Modified E46 M3 vs modified E30 S50

[BMW_TUNER]

Today was a good day. I helped a friend of my brothers change the diff fluid in his new 4.10 rear end in his e46. He has tuning headers cat back and other things done to the car. He was impressed by how clean and fast my little car was and wanted to compare gearing. So we did gear for gear he could not pull away. All I can say is damn. My e30 has smoothed and polished cylinder head software fresh bottom end ltw flywheel 24l. Inj. 3.5 hfm, headers dual 2.25 exhaust g260 and 3.73. The e30 weighs 2620 lbs. We rolled in second on a closed street through the beginning of fourth. Gear for gear we where window to window. He shifted first into 4th and I pulled slightly. By all accounts he as giving it all it had and here at 5k feet the e30 was no less than dead even.

Good day!

[Adrian_Visser]

Nice!

[BMW_TUNER]

Here is a pic right before the comparison.

[ak-]

Feels good doesn't it? :)
More pics!

[BMW_TUNER]

I wish I had more pics but I was to busy driving. I was nice to know where I stand. I think at sea level he would have out run me a little in each gear but up at 5k it was tight.

[Van Westervelt]

I loved messing with e46 m guys in mine. Schricks made a good bump up too :)

[nrubenstein]

At some point, drag takes over and the S54 will pull away. But at anything resembling a reasonable speed... The E46 M3 has (stock) 333hp and weighs about 3350lbs. 10lbs/hp. Your S50 is probably making 260-270hp, which is also 10lbs./hp. Shouldn't be surprising that they're basically even.

[BMW_TUNER]

Actually the e46 weighs a little more than that but it also makes great torque and more power all over. When you build an engine and car from the ground up you never know where it should be. This e46 makes more than stock and the 4.10's made it angry. He claims with headers, borla exhaust, ess tuning That he is over 350 hp.

[BMW_TUNER]

I wanted to run sunbelt cams but my machine shop guy said my money would be better spent on forced Induction down the line due to the altitude.

[ak-]

10lbs/hp wut.

I thought it was roughly 100lbs/hp ?

[BMW_TUNER]

2620 divided by 270 is 9.7

[briansjacobs]

interesting, so my car at 2300 with 200 hp and 4.10 should not be to far off.

single cam I think I can I think I can

[7pilot]

His newly installed 4.10 gears hurt him some.
He loses time/distance with the extra shifts.

m

[nrubenstein]

His newly installed 4.10 gears hurt him some.
He loses time/distance with the extra shifts.

m

1/4 mile times say otherwise. If, of course, you're good enough. That's always open to question.

[nrubenstein]

Actually the e46 weighs a little more than that but it also makes great torque and more power all over. When you build an engine and car from the ground up you never know where it should be. This e46 makes more than stock and the 4.10's made it angry. He claims with headers, borla exhaust, ess tuning That he is over 350 hp.

OK. My E46 weighs 3350. It'd be a lot less if not for the stereo. I had it down almost to 3200 at one point. (The car has xenons and that's it, plus Fikses, Magnaflow, Deka battery. The Magnaflow is off now and the stereo added its own weight and forced me to put in an Optima.)