E46 m3 - good for throwing around a good B road?
Discussion
I've had my e46 330d for 6 years and whilst I've always loved the car I have been looking to change for a while. I've been driving a mk1 mx5 for a a few weeks and just love how much I can chuck it around corners and roundabouts on my daily drive across some great B roads.
Gone back to my 330d now and god it feels heavy! Can only take a fraction of the speed into corners and much later on the power coming out! Just feels like a real barge!
Does the e46 m3 much lighter and good for throwing it about. Obviously they are set up with more of a race focus but will it still feel more like the 330d than the light mx5?
Gone back to my 330d now and god it feels heavy! Can only take a fraction of the speed into corners and much later on the power coming out! Just feels like a real barge!
Does the e46 m3 much lighter and good for throwing it about. Obviously they are set up with more of a race focus but will it still feel more like the 330d than the light mx5?
I had an E46 m3 cab for a couple of years. I thnk the extra weight over a coupe really impacts the cars feel on twisty roads. It felt a little heavy and flexible. It only actually became frustrating in the ast few months of ownership. The fixed head cars feel much stuffers, but the cab was nice when taking it steady. Fine cars all in all.
RobM77 said:
I found that the E46 M3 felt scarily like the E46 330ci to be honest; it was almost as if BMW had tried to disguise the car's potential. Push it and you'll feel the better suspension, diff and engine, but 90% of the time I don't think you'd notice much difference to any other E46.
Very brave to express an opinion like that. Internet says that it's like a totally different car.Fox- said:
RobM77 said:
I found that the E46 M3 felt scarily like the E46 330ci to be honest; it was almost as if BMW had tried to disguise the car's potential. Push it and you'll feel the better suspension, diff and engine, but 90% of the time I don't think you'd notice much difference to any other E46.
Very brave to express an opinion like that. Internet says that it's like a totally different car.RobM77 said:
I found that the E46 M3 felt scarily like the E46 330ci to be honest; it was almost as if BMW had tried to disguise the car's potential. Push it and you'll feel the better suspension, diff and engine, but 90% of the time I don't think you'd notice much difference to any other E46.
Get out of here with opinions like that! Everybody on PH knows anything with an M badge handles like a completely different car to the rest of the range.What I've learned from PH is that an E30 318i is a crappy death trap because it's got semi trailing rear suspension and only a 4 cylinder engine, whereas an E30 M3 is motoring perfection because EVO said so.
Debaser said:
RobM77 said:
I found that the E46 M3 felt scarily like the E46 330ci to be honest; it was almost as if BMW had tried to disguise the car's potential. Push it and you'll feel the better suspension, diff and engine, but 90% of the time I don't think you'd notice much difference to any other E46.
Get out of here with opinions like that! Everybody on PH knows anything with an M badge handles like a completely different car to the rest of the range.What I've learned from PH is that an E30 318i is a crappy death trap because it's got semi trailing rear suspension and only a 4 cylinder engine, whereas an E30 M3 is motoring perfection because EVO said so.
Amen to that
Debaser said:
RobM77 said:
I found that the E46 M3 felt scarily like the E46 330ci to be honest; it was almost as if BMW had tried to disguise the car's potential. Push it and you'll feel the better suspension, diff and engine, but 90% of the time I don't think you'd notice much difference to any other E46.
Get out of here with opinions like that! Everybody on PH knows anything with an M badge handles like a completely different car to the rest of the range.What I've learned from PH is that an E30 318i is a crappy death trap because it's got semi trailing rear suspension and only a 4 cylinder engine, whereas an E30 M3 is motoring perfection because EVO said so.
Amen to that
Gaz. said:
Bit of googling suggests that your 330d is 1495kg, a M3 that was corner weighed came out at 1540kg. It isn't going to defy physics. 
You'd be surprised if you drove one. I had mine actually weighed at 1480kg and understand that the 330D is heavier.That aside though, there is a significant difference in the drive, poise and handling between the M3 and any normal E46.
Cemesis said:
You'd be surprised if you drove one. I had mine actually weighed at 1480kg and understand that the 330D is heavier.
That aside though, there is a significant difference in the drive, poise and handling between the M3 and any normal E46.
Non-sunroof one? That's a respectably light one - even a CSL with aircon is only 60kilos less at around 1420kgThat aside though, there is a significant difference in the drive, poise and handling between the M3 and any normal E46.
I've had mine for about 18 months now. It's a real Jekyll and Hyde car and I love it for that!
I've been recently thinking what I could possibly replace it with in the future, and for the money I paid (just under £8k), I can't think of much that offers the all round package that this does.
I've been recently thinking what I could possibly replace it with in the future, and for the money I paid (just under £8k), I can't think of much that offers the all round package that this does.
I went from a 330D to an M3 back in 2003.
Although the progression seemed pretty linear the M3 is the kind of car that when you get to know it becomes an extension of your body.
If you like seat of the pants driving (I do) it's great fun.
Turn the DSC off and wind the SMG up to its most aggressive setting and the car comes alive....well the back end anyhow...which is what this car is all about.
It doesn't swoop through B roads like a Boxter; it attacks them.
Great, great fun.
Although the progression seemed pretty linear the M3 is the kind of car that when you get to know it becomes an extension of your body.
If you like seat of the pants driving (I do) it's great fun.
Turn the DSC off and wind the SMG up to its most aggressive setting and the car comes alive....well the back end anyhow...which is what this car is all about.
It doesn't swoop through B roads like a Boxter; it attacks them.
Great, great fun.
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