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E46 M3 Anyone?

8K views 94 replies 22 participants last post by  chuglobal 
#1 ·
Does anyone know someone or who personally has 2001+ E46 M3 around the Atlanta area that wouldn't mind giving me a quick race someday? I would only saw 1 guy w/ a new M3 but he left before I could talk to him. I would like to see how my REX does against a $60K car. :p
 
#77 ·
ok

Well i see now, i didn't pay enough attention to the purpose of the board, and i was never stating to AMSfighter that you were ever trash talking M3's or ever saying the M3 wasn't a great car, it was aimed more at some other members that were stating that a WRX could take a M3, but please excuse me for for what I previously said about the WRX, cause I know its a incredible, thats a case of not thinking before I wrote. So, I apologize again for what I said. Though all this aside I am still not a big Subaru fan, so I cannot say I would put my $25,000 on one, cause I dont believe the WRX is the car that the bimmer is. Also, I have had many friends that have owned WRX's too see what they were made of, but eventually had BMW's there soon after. So, I hope you guys can understand where I am coming from.
 
#78 ·
Yo

Talk, talk, talk ... yes the 2002+ M3 is damn fast since I went w/ one. However being at the DRAGON this past weekend makes me like my WRX more. Those who joined in ... we drove in dry, fog, rain, dirt/mud, and gravel. Talk, talk, talk ... the WRX come do it all ... humm how come I didn't see any M3's try anything aganist us on the DRAGON or even better and on the dirt and gravel roads this morning ... ;). Each car has it's niche but if I'm paying $60K for ANY car it better for 0-60 in <3.5sec 1/4 in like 10sec ... :p. One is taylored towards tourning specific highspeed cursing ( M3 ) while the other one is a drive it anywhere and condition. I personal care NOTHING about luxury for now. :D
 
#79 ·
BMWm3,

These cars are in completely different classes. We take great pride in being compared to BMW's and Audi's but we know that they are $5k+ then us and therefore SHOULD come with nicer amenities. BMW doesn't race where the WRX/STi races, but the advantage of our cars is the fact that they are designed for quick acceleration off the line on ALL types of surfaces.

The WRX is designed to grab ahold of the road no matter what it is and find grip. Putting the WRX on a street with the right tires gives it more than enough grip on take off and will keep up with other high performance cars that are more expensive.

Anyone can mod a car and do this and that, but the true value of the WRX is it's capability to provide performance in almost any situation. BMW strides to do this too on any street condition but not on varying types of surfaces (ie: road, gravel, dirt). We were just up in the mountains this weekend on some of those gravel roads and really got to feel the all wheel drive at it's best. It was amazing to see the performance of these cars. But I'll be the first to say I wouldn't take a BMW up in those trails because 1: It's too expensive in my opinion to take and 2: It's not designed for this gravel and light off road terrain.

That being said, don't under estimate these small cars and call them "Rice". We are very much in competition with BMW in the sport car market. Subaru's done their homework and as you probably know the old saying.

There's always someone faster. ;)
 
#80 ·
GRRR...I wish I could have gone with ya'll. Good to hear ya'll had fun.

WRX, m3, etc... It's all personal preference. To each his own. I'd gladly take a m3 (or any beemer) over any car in its price range and/or category....including the z06, clk55, sc430, s6 (and s4),etc... I'm only 24 and about to start med school...buying a 50-60K car is still awhile away so I purchased what offered the best bang for the buck. Trevor, sorry for attacking you, it just seems like the wrx still has a hard time being accepted as a good performer/handler by a lot of people, so it's just my natural tendency to stick up for it. ;)

Best regards,

-James-
 
#81 ·
still...

you know as well as I do that BMW's aren't meant to be driven in the gravel, dirt, etc. so why even bring it up, and also I am speaking of each cars performance on the road, cause I know as wel as anyone knows You take a BMW in the woods and you'll be at your nearest dealershipi the next day. That said, I think both cars do have there advantages, and of course at take off teh WRX will raise heck being all wheel drive, but once you get all those wheels spinning at after 40-50 bmw's 2 wheel drive configuaration smokes most cars out there. I also feel that if you set a turbo on there, not at high pressure just something low, it would give a modded WRX a run for its money even though its a awd. Though I am still impressed by the WRX's astounding performance. One car I would love to see it duke it out with is a higher pressure modded turbo S4, a (if it is even possible) 330xi with a high pressure T61 turbo, and even a 5 speed Volvo S70 with a higher pressure turbo.
 
#82 ·
Re: still...

bmwm3n528 said:
One car I would love to see it duke it out with is a higher pressure modded turbo S4, a (if it is even possible) 330xi with a high pressure T61 turbo, and even a 5 speed Volvo S70 with a higher pressure turbo.
I was bringing up the off road information to give you an understanding of what the WRX is designed to do. I was bringing it up to agree with you and explain to you WHY they are two different cars. :rolleyes:

When you get into the world of turbo's you must pay homage to the almighty Supra TT and Porsche. BMW doesn't put turbos in any of the lines of vehicles, WRX's come with turbos. I don't understand why you're so dead set on claiming a turbo'd BMW will beat a WRX. Yeah, it'd be cool to do and yeah it might beat us. But yeah, your spending thousands on trying to get it to run and be tuned.

Reminds me of that comment from a kid that had an Integra and stated "Take off the turbo from the WRX and then let's run". You're in essence saying the same thing. Trying to make our cars equal by adding a part to yours. Turbo's are no small task to put on an engine (especially a BMW). It's not like replacing exhaust or putting an MBC on. Might as well say you're dropping a 740iL engine into that M3. :rolleyes: You'd probably get the same power ratio.
 
#83 ·
What's the compression ratio on the m3's? I'd think in order to run high boost the engine would have to be rebuilt.

Funny, I just remembered trying to get a dinan cai on my 5 and I was told that I would have to get the dinan chip to get it to run right. (Well, that's what momentum bmw told me). Even though dinan parts are MUCHO MUCHO expensive, I liked the fact that they don't void warranty if installed by an authorized dealer...kinda like trd. :D
 
#84 ·
well.....

I mean I know turbo bimmers aren't the pinnacle of perfomance, though there are a few that come quite close. Also, turboing BMW's isn't an easy task but with AA they make it quite easy, and it really depends on what BMW your turboing. Cause the ///M motors can handle so much that there great for turbos, though if you mess with 318ti 4 bangers your messin with trouble. Also to enemy, im not just saying a turboed bimmer will beat a WRX, it will also smoke many unturboed porsches, ferrari's, etc. If you know about Active Autowerkes you know what im talking about, and im in no way comparing any bmw to a highly modded TT Supra. Though, theres things you can do to a 850csi that would give it atleast 1000hp. So dont understimate Bimmers against any car in the world, and i wont underestimate the Subies.
 
#85 ·
To me if I will never run into one of them then they are just novalities. I mean GT2, F50, Z06, Viper etc. Turbo M3 sure will be fast but it is like hmm you will never see one why worry and by bother. I don't do papee/mag comparisons. The real world is out on the street and it is full of Civics, Integras, Mustangs and 3 series, ack forgot the SUVs hahahah.

Just my 2 cents.
 
#87 ·
Re: well.....

bmwm3n528 said:
Also, turboing BMW's isn't an easy task but with AA they make it quite easy, and it really depends on what BMW your turboing.

Also to enemy, im not just saying a turboed bimmer will beat a WRX, it will also smoke many unturboed porsches, ferrari's, etc.
If you know about Active Autowerkes you know what im talking about, and im in no way comparing any bmw to a highly modded TT Supra. Though, theres things you can do to a 850csi that would give it atleast 1000hp. So dont understimate Bimmers against any car in the world, and i wont underestimate the Subies.
If we want high performance tuning we have the option of using several companies (Cobb, Vishnu, TurboXS) to tune our cars and make them extreme monsters. But the WRX can be tuned in our own garages and mods can be applied without a professional mechanic and a specialized shop unlike turboing many BMW's.

As far as throwing out HP numbers, that's fine and all, but once again there's always something faster. And if you have that kind of cash to drop on a play toy like an 850 have fun with it and let us know where we can go to enjoy seeing the numbers on it. We're all performance enthusiasts and love seeing cars that go fast. So why don't you turbo your M3 and bring it up to GA? You have a lot to back up at this point and we've got numbers to prove our sub $500 mods allow our cars to keep up with an M3.

Many people on this board would enjoy a friendly competition and a chance to race a modified M3. We don't care about winning or loosing it would be more for the thrill of seeing where we stand against one. But from your comments it sure does sound like you haven't been able to face reality that our cars are fast. It's time to put the theoretical blah blah away and just put up or shutup. Stop light grand prix with your M3 and you'll see a good race against your M. 1/4 mile track and you'll also see a good race.

And no one on this thread has ever underestimated a BMW, if you read the comments we know where our cars are strong and where the M3 takes over the opponent (70-80+mph). Of course, where can you legally do that speed on public roads. :p
 
#89 ·
I love My baby bimmer, but i am trading it in on a WRX. I dont expect the WRX to be as nice and comfy or as pretty as the bimmer, but i do expect it to Haulllllll. And I know, from experience how much it costs to mod a BMW. IT IS NUTS! you cant do much of anything without sinking $2000 into it. I can't wait to get my WRX!!! That is where my money is goin.
 
#90 ·
Haha ...

The BMW definietly gives your luxury features while the WRX does NOT is "most" people's opinion. I think it's prefect ... I wish is had a few LCD in the console though. The WRX will smoke any BMW unless it's the M series ... which also costs $35k more. Each car has a niche ... I'm in the performance niche for now in my life ... I would love a R34. :p
 
#92 ·
Yeah 11.76's right? 1.6 60 ft time kicks ass....

I've seen an E46 M3 run 12.9's at sea level. Why don't some of you WRX guys in Atlanta come to the dragstrip on Friday... I was there last week and wasn't too impressed w/ the WRX's. The quickest I saw ran a 14.2 and that was w/ a boost controller, exhaust, & a 75 shot. The other modded WRX's were slower.

I know those guys can't drive or the magazine's test them stock quicker than that....


BTW if those WRX's are on this board - WTF happened on the way back to ATL??? That looked like a pretty bad accident - hope everyone was okay...


02 E46 M3
02 Wrangler 33x12.50's for my OFFROAD fun
 
#93 ·
Yo

14.2 umm what were they carrying ... 4 people? Umm I did 14.0 w/ an uppipe and MBC @ 16psi. Well I did have 3/4 tank of gas, roof rack, tire, and tools. I'm sure I could have gotten 13.9 if I did what everyone else did. 14.2 w/ a MBC is SLOW. Did they even launch? Your M3 is FAST ... hehe ... too fun.
 
#95 ·
Yo

Can't I already have plans ... also I just got some RE730s ... and I really would like to keep them. DRAGON definitely wore them down. :( But they work great. :p
 
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