10-12-2003, 10:31 PM | #1 |
Track Addict.
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: LA, Calif
Posts: 353
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ZHP can kick E36 M3 arses at AutoX!
As implied somewhere on bimmerfest of course. ZHP egoism strikes again.
What's the deal here really? TD, Doug care to comment? Sorry if this sounds annoying (will delete if requested). But I have been in a situation where I have outdone a M5 on the tracks. Still, I never imply that my 325 is anywhere better than a M5. :roll: If BMW NA did one thing right about the ZHP is that they market the damn package too well. To the point of having an illusory effect on the owners that the package is REALLY an E36 M equivalent. |
10-12-2003, 10:37 PM | #2 |
Founder emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Maryland
Posts: 21,007
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Hell, I am a novice autoxer and I've posted better times than E46 M3s. Is my car faster?
I've driven a ZHP. Is it the best 4-door E46 made for import into the US? By a large margin (IMO). I think the package really changes the character of the car. But when you look at the relative weights, HP and gearing, there is no way you can say, ceteris peribus, that the ZHP is going to be as fast as an E36 M3. And that extra weight will definitely have an impact through turns (read- autox). Oh, and it's still too isolated, quiet and numb. It's a great car. Hell, in one C&D comparo back in 1999, the S4 beat the E36 M3. Which car would you rather have? Sometimes the whole is more than just the sum of the parts. |
10-12-2003, 10:41 PM | #3 |
Chillaxin'
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FWIW, there is a large portion of people at my local events who swear that any 330 e46 can beat a equally talented driver in a e36 M3.
As a matter of fact, if you remember the photos of the mora colored e36 M3 at our last tour of the coast I posted, that driver even swears he does better lap times in an e46 330ci. Don't know how knowledgeable he really is, but he came across as pretty knowledgeable. |
10-12-2003, 11:06 PM | #4 |
Guest
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I'd think the E36 would have the edge, lighter and more power. My guess is that they are fairly even given an equal driver...
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10-13-2003, 03:08 PM | #5 |
Relic
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Bethesda, MD
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Frankly, after driving one, the only reason to get the ZHP IMHO is for the interior.
The suspension is still REALLY soft, the exhaust has an annoying low rev drone without any of the high rev benefits, and it just doesn't feel ANYTHING like the hype makes it. That said, it feels a lot more planted than the E36 which is probably why people post faster times in it. The E36 much more readily transitions to oversteer, making it tougher to control.
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10-13-2003, 03:11 PM | #6 | |
Jaded
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10-15-2003, 07:27 PM | #7 | |
Crotchety
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[quote="ZHPhil"]
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10-15-2003, 07:37 PM | #8 | |
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10-15-2003, 08:42 PM | #9 | ||
Relic
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10-15-2003, 08:43 PM | #10 |
Relic
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I should note, though, that I do not thing it comes even close to worth the $20k it'd cost for me to upgrade to it.
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