So M235i M performance?

Alright, now that I've updated the Official 2020 latest pic of your ride thread. Here's what I got to say about the M3 and the 330CI. Both are from 2002, the 330CI is 5MT with a 3.0L I6 and the M3 is a 6MT 3.2L I6. The M3 has 150xxx, whereas the 330CI has 260xxx. I let RoverT drive it (hard) on Friday night, and he seemed to have enjoyed it.

Having driven both cars back to back on the Coq in the span of a day (round-trip), I will say that while both cars are similar, they are very very different. Interestingly, when I mentioned earlier that the BRZ beats you up compared to the 330CI, the same comparison can be applied to the M3 and the 330CI.

Normally, one would think that the M3 is very raw. I disagree. Raw is how I built the 330CI. The M3 is very refined and effortless. It almost put me to sleep on the Coq. On the contrary, the 330Ci definitely beats you up. The lack of a muffler, 95a engine and poly mounts, and lack of window seals, all contributed to an unbearable NVH level. Since I removed the rubber insulation when I installed the RTD shifter, all the heat from the transmission travels into the cabin. Driving the 330CI on the Coq requires so much concentration, it's not as easy as the M3.

The M3 is on ST XTA coilovers with 19" wheels. The 330CI is on Bilstein B8 + H&R Race Springs with 18" wheels. The M3, surprisingly, had much more of a compliant ride quality. The steering rack in the M3 sucks. It's light (soft) and numb. It doesn't provide much feedback, whereas the turn in on the 330CI is much more direct with lots more feedback.

Initially, my plan was to swap my shifter and poly mounts into the M3, but now I'm not sure. Overall, I'm very surprised about the very different experiences that each car provides.

swap a 330 zhp steering rack in.

^

1) - Congratz again, and having driven in it on the way back to GVRD (putting it thru its paces) proves at least you shouldnt have any issues in the near future!

2) - with no experience in the E46 chassis at all (but I love them to death since it "was" the era of M3 during my early high school years), I love the insight feedback on your 330CI VS M3, ofc I understand both cars are not stock by any means. But it is info like this that we wont get from big publications.

And this just brings back to the roots of why I joined Revscene, to learn new things that I didnt know about the passion that I have for cars.

WOOT, are you going to start a build thread?

@bicbaws that kind of sounds like ‘build creep’ to me. I remember when I had my old focus ST, when I traded it in my buddies and I spent a whole day swapping it back to stock. The drive home was amazing and I thought “wow this is so much better than how I had it modified”.

When you do things slowly over time you don’t realize how much you’ve ‘given up’. When a brand like bmw engineers an m3 it’s built with performance and comfort in mind

^ similar story with my GTFour. I hardly drove it while modifying it, and after it being at the shop for a few years I had completely forgotten what it was like. I finally got it back and took it for a drive and the further I went the more I thought "what the fuck did I do to this thing?" It became even more clear when I went for a ride in a bone stock one my friend bought.

I've spent the last 3 years trying to undo a bunch of the mods and I'm almost back to where I could've been 8 years ago if I would've left it alone more.

Congrats on the new ride! I've been wanting a E46, but I want one in LSB to match my current one!

I've been feeling the same way as I got older. My tolerance for shit not working and the need to tinker has gone down considerably.

I still appreciate nice classics, but I would pay more for a sorted one than a project. And I would thinking 15 times over before buying and installing a mod.

have to remember most aftermarket performance choices cannot even come close to matching the R&D and production of Porsche, Honda etc. and their suppliers

better performance, likely, better materials, i can believe it...but durability and stress cycle testing? consistency and minimizing variability between samples? lol good luck

Looking for another car LOL. Seems like I have the worst luck.

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that bmw bad luck

That was short lived.

Wut? More deets?

Edit
K ... I see - https://www.revscene.net/forums/7167...ml#post8991265

So, focus RS?

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van...149506538.html

The compliant ride comes down to shock travel and shock damping. A good coilover usually comes with a shortened shock allowing you to not bottom and typically appropriate damping. A drop spring on a shock limits your compression travel and the damping isnt matched on the compression or rebound side. What most ppl don't know and likely have never experienced is the more baller the shock is, the more spring you can typically run while having a better ride than a normally stock setup. But it comes with a price tag which scares most ppl away.

FeelsBadMan

Well that sucks. At least it happened before you put too much work into it? That's the closest thing I can think of to positive thinking.

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van...150290109.html

Time to make that trek back to Kamloops

This guy's been selling for awhile. No bites at $22.5K, so $500 price drop. Guess his buyer flaked.

Hmm. Idk what I want next. Previously the real debate was S2000 or M3. I drove my friend's S2K while I had the M3, I liked how it handled a lot better. Tho that M3 / BMW community is much much better.

Talked to Westopher at the meet yesterday, I feel like I'm doing the M3 dirty if I don't give it a solid shot. The comparison of the 330 to the M3 is literally apples or oranges. My 330 is dialed in to exactly how I want it, after 4 years. The M3 hasn't yet been dialed in.

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might as well stick to another M3? hopefully nobody crashes into it.

Or get a Mustang. Time for retribution.

Must be nice to be able to just buy m3s cash all day everyday :okay:

Must be from Surrey.

3rd time's the charm right? 3rd BMW/E46

I also realized that if things didn't go the way it did. Like if I wasn't talking to my friend in the car, I would have driven off, NB on Kensington, and would have had a head on collision with the Mustang who was traveling SB on Kensington. I think things happen for a reason and I should buy a lottery ticket LOL

how come the dmg is on the px side if you were parked on the street?

sorry to read about it but at least you're okay