Christobol

KKelly is a M5 owner on the site I believe. He said that 0-60 the M3 and M5 are tied. After 60 the M5 is gone. The V8 just rips open and takes off. As far as a comparison between a new M3 and GS430, the M3 will smoke it. Even if you modify the suspension to an incredible amount you're not going to be able to keep up. This weekend I had a guy with L-tuned suspension in his GS400 trying to keep up with my IS and another IS and he couldn't hang (we were going to the rock store). I'm sure that an M3 will take it out.

I have yet to find out if my IS will be able to hang with an M3 on the curves, I'm fairly certain that he will still kill me on a straight away. I'm waiting to find out, I have yet to get my boss to open his car up when I'm around him (he has a '97 M3 E36 right?). Of course any bimmer won't last as long as a Lexus, and the extra cost of maintaince on a BMW is an extra 2k a year.

BLiu

No, Sorry RA...your car is fast but not THAT fast

The new M3 was probably in it's break-in period (top speed limited to 105 mph, revs limited to 5500rpm - FYI redline is 9K) for the first 1200 miles.

Believe me I know... Can't wait to get out of the breakin period...

V8 or no V8, the new M3 has gobs of torque in the high end as well. The M5 is just as fast if not faster...

We can always dream though...

If people think they can keep up with the M cars, I have a story for you. One night I saw a car behind me and it seemed to be tailgating me onto an onramp. So I decide to punch it onto the freeway, and I see the car slowly drifting back but never really smoked. I think to myself, dang, this car is hanging a bit with my GS400. I decide to let it pass, and guess what it was? A Mitsubishi Lancer, a Lancer for crying out loud! It was dark so I could not make it out. At first I thought it was a TL but even so, I was flooring it and I didn't just walk away. Interesting, no?

Brent

klynchgs4

I rented a 2002 M3 convertible for 2 days. I let a buddy of mine drive the M3 who has a lot more experience with a manual transmission. My GS has the SRT intake, PI T/C, Level 10 tranny and Nitto drag radials in the rear. I consistently pulled on the M3 at launch (approx 2-3 cars). By 100 I was still at least 1 1/2 car lengths. My own tests on the M3 with a G-Tech meter were, best 0-60 was 5.38 and 1/4 mile 13.9. I've had a few 13.7's in my GS4. Not to say the G-Tech is completely accurate, but it's the same meter used in both cars. On the freeway the new M3 will beat the GS4. One test I like to do when I rent exotic cars (to date I've rented a Viper, a 2001 Z06 and the 2002 M3) is not only the G-Tech stuff, but from 70-100 using a stop watch. My best 70 to 100 in the M3 was 6.26 seconds. My best 70 to 100 in the GS is 8.17. My wife's 2000 S500 does it in 7.3 (the Benz does not shift between 70 and 100, but the GS4 does). A side note, the Viper did the 70 to 100 in under 4 seconds (3.89). The Viper is an amazing straight line accelerator, but the suspension is for *****.

Bottom line, the convertible M3 is much heavier than the coupe. So those of you with modified GS4's will do well against a convertible, but I think the coupe will smoke us (unless you have a s/c, then it's a whole new ball game).

BLiu

Thanks! That's some good scientific data collection. Although the Gtech is a little bit inaccurate and could vary from car to car, however, the numbers sound pretty close. I am surprised you got 5.4 out of an M3 Cab. Those cars are way heavier than the coupe and lose almost a full sec off the 0-60 times. Thanks for some concrete numbers though!

Brent

RacingAristo

Brent,

Stop talking about the M3 or I'm gonna trade in my GS for the old love of mine! haha.

p.s. Getta race with your M3 and see how badly I'd lose. I'm very interested in knowing.

///MDex

Is you IS modded? A GS should easily keep up if not overtake a stock IS. Curvy roads?

Just curious.

Christobol

You really think that any GS could keep up with me on a set of curvy roads??? If you do you're sadly mistaken. My car handles incredibly well. I've got a massive weight advantage, and my car comes with a much more sporty suspension. Now on any straight road the GS400, or 430 is going to leave me behind. But when it comes to handling the IS is far superior. I'm not sure you can modify the GS suspension enough to compete with a stock IS in the mountains or valleys.

Oh and my IS is bone stock with the excpetion of the radar detector (look at my signature). It won't be for long though.

///MDex

Dude, ease down. What's with the defensive reply?

I don't think I said that; I was simply asking for clarification since I didn't see you mention anything about curvy roads in your post I was quoting....

I know you car handles well - I've driven one.

I'm not trying to turn this into a GS vs IS thread, OK?

Stock to stock, sure, it is supposed to.

Too bad you and I will never find out.

I can tell you this though, the IS doesn't handle as well as an NSX, and Bitkahuna's GS stayed on the tail of one when we did a mountrain trip a few months ago, and he had all bolt on TRD suspension upgrades.

Listen Christobol, I'm not trying to encite a **** waving contest here, just wanted some clarification on your post.

The IS is a great handling car, stock, and modded, no doubt; just don't underestimate a modded GS.

Peace

BLiu

In due time, my friend, in due time...

Brent

Christobol

Dexter I didn't mean to come of defensively. I just wanted to clarify things a bit more. I made a reference to curvy road, but it was quite vague and meaningless unless you live in or near LA. That's my bad. Anyway it's pointless to argue.

Back to the point of the thread

JaxFL I think the reason that people drifted off toolder M3's is because we all have some amount of experience against them. If you take the general gist of the thread is that older M3's car close if not a bit faster 0-60 compared to a GS4. When it comes to handling the M is far superior. A modded GS will do a better job, but it's still not on par with a M3 in handling. Now we know that new M3's have 90 more horses, along with a slightly updated suspension. The GS430 did not under go such a drastic change.

From what I know of M3's they are a sports car. The GS is an entirely different line of car, which is a luxury sedan first, and sporty second. I don't think that comparing the two is a really valid comparison. If you were talking about a M5, that would be a different story.

CL Sabre

You guys may be able to beat a pre '96 M3, but I seriously doubt you could beat anything newer without some serious mods.

A 96 M3 stock runs 14.0 in the 1/4 and 5.5s 0-60,
Pre-96 M3's run high 14's to low 15's in the 1/4 and about 6.5 to 7 0-60.

New M3's run low 13's in the 1/4 and have a 0-60 time of under 5 seconds!!

GS400_PUSHER

A GS400 can beat a 97 to 99 M3 from 0-60 and the 1/4 mile. But The New M3 with 333bhp, we can't I seen them run low 13s in the 1/4 stock I heard that the conv. one is slow then the hard top. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I've raced the older M3(98) and beat him everytime we raced and he had a manual + mods on the hwy I put him in shame he hung with me until the GS's sweet spot which is 60 on up. Then I started pulling on him, but I do have the SRT HFI maybe that was it ............lol but I got him.

BriGuyMax

I've HAMMERED E36 M3s from a roll...the get walked like civics...well not like civics but they do get walked pretty hard.

From a light I'm pretty much dead even with an E36 UNLESS they get an AMAZING launch and they may pull a car out of a light...but by 70mph...I'm passing them.

I'm BONE STOCK.

Hell...when my 5-speed Maxima was bone stock..I took out an AUTO E36 M3 at a light...

Christobol

Wow, I'm impressed that the GS can beat older M3's. No wonder BWM had to set up and add a massive amount of power to that engine. How about older M5's? I know they are rare, but does anyone know?

BriGuyMax

the older M5s came with a 6-cylinder that was good for low 6s 0-60 and high 14s in the 1/4....a GS4 will take an old M5 from a stop...or a roll no problem.

be careful though...a few of those old M5s came with V8 Rodac (sp) racing engines...and they HAULED @SS!