So how is my e36 m3 as fast as my mates RS4?

[med_35]

Hi

OK, so i own a £4k e36 m3 evo. Me and a friend who claims he is a member on here (might be along shortly) had a good blast last night in a variety of gears and pulls and the cars were neck and neck. His maybe a touch quicker in 4th gear +. He reckons his is healthy and verified 377 bhp on a dyno day with print out and recenty serviced. Am I as quick as he is slightly down on power? He says most dyno around this number. Not here for a medal just an explanation, he is probably a better driver than me to so theres that variable out the window. Expected more from a 400bhp+ car tho... and cant wor it out- he was joking that he might sell as my old tank kept with him

[P_G]

Read the pages and make your own conclusions. Not a great opening gambit for a new member it has to be said.

[med_35]

Read the pages and make your own conclusions. Not a great opening gambit for a new member it has to be said.

Sorry dude, didn't mean to come across like that. The RS4 is a car that i have always respected and i know i would rather have one than the old m3 I have now. Just was disappointed i suppose and let down with its performance, was not close to what i was expecting for the power/engine it has. It just shocked me that my £4K car thats cheap as chips could match such a car

[HYFR]

is his an Avus saloon?

[HYFR]

ps. I bet it sounded MILES better ... Not to mention looked better ... I could go on

[crispy]

There would be some factors involved:-

1. Who was in front?

Several years ago, I chased a friend in his M3. I had no issues keeping up with him until I hit the rev limiter in top - he had 300+ bhp and I was in a 185bhp Caterham.
On our return journey, once the speed entered 3 figures, he was comfotably able to overtake me!
Certainly a demonstration of aerodynamics.

2. What speeds were you achieving?

Both cars will be around 5 seconds to 60, so you wont see any difference.
Try the same test on a German Autobahn, from 120 to 150 and see what happens

[dominic1]

its not all about the power and the speed to me.......... the whole package is just so good. I very nearly bought a new m3 2 months ago(i used to have a 330d remapped by dms) so i was a bmw lover, but when i drove the RS4 fell in love with the way it feels and drives is just............................. well its just like a RS4

[lengster1]

Ive owned a healthy m3 and it wasnt as quick as the rs4 although there not a million miles off,m3 has less power but less losses as its only 2wd so that closes the gap a little,but the rs4 will be better to 60 for sure and steadily pull away all the way to flat out.Completely agree with your comments Dominic the RS4 is a far superior package,fairly sure theres almost a second between them to 60 crispy 4.6 rs4 and 5.5 from memory for e36 m3 could be wrong though

[HYFR]

very good point.... So many cars do 0-60 in circa 5 seconds ... Very hard to tell the difference in a sprint, until you hit 3figures that's when the extra bhp counts

[approved]

not to be underestimated the e36 M3.

very very good car, and very very fast.

but flexing your 'my 4k car is as fast as your 30k car, how can that be' is a bit naive and dare i say, a bit chavvy?

i mean, i could go and get a superchipped, nos, lowered with underfloor neons 4x4 cosworth with 600 bhp for about 4k, and that would also blow the rs4 away in a straight line, for about about 10 mins until it blows up..

horses for courses...

your 4k m3 is as fast as some 80 grand cars.

doesnt mean its as good, or desireable, or anything else..it just means its as fast.

i like em by the way..even tried to fvind a good unmolested one in silver for storage as i think they will become sought after in a few years, but a/ it proved difficult and b/ i saw the error of my ways.

[Hartge]

As a first post you sound like a troll wanting flame bait, but to argue the post...

Weight, 4wd loss vs 2wd, gear change, length of run....lots of variables.

I've got a e36 3.0 upgraded to running class II GT spec which prob quicker than a evo but once past the legal limit it's no match for a RS4.
I also ran a e36 evo for a short while so feel like I can compare.
Your evo has quick short gear ratios even compared to my non evo, so even with 100bhp difference, which at most only equates to less than half a cars length from 0-60, if that. Over 1/4 mile the difference will be a lot more.

My M3 will prob keep up with my RS6 up to 60, but once past that point it will be a spec in the distance as you near 100+, I would imagine a RS4 would be no different.


Cost or class of car doesn't come into it when you have power vs weight. One time in the M3 I raced against a mitsi FQ400 from a 70mph rolling start, it left me so standing I actually looked down to see if I had left the handbrake on, as I was so shocked.

[silverRS4]

The RS4 has the same basic motor from the R8 and other various parts from a Gallardo. So its got some super car bits, but its far from super-car fast. But I didn't spend $70k (USD) to beat up on E36 M3's, STi's and Evos in drag races, or around the twisties for that matter. I spent the money to have a rock-solid, quick, good-sounding, iconic-looking sedan with a 8000 rpm V8.

[PetrolDave]

I spent the money to have a rock-solid, quick, good-sounding, iconic-looking sedan with a 8000 rpm V8.

+1 (almost, mine's an Avant)

[Terry1948]

A lot of us have owned and enjoyed our M3 but we found the RS4 to be superior in most respects otherwise we would not have forked out the wonga. You won't find many of us slagging the M3 off. Drive your mates car and form your own conclusion.

[sonny]

My M3 will prob keep up with my RS6 up to 60, but once past that point it will be a spec in the distance as you near 100+, I would imagine a RS4 would be no different.
.

+1

The e3e M3 is a fantastic car, im a huge fan of the e36 model.