E30 325i vs E46 M3

[FredK]

dude its the magic grip of the snow tire

[Ben Carufel]

For an E30 vs. E46 comparison, here's my buddy Matt Bell in his ex-Turner Motorsport E46 racing against Mickey Miller in his E30 M3.

Miller's car is set up amazingly and he has years of wheel to wheel driving experience.

Matt's car is set up so-so but there is room for improvement, and this was his first wheel to wheel event.

So rookie driver with a mediocre setup on his E46 is hanging in there with a very experienced driver with a perfectly setup E30 M3...

The M3 isn't going to get any faster, no matter how good the driver is or how much more development goes into the car.

The E46 (it's a 325, btw) has room for improvement both with driver and car...yet it's hanging in there with the E30.

That should answer your question.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1062668538949400532&hl=en

[blunttech]

You are misreading my posts... I want to know how much greater an M3 is in comparison to a well modified E30. I don't know how that performance would be measured, so I want to know if anyone with a track e30 has gone toe to toe with the all mighty M and how well it fared against it.

And to answer your question, I mainly went with coilovers so that I could slam my bitch and throw some sportmax wheels on it and pull one of these

you cant make a comparison like that. ive went up against several e46m3's on the track. ive killed a modded to the hilt e46m3 on the track and ive gotten my ass handed to me by a bone stock e46m3. its too much driver and what hes willing to do to his car. slower cars have lapped me because they are as crazy as pyscho on a snow tire. unless you have a controlled test youre just talking out your ass

[silversleeper]

you cant make a comparison like that. ive went up against several e46m3's on the track. ive killed a modded to the hilt e46m3 on the track and ive gotten my ass handed to me by a bone stock e46m3. its too much driver and what hes willing to do to his car. slower cars have lapped me because they are as crazy as pyscho on a snow tire. unless you have a controlled test youre just talking out your ass

truth... he is crazy to an extent, but he is also pushing a pricey car, so he won't be as "free" with it when he drives. thats a given.

But don't get it twisted, I'm by no means saying that the e30 is better than the e46. as much of a bmw sin as just the thought of it is on these boards, but i just wanted to get an idea of how good it could handle in comparison to the e46 m3. the e46 m3 is like the prime example of a well handling machine, that's why i use it as my "goal", if you can grasp that concept.

[oh2fly]

Go to a track day and ask for a ride in each from drivers in either the advanced group or instructor group. Then decide. There are fast e46 drivers not willing to flush 40k and don't drive past 9/10ths. Then there are fast e30 drivers who don't give a shit if they eat concrete and flush 5-10k, and are willing to go for it.

[silversleeper]

^ yeah, i guess that is what it really boils down to.

[mtechnik]

subscribed to this exchage of ideas

[JGood]

The fact remains the e46 is a superior design and will always be faster given equal drivers and tires. You may be able to build a balls to the wall e30 that outperforms a stock e46 on the track, but the chassis and suspension setup is much better on the e46, and it is a better platform to start with for maximum performance. It's also better then the e36, and the e36 is better then the e30. BMW doesn't build shittier cars as time goes on. The uni-bodies are getting stiffer, suspension designs are getting better, and overall performance is increasing.

[Funkmasta]

The E46 will waste an E30 in the handling department, BUT, I would be willing to bet that the E30 owner has a bigger smile.

[JGood]

The E46 will waste an E30 in the handling department, BUT, I would be willing to bet that the E30 owner has a bigger smile.

how about some "I love snap-oversteer" stickers? :D

[Funkmasta]

how about some "I love snap-oversteer" stickers? :D

lol. E30 owners have more fun right?

Seriously think about it this way.
E30s are better for the track than E46's for the average enthusiast, because they are dispensable. You can drive it as HARD AS YOU CAN, and not really care. You can push the car to its limit, not just flirt with the limit. The riskier you are, the more fun you will have, and most people can't afford to be risky in an E46 M3.

my $.02

[silversleeper]

The uni-bodies are getting stiffer, suspension designs are getting better, and overall performance is increasing.

subframe failure suck though... that seems to be an issue that has gotten worse over the generations.

[JGood]

lol. E30 owners have more fun right?

Seriously think about it this way.
E30s are better for the track than E46's for the average enthusiast, because they are dispensable. You can drive it as HARD AS YOU CAN, and not really care. You can push the car to its limit, not just flirt with the limit. The riskier you are, the more fun you will have, and most people can't afford to be risky in an E46 M3.

my $.02

Oh, I agree 100%. There's a reason I drive e30's. I have driven several e46's, and countless e36's, and they don't leave me with a smile, I'll say that much.

The thing is, the older you go, the more fun they are. I'm getting a 320is to build an all out track car out of.


Stroked M20 + stripped e21 = :D

[ivo316]

You are misreading my posts... I want to know how much greater an M3 is in comparison to a well modified E30. I don't know how that performance would be measured, so I want to know if anyone with a track e30 has gone toe to toe with the all mighty M and how well it fared against it.

And to answer your question, I mainly went with coilovers so that I could slam my bitch and throw some sportmax wheels on it and pull one of these

With me driving i guess 10 to 20% faster cornering, but there are lots of better drivers.

[GaryE30]

The fact remains the e46 is a superior design and will always be faster given equal drivers and tires. You may be able to build a balls to the wall e30 that outperforms a stock e46 on the track, but the chassis and suspension setup is much better on the e46, and it is a better platform to start with for maximum performance. It's also better then the e36, and the e36 is better then the e30. BMW doesn't build shittier cars as time goes on. The uni-bodies are getting stiffer, suspension designs are getting better, and overall performance is increasing.

I just would have said this to start off. But I think the point has been made. E30 rocks... E46 rocks more. E30 is more fun.