Anyone know of a race between e36 m3 and e92 328i?

[CMG]

Both 1995-99 bmw m3 and 2011-present 328i (f30) have 240bhp stock. Anyone know of video or magazine article where they raced each other in completely stock form?

[Foda420]

Never seen a vid but ended up lined up next to one at a drag strip when I was stock. It wasn't even close, I think I was 5 cars, maybe more by the 1/4. I don't remember times though, was over a year ago. I think he was somewhere in the low-mid 15's. It was an E92 328 automatic.

Also had a little fun with a debadged e90 on my way to work this morning. I think it was a 330, and he had wheels, possibly intake but it was still decidedly worse for him given my mods since that 1/4 run lol. I'm sure the weight is what really holds them back.

[MMMGP]

E90 328i sedan w/ manual transmission and no sport package:

PEAK POWER 230 hp @ 6500 rpm
PEAK TORQUE 200 lb-ft @ 2750 rpm
WEIGHT 3386lbs

My 97 M3 manual sedan with Kosei wheels, Dinan exhaust (lighter) and the spare tire removed came in at 3050lbs at the local truck scale. Plus the S52 has more torque.

[CMG]

The n20 has 240bhp and 280t and around 3300 and s50/52 has 240bhp and 240t and around 3200. These are all rough numbers and will all be slightly different among the cars but still seems fairly close.

[MMMGP]

The N20 (4cyl turbo) is used for the F30 chassis... your post title says E92.

[Eric98Sedan]

Yes, confused on which chassis we're talking about here.

N20/F30 328i? Pretty dam fast little car, but, horribly boring power delivery. Talk about running out of breath up top.... it's really bad. But oh my the midrange.

[CMG]

Whoops sorry, i'm like 10 years behind on chassis codes, i can't keep up with all the changes. Talkin about n20 in 328i. So i think it started in 2011? My friend has one but not in this state. I drove it for 500 miles and was alright but steering and delivery were really lacking. Was mainly just interested cuz the specs seemed similar and i figured i'm not the first to notice and maybe someone did a good comparo

[notMpowered]

I think a 228i would be quite a match for the e36, but not really the f30. I'm sure numbers wise they are similar, but I'd assume the 328i while around the same power level will feel a little more sluggish due to size and type of power delivery.

[aeronaut]

There's a thread/discussion around somewhere on how to make the 328i a modern E36 M3. Some Mcar bushings and toss a little over a grand at the engine and it sounded pretty damn interesting.

EDIT...oops...I was thinking 128i, a different (lighter) car.

[notMpowered]

I think you were thinking 228i lol

[CMG]

Damn now i'm all confused. Doesn't the outgoing 328i have the n20?

[rob22sf]

yes it does, and a stock f30 with a n20 will walk on a stock e36m , I know cause my roomie has one...however... from a roll it was pretty even, but from a dig...the trq on that n20 is beastly

[MMMGP]

I dunno about some of the tech specs posted in this thread about the N20 power output. R&T tested a F30/N20 and compared it against the E90/N52B30.

N20 power output according to that article:

ENGINE: 2.0-liter turbo I-4
PEAK POWER: 240 hp @ 5000 rpm
PEAK TORQUE: 255 lb-ft @ 1250–4800 rpm
WEIGHT: 3412 lb

Peak torque is on right off the bat, but the car is easily a couple hundred pounds heavier than a 36M.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/news/...i-65-1-roa0813

[rob22sf]

BMW underated the specs

[MMMGP]

Sure.. or it could be less drivetrain loss.

[KnudsonsM3]

yes it does, and a stock f30 with a n20 will walk on a stock e36m , I know cause my roomie has one...however... from a roll it was pretty even, but from a dig...the trq on that n20 is beastly

I drove an X1 that Bmw gave me for a loaner when my x5 was getting some work done. That motor was a ton of fun and it pulled very hard. It felt quicker than a stock e36 m.

[Eric98Sedan]

I drove an X1 that Bmw gave me for a loaner when my x5 was getting some work done. That motor was a ton of fun and it pulled very hard. It felt quicker than a stock e36 m.

Yes, the N20 does feel quicker because of it's fat low-mid but it lacks upper mid/top end horribly, far worse than an S52 in my opinion. From this I don't think they're well suited (in stock form) for high-ish speed spirited driving. The only way the N20 is fast is if you short shift the hell out of it..... which is sorta counterproductive as speed rises.

I'm just not impressed with that motor at all. Very laggy, no top end = what's the point?

[Foda420]

Yes, the N20 does feel quicker because of it's fat low-mid but it lacks upper mid/top end horribly, far worse than an S52 in my opinion. From this I don't think they're well suited (in stock form) for high-ish speed spirited driving. The only way the N20 is fast is if you short shift the hell out of it..... which is sorta counterproductive as speed rises.

I'm just not impressed with that motor at all. Very laggy, no top end = what's the point?

Excellent daily driver for the masses who won't see much boost, let alone high rpm's on a daily basis. Full torque kicks in at 1250, meaning most of these motors will rarely see anything above 3.5k I would think.

When I bought my car 2 years ago I got a loaner F30 328i while the dealer did the CPS recall for me. The loaner had like 1500 miles on it and I had to take it on a 400 mile road trip for a wedding after having it for a week already. I think I put another 1000 miles on it by the tube I turned it in lol. Similar to what's been said, it felt quicker than my car at the time down low. However at highway speeds I did feel like it struggled to breathe a bit and thought my car would pull slowly over 80 mph. Great ride though, very comfy and the engine was a good mix of fun and economy IMO.

[Eric98Sedan]

Excellent daily driver for the masses who won't see much boost, let alone high rpm's on a daily basis. Full torque kicks in at 1250, meaning most of these motors will rarely see anything above 3.5k I would think.

When I bought my car 2 years ago I got a loaner F30 328i while the dealer did the CPS recall for me. The loaner had like 1500 miles on it and I had to take it on a 400 mile road trip for a wedding after having it for a week already. I think I put another 1000 miles on it by the tube I turned it in lol. Similar to what's been said, it felt quicker than my car at the time down low. However at highway speeds I did feel like it struggled to breathe a bit and thought my car would pull slowly over 80 mph. Great ride though, very comfy and the engine was a good mix of fun and economy IMO.

Agreed. For the masses and it's intended purpose, I think BMW nailed it with that little motor. It's immensely effective. Feels like a V8 around town and efficient. Makes the car feel weightless.

But from a fun/sporty/performance perspective it's quite lack-luster. From this I don't see this motor being fun in any chassis. Sure, a 228 might be lighter, but that won't address the lack of sportiness the engine brings with it. Perhaps some tuning tweaks/aftermarket can open up the top end better. That's what it needs.

[KnudsonsM3]

Yes, the N20 does feel quicker because of it's fat low-mid but it lacks upper mid/top end horribly, far worse than an S52 in my opinion. From this I don't think they're well suited (in stock form) for high-ish speed spirited driving. The only way the N20 is fast is if you short shift the hell out of it..... which is sorta counterproductive as speed rises. I'm just not impressed with that motor at all. Very laggy, no top end = what's the point?

Top end as far as in above 100 mph?

The 14' X1 I drove pulled harder than a stock s52.

[Eric98Sedan]

I mean high rpm. The motor is very weak above 5kish. Very quick, though, if short shifted. Seems easily as fast as the 36m up to 100. Perhaps. But the torque is deceiving.....it always feels faster than it is.

[CMG]

One reason i started this thread was just pure curiousity but for the last 5 years off and on i have thought about getting a newer bmw. I've driven the 335i and 335d and for max hp and tq those are the way to go but then the 328i is for better mpg. As everyone says the throttle lag and loose steering are main cons but don't they have plug in tuners to dial that stuff in?

[rob22sf]

IMO I'll never own a turbo BMW... The N54 N20 N64 etc... Have a horrible track record for reliability... Working closely & behind doors & seeing how BMWNA warranty works and how they instruction techs to " fix" problems is a scary thing & has scared me into never owning anything newer then a E46 or E39...its a pitty....

[IR M5]

IMO I'll never own a turbo BMW... The N54 N20 N64 etc... Have a horrible track record for reliability... Working closely & behind doors & seeing how BMWNA warranty works and how they instruction techs to " fix" problems is a scary thing & has scared me into never owning anything newer then a E46 or E39...its a pitty....

I agree completely. I feel bad for the unsuspecting customers who fork out tons of cash up front to buy the car, and then they are later screwed over by the fact that they have to go about replacing parts left and right. The longevity of newer cars is getting shorter and shorter.

Although think about when the first E38s and E39s were released, do you think people were scared about the reliability? Probably.

[rob22sf]

very true.... the E39 isn't as bad as the E38....and you don't need isis for everything..........