E30 Zone

Had my first ride in an m3 today! it was great! Went down to plymouth on Friday to see some relatives and low and behold, one of my cousins mates has an m3 he agreed to take me out in it today. The car was pretty scruffy, but you could tell the only reason he owned it was to drive the thing! It just seemed soo much faster than I had expected it to be, and the handling was something else. It just griped and griped without sign of letting go ( although it did a couple of times ) !

The owner said he also had a 36 and 46 m3, but would always reach for the keys of the e30 first, he said its the best car hes ever owned and I can see why. I think I know what il be saving for when im older!

I bet it wasn;t a great M3 if you think that was fast go in a good one

i drove an e46 m3 last week and it was superb. when you go from a 20year old 520i to a 2 year old m3 you really feel the difference. the brakes are on a different level

I said it was faster than I expected it to be.

julianm40 wrote:I said it was faster than I expected it to be.

Yeah most people say there not as fast as modern cars but ti think they are.

jealous of you. Never been in an e30 m3. I expect its like a 318is on steroids! Hopefully one day i will own one. Dunno hoow people can compare them with new cars! Thats just stupid, its not the point.

I have never driven an M3 but a friend has and drove my chipped 325i and said in a stright line the m3 was no faster. It is totaly different when it comes to the twistys

I never understand people that compare an E30 M3 against a 325 as they are totally different cars!

Ive had 3 325i in SE or Sport guise and although I loved them to bits they dont come close to my M3 hence why I have one now. However I have a friend with a E36 325 which is pretty close 60-90mph as you would expect along a straight line but take him through some twisty bits and he would finish the stretch minutes after me.

The M3 is about handling not outright performance although I have had many quick cars with mine and its only had a few mods!!!

hammoj28 wrote:jealous of you. Never been in an e30 m3. I expect its like a 318is on steroids! Hopefully one day i will own one. Dunno hoow people can compare them with new cars! Thats just stupid, its not the point.

Nothing like a 318is, NOTHING!

Andrew

Was just saying that cos its 4 cylinder aswel. Iv never been in one yet and cant wait to be honest cos i cant imagine.

M3's are handling beasts, that's what they are. They just grip superb which gives you so much confidence while cornering with them.

Comparing them with modern cars takes you nowhere, you just have to love them for what they are ! - although in today terms they still strive.

I would own one if I could.

Jose

hammoj28 wrote:Was just saying that cos its 4 cylinder aswel. Iv never been in one yet and cant wait to be honest cos i cant imagine.

If you can make the Perth meet at the end of the month then I'll take you out in mine

Hmmm, thats a very very tempting offer! Will se what i can do. Thanks for the offer mate. Whats the date of it?

30th Total BMW are coming along as well

Yeah I gotta say it was far more impressive in the twisty bits than the straights.

Im sure you can make any other e30 handle as good as an e30 M3, or am i smoking the bark?
M3 has the same suspension setup as any other e30, only difference being the thicker sway bars, lower ride, or is it the wider track or engine placement that makes the difference?
any ideas..

I think theres a bit more to it than that. But you could make an E30 M3 handle like a lotus exige

Hyperion wrote:Im sure you can make any other e30 handle as good as an e30 M3, or am i smoking the bark?
M3 has the same suspension setup as any other e30, only difference being the thicker sway bars, lower ride, or is it the wider track or engine placement that makes the difference?
any ideas..

Different shocks, springs, hubs, wider track, control arms, different anti-roll bars that are also mounted to the supension leg, and is 20mm lower than a normal E30. So yes, strictly speaking, the suspension is totally different!

Don't know if this video has been posted here, but this gives a really good display of what the E30 M3 was designed for. Of course this is no standard M3.

http://www.rennslalomcup.de/store/videos/000142.wmv

Just seems to behave so well on the limit.

You can spend as much money as you want on the suspension of an M20 engined car - it still wont handle as well as an M3 on standard suspension.

As for outright speed - a good 215bhp M3 will be as quick as the good 2.7's in straight lines......however start tinkering with the M3 and.......

maxfield wrote:I think theres a bit more to it than that. But you could make an E30 M3 handle like a lotus exige

Somehow I doubt that very very much. Unless you give the E30 a serious weight loss programme. Like 4-500KG weight loss!

Yeah i kinda got that rong i couldn't think of a better example around the weight of an e30

that video made my jaw drop i have only seen few cars handle that well

See ive been having a debate with my mate, he drives a civic vti, with some type R bits and lowering springs. I think an m3 would be faster round a track and he dosnt! What do you guys think? I need some pub ammo!

Type R v M3??

I drove a Type R before getting my M3 last year. My first impressions were that the type R was much faster, however.....

The M3 was my first rear wheel drice car and after replacing some suspension bushes and getting some new Goodyear eagle F1's fitted it has transformed the car.

Replacing the clutch and having the gear linkage rebuilt has improved things even further.

Like any modern car the Type R is much easier to jump into and drive at 9/10ths within an hour whereas the M3 is not quite so easy. It is however far more rewarding has little/no understeer and has so much more feel and balance than the Honda.

I still think that the Type R maybe slightly quicker in my hands but someone really used to rear wheel drive and the M3 in particular would keep the Honda honest.

The difference between the two is simple however. Every time I drive the M3 it puts a big grin on my face whereas after owning the Type R for 12 months you get a little tired of revving the nuts off it to entertain yourself and it became just "a car" if that makes any sense.

The M3 is very involving and every time I look at it never mind drive it, it makes me feel good!! Best car i've ever owned and everybody else seems to like it and want to talk about it. I've been approached three times in the last 3 months to sell the car from strangers who have seen it parked up etc.

It has also been pretty reliable, as apart from the clutch, I've only had to replace the water pump, which is a bit of a weak spot.

Anyway drifting off topic a bit there....

Civic VTI v M3 - M3 would definitely be quicker. Driven a 1.6VTI and it would not live with a wll sorted M3.

Mark

Yep, my m3 puts a smile on my face, every time I think of selling, I take it for a drive. Thats it, great turn in, put the power it digs in seems to balance and you feel each corner of the car. No fuss no massive oversteer.
I drive jags, DB9's, lambo's, porkies in my job. But I love my M3.