E46 M3 vs. Evo VIII

I posted this on the bimmer forums last week...

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=572757

I've been waiting on this one for a while. It's a long read but it's good stuff.

A good friend of mine has an '03 M3 with some suspension mods, intake and a header-back exhaust. No software yet. It's been in and out of the shop since he bought it with some goofy electrical problems but now it's fixed and tonight he brought it by the house. First he took me for a ride, and I've noticed this before, but doesn't it always feel like a car's faster from the passenger seat. Needless to say, I was timid about racing him. The initial torque felt comparable but the pull on that bee-otch was suweeet! It just kept climbing up the RPM range like mad. I however have to mention that the handling was not quite on par with the Evo - at least from the passenger seat. We went through the hills and it was nimble, but not quite as nimble. So no...he wouldn't have me in the twisties. http://images.bimmerforums.com/smilies/biggrin.gif

Anyways we get back to the house and my wife isn't back from her mom's yet so I'm like fuggit...let's run. There's a good spot about a mile from my house that's like a ghost town after the close of business so I jump in my car and we head over. The whole way over some kid in a Scion TC followed us trying to get our attention with his fart box exhaust. Sigh. Finally he goes away and my buddy and I pull next to each other at a stop light and roll down the windows. He wanted to see what my car will do from a dig so I rev it to only about 4k and launch at about 50%. He's somewhat impressed but not intimidated so we agree to do the first one from a stop. The sound of those two engines revving up was pretty cool. It would have been awesome to be standing on the sidewalk next to us. His E46 doesn't sound like much around town with his exhaust but at full throttle it was throaty and mean. My little 4G63 four cyclinder on steroids sounds pretty mean too...bwap bwap bwap. There's a stop light about 100 yards ahead of the stop sign we're at so we agree to go when it turns green. Seemed like forever. I wanted to win the first one really bad so I gave it all I had and launched at almost 6.3k RPM's in a tasty split-second 4 wheel burnout. I was 3, maybe 4 cars in front before we hit 30mph. I continued to pull until about 5k RPM's in every gear up until about 4k RPM's in 4th gear (about 90mph I think). At that point it seemed like his headlights stopped getting smaller. I ran out 4th gear to about 115mph and let off. He said it was about 5 or 6 cars but he made up almost 2 of them in 4th gear and felt like he was pulling. He also told me he gave it everything he had (no bad shifts, bad launch, cell phone ringing, etc), which is what you want to hear.

We take a spin to the next block over and decide to do another run from a 25mph roll. He honks off and instantly pulls a car length and shifts. I made up about a half car when he did that and continued to pull until about 90mph again. I though it was less from looking in the side mirror but he said I got him by 2 cars.

I bought him a double "monster style" buerger at In & Out and we talked about the races a little. We both agreed that some software and a tune would really help the power delivery on his car. Sounds like he's going to do it sooner that later too so I think I'm going to hold off on the new cams for a little while longer so we can use my car as a baseline. I've been staring at the cams in my garage for 2 months now so what's another couple weeks.

Hope you guys like the story. I'm on these boards all the time but I rarely street race and, even then, the odds of it being a bimmer are slim to none so I can't post the kill.

E46 M3 mods: Header-back titanium exhaust, CAI, full coilover setup

Evo VIII RS mods: 3" Turbo-back exhaust, JDM MR BOV, EcuTek flash and dyno tune, aftermarket rear sway bar.

A very good kill. E46's are no slouches. Would have loved to see a vid of that race.

good kill. great story writing skills. it good to know that you got him in every contest of speed.

...it good to know that you got him in every contest of speed.
Next time we race up the side of a muddy mountain and then on the way down we take the twisty asphalt roads. Then we can truly say "every contest of speed". :grinyes:

In all honesty I'm prouder of the difference in handling than the difference in speed. The 4G63 is like a tuners wet dream so, even if I'd lost, there's always something relatively cheap and time-tested I could have done to the engine to tip the scales in my advantage...bigger turbo, cams, stroker kit, you name it. The handling is more or less "as is" with these cars. Sure some expensive suspension work will improve the stock handling on either car, but it's all relative I would imagine. Stock for stock the Evo is little more nimble. Add a full coilover setup to each car and the Evo will still be the better handling car. It's just been sorta programmed into me over the course of my adult life that M3 = world class handling. No doubt it still does but I really think Evo = world class handling + 1

Man Steiner, you should just race me. My car's as fast as an M3, I think :D

Man Steiner, you should just race me. My car's as fast as an M3, I think :D
Should we race through the mud or the snow? :smokin:

Very nice kill, congrats!

Nice kill... good story too. It's really cool to hear a story from an actual evo owner and not one from a friend of an acquaitance who once saw some dude.

Should we race through the mud or the snow? :smokin:

Through the nice heat soaking, turbo robbing, dry sunshining California desert streets of course, and with me on Drag Radials. I know you'll have a huge advantage out of the hole (Really you will :p ).

Brave to post that on Bimmerforums, they often tear into people that post about Evos, G35s, C55s, etc. Very well written.

I'm curious about the M3. What company made the intake and exhaust? Should I assume it is a stick and not SMG?

Good kill, but I can't wait for the E92 M3 to arrive

Brave to post that on Bimmerforums, they often tear into people that post about Evos, G35s, C55s, etc. Very well written.

I'm curious about the M3. What company made the intake and exhaust? Should I assume it is a stick and not SMG?

Good kill, but I can't wait for the E92 M3 to arrive
It's not the SMG version. Not sure on the brands of intake and exhaust but they both cost a pretty penny and are well known BMW brands in my buddy's opinion.

It's not the SMG version. Not sure on the brands of intake and exhaust but they both cost a pretty penny and are well known BMW brands in my buddy's opinion.
If its wasn't Dinan, then my money on the intake would be GrouppeM. Exhaust, if not Dinan, and not a brand like Borla, coulda been Eismen, I see alot of those on E46 Ms around here.

AC Schnitzer exhaust is pretty common around here.

Congrats on the kill!

AC Schnitzer exhaust is pretty common around here.
He told me yesterday it's a Schnitzer exhaust.