E36 M3....are they still fast?
Discussion
Rollcage said:
flatline84 said:
If I was on a budget Id honestly pick a straight 3.0 over a 3.2
The 5-speed is bulletproof and the engine more reliable. Its also plenty fast, 62 mph arriving in 6.0 seconds.
Autocar tested it at 5.4 back in the day!The 5-speed is bulletproof and the engine more reliable. Its also plenty fast, 62 mph arriving in 6.0 seconds.
http://www.bmw-driver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8...
yes the Evo is better but does not make the 3.0 a bad car
PC also clocked 5.4, and 100 in 13 dead, 120 in 19
flatline84 said:
What makes the 3.2 better? The gearbox in the 3.0 is better, and the 3.0 aint that much slower.
Better brakes, revised geometry, better engine, stronger diff, digi climate control all spring to mind.Gearbox is swings and roundabouts - the 5 speed has a slightly better shift action, but the Evo box has a 6th gear for economy.
Output Flange said:
Twin oil pickups, better head design, variable timing on inlet and exhaust cams - yes, it's better. Not sure why it's more expensive to run, though? And if you say VANOS you can leave now...
Is being vary of the vanos such a controversial issue? I Have two friends who chose the 3.0 for trackday duty specifically because of this
Yes.Output Flange said:
Twin oil pickups, better head design, variable timing on inlet and exhaust cams - yes, it's better. Not sure why it's more expensive to run, though? And if you say VANOS you can leave now...
All that and 200 ccm more and it still only on average produces 15-20 bhp more?flatline84 said:
Is being vary of the vanos such a controversial issue? I Have two friends who chose the 3.0 for trackday duty specifically because of this
And did they fit the Evo twin pickup sump and the GrN restrictor valve needed on the 3.0 to avoid grenading the engine?Most Vanos issues can be either ignored completely or fixed relatively cheaply. Long gone are the days of £2000 replacements, when often £20 of soldering will fix it.
Worst case is the timing sticks in one position and you get a lumpy idle and a 40bhp drop in power. I'd rather that than an oil starved engine, personally.
Output Flange said:
Twin oil pickups, better head design, variable timing on inlet and exhaust cams - yes, it's better. Not sure why it's more expensive to run, though? And if you say VANOS you can leave now...
The 3.0 doesn't require the valve clearance inspection that rockets the cost of an Inspection 1 or 2 on an E36 M3 Evo or an E46 M3 into the stratosphere, therefore making it cheaper to run.Fox- said:
The 3.0 doesn't require the valve clearance inspection that rockets the cost of an Inspection 1 or 2 on an E36 M3 Evo or an E46 M3 into the stratosphere, therefore making it cheaper to run.
Hmmm. I'd suggest that if you're worried about spending £200-300 on valve clearances at each inspection 2 then you're probably looking at the wrong car to start with.Output Flange said:
Hmmm. I'd suggest that if you're worried about spending £200-300 on valve clearances at each inspection 2 then you're probably looking at the wrong car to start with.
Sadly 75% of used M3 buyers are looking at the wrong car to start with, which is why so many are fitted with 'Event' or 'Primewell' tyres.Fox- said:
The 3.0 doesn't require the valve clearance inspection that rockets the cost of an Inspection 1 or 2 on an E36 M3 Evo or an E46 M3 into the stratosphere, therefore making it cheaper to run.
Wrong, It's the same system as in 3.2, they all do have the shims.As such though, you don't need to get it done that often in reality.
I wouldn't be surprised if BMW changed the "inspection" intervals, although i'm surprised with people religuously insisting of following these, even though it's hardly more than the usual oil/filter change...
flatline84 said:
Id be interested in the view of someone who has had both a healthy 3.0 and a 3.2, rather than a bunch of owners of either model coming on here to defend their car.
not owned a 3.2 but driven many and it is the better car no question, faster, better handling, better brakes, better MPG, better steering and if I could afford a nice one right now I would swap my 3.0 for it no questionam I dissapointed that I only have a 3.0, no it is still a good car just the Evo is better, i think if BMW had brought out an evolution of an M3 and it was worse it would have issues!
apart from MPG (not much in it really) the 3.0 is a bit cheaper to run because a lot of the parts on the Evo were a bit more bespoke/expensive, for example the brakes are twice the price (approx) than the 3.0
if you want an E36 M3 and want the best the Evo is the one
flatline84 said:
Id be interested in the view of someone who has had both a healthy 3.0 and a 3.2, rather than a bunch of owners of either model coming on here to defend their car.
If it helps, I don't own either and quite frankly I don't really car which one wins an internet argument.The Evo is the better car, but they're both great cars and what's great about the E36 is that there is such a large range of tried-and-tested upgrades you can do to improve them, either for a specific purpose or just as a great all-rounder.
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