Quote:
Originally Posted by AsianJedi
Interesting thread guys! As a long time e46 M3 vert owner (and driver of many E46 M3 coupes and E9X M3s), I will tell you that you guys are respecting the roundel way to much. Remember the M3 coupe weighs 426 more lbs than the Nismo while only compensating with 64 more HP and 19 ft lbs of torque.
|
May 5th at Willow Springs was a big track day for the M group, I checked their site to see if the discount code was better. This time it wasn't. LOTS of them were interested, showed up and ran intermediate. I was in fast intermediate with a bunch of them, stock-looking M3's and a $29k 370Z with $3k worth of Stillen Intake/HFC/Exhaust bolt ons and RE11's (265/305). As usual, I would repeatedly catch them on the 1/2 mile frontstraight from 25 car lengths back, have to hang back through the esses and pass them when they get flagged to move over on the back straight. I had to move up to Advanced and run with the Corvette club and guys I know with modded 1's and M3's with GT wings, all running RS3 tires. It was better to be a backmarker than a bulldozer, as far as having more fun goes on the track.
Their suspensions are better engineered and I think their gearing is more refined and it gives them a great street to track car without modifying, but I don't know anybody that's had their Z for more than a year that doesn't already have the mods to equalize them with these M3's on most tracks. So, don't race them anywhere there aren't runoff areas and safety staff. There's no point, and it's lose-lose!
Props to the M guys for being true enthusiasts and backing up their talk by showing up for real fun. Most SoCal Z guys with all the bells and whistles just settle for hardparking, in fact their "that meet time of the month" thread just got stickied
