, and options are a bit limited, but available. If I were starting again in a Vette, I might do it in a non-ZO6 C6, because a quality 4 point bar can be installed much cheaper, since you are not working with the aluminum in a ZO6. And it only takes a little work to have the same hp, if you want.