EVIL VIII

iTrader: (1)

An E36 is weak. I used to wax them in my 4 door Sentra Spec V in the 1320. Most of the owners weren't the best at 1/4 racing. An EVO VIII would rape an E36 stock vs. stock. AS for the E46, dunno, never came across one yet at the track. I would say it's a driver's race, with the EVO having the slightest advantage. Keep in mind though, BMW's are tuned for higher speeds, so anything beyond 100mph, I would give it up to the M3. And M5...DDDDDDDRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!

VanillaEps

Thanks for all the help guys....and nice pics!

jedinite

Horsepower isn't really a factor for acceleration.

The three factors that matter the most are torque, gearing, and weight.

The e46 M3 has 262 lb/ft of torque and weighs 3415 pounds. The Evo actually has the edge in tq/weight and even in gearing. However, acceleration is really defined by area under the torque curve. The Evo hits peak torque pretty early for a turbocharged car, but there's still the first few feet off the line, where the e46 M3 has more torque at the wheels.

As generally posted, quarter mile is generally a driver's race, Evo vs. e46 M3.

USP45

iTrader: (13)

Say what you will about beating an E36 M3 in a straight line, they are a lot of fun to drive. If you ever get the chance to hit a twisty road in one do so, it will make you smile!

VanillaEps

Interesting. That's a nice thought. I always thought the M3 would toast me. I'll have to check them out at the track...

kmurph

Equal drivers....the M3 will win every time if the race includes higher speeds. In the real world, though, it's going to be a driver's match. From a standing stop, the EVO will have the better chance to hook up off the line because of AWD but I've also read many times that in order to acheive a fast 0-60 time, the clutch on both the EVO and STi has to be heavily abused...the EVO and STi will be limping to the nearest dealer after too many hard launches...obviously, you guys know more about this than I do but that's just what I have heard. From a rolling start; however, the M3 should pull away and even more so at higher speeds.

A few notes on the M3 to clear some misconceptions:

Curb weight is 3415 which includes 1/2 tank of gas/all fluids and a driver. This gives the M3 a power to weight ratio of 10.25. Most e46 M3s dyno at 275-290 RWHP (The engine is very sensitive to Octane count). In magazines, I have seen 0-60 times range from 4.5 to 4.8 and 1/4 miles range from 13.0 - 13.3 in a standard 6 speed ;although, have seen a time slip from the track with a 12.8 1/4 mile. Someone mentioned that M3 drivers are poseurs - Yeah, sure, some are but there are poseurs with every car including the EVO VIII. An M3 will keep up at the track with an EVO...In reality, the speed limiter does not kick in until around 168mph - when removed, I've heard of people reaching 180mph. In the rain, RWD should win with a competent driver - we just saw that at Lime Rock when Bill Aberlen (in his M3) came from a 25th place start to win and beat all the Audi RS6s in the pouring down rain...

It is true that the M3 is limited with regards to engine tuning because of the small size (3.2L) and no forced induction....can get the RWHP over 300 but will cost at least $5K to do so. The EVO can, obviously, be made to go MUCH faster at a relatively low price....

Just want to give you accurate info on the M3...saw a lot of inaccurate info in the prior posts...I respect the EVO and the reason it was built...it's sort of like what the first (e30) M3 was - a raw track car. The M3 has slowly grown into a GT over the years which is fine...it's nice to have a luxurious car that you can take to the track and blow most other cars away.

VanillaEps

Thanks a lot of the info. I rode in an e46 M3 last year. When the driver clicked that 'sport' button - I'm not sure what the name of it was - that thing just flew down the highway. Literally pinned me to the passenger seat. I haven't ridden my EVO hard yet so I haven't a clue as to how it feels under heavy boost and WOT. I have always respected the M3 and, thanks to your info, will continue to do so.

kmurph

Actually, the Sport button does nothing with regards to HP for the engine...it only re-maps the throttle response to be much quicker...almost too quick in many people's opinion...I usually drive with it off because it is a little too jumpy in rush hour traffic...

s4awd

An E46 M3 will walk both an STi and an Evo. Plain and simple. If you do a good launch you will have a chance but you absolutely must let off and celebrate after 60-70. If you go any faster, the party will be over, you are simply playing into his hands. A buddy of min has an E46, and another has an STi. All of us do autox, trackdays and 1/4 mile so experience is close. Don't bother with 2nd and 3rd gear pulls. Launching from a stop is your best bet. Also, it's easier to launch an M3 so beating one is tough. As for the third gear pulls, the M3 is just too much. We can hang on for a little but once we past 70 mph, he's gone. He even had us wait until we got into our appropriate rpms to avoid turbo lag, and he still got us. BUT, on twisty roads, we leave him in the dust.

genimport

I can show you exactly what you want to know! I have my run at the track in my evo v.s. a turbo m3...e-mail me @ djsteeda@cfl.rr.com and I will send it to you


Tom

www.generationimport.com