Random Thoughts about M3

[!Xoible]

i have done over 400 miles on the car, i have no revved over 5k RPM, i have not put on M mode or done anything that is really "M" yet. but i'll make a thread and update as i continue putting miles on it.


Transmission:
funny thing is my main complaint about my old G35 was that the clutch was less forgiving, very sensitive and willing to jerk any time. It makes all sort of noises when it engages, u hear it clearly when driving slow, u lift your foot off the pedal and u'll hear things, etc. just bugged me.
After having driven a 335 i thought my next car is definitely a BMW. I ended up with a M3, and guess what! every thing i didnt like about G35's clutch is here BUT this time im loving it for some reason. i'd like a car without the clanks and little whine and what not, but i guess it's a character of a sporty car.

PROBABLY coz i am getting used to it, because when Rich@Autobahn drove it and OC 335i drove it they jerked quite a bit, even after the first 350 miles.

Moving on to the next item is the shifter. the shifter is really nice, throws seem short enough although i think i want to consider a shorter shift shaft after having driven Rich's E46 M3 with UUC ssk. about 15-20% of the time i miss the 3rd gear, it just doesnt go in there. that is definitely my bad.
the other thing is reverse sometimes doesnt let me go into gear. it's funny i feel like i need to force it in, which i wouldnt.

I am having a hard time rev matching when i shift down for corners. the gas pedal seems to be less sensitive that i expect. but then again that will change once i go in sport mode or something to enhance the throttle. for now it sounds like it needs a hard blip to rev match.

Engine
I cannot say a word about the engine that i would want you to read or believe right now. reason is i have not seen what the engine can do. all my revs have been under 5k, so as far as im concerned i can be driving a really loud 328 haha not that bad, but i still need to see what the engine can do.

all i can say right now is the rush i get when im about 4k RPM makes me wanna keep pushing, the sound is very addicting and around 4k rpm definitely feels faster than my chipped 335 with Procede V1.

again that review wasnt helpful coz i didnt push the engine enough to see what it has to offer.

Handling
let me put it this way: my 335 with KW V2's + sway bars need a lot of improvement to handle like the M3. but then again i didnt take sharp corners or anything, just judging from freeway ramps and that one corner on my way to work that i used to take at 50+ with my 335. the grip with the M3 is just amazing.
The person that was with me last night would freak out every time im taking a corner thinking we'd flip then the person would realize how flat the car is. i can see her grab the handle and prepare to flip then she'll be like 'oh, that wasnt bad' the car's really flat.

this is pretty random. but on my 335 the cockpit would creak when i drive down my work's parking lot's drive way. the M3 doesnt, im not sure it's coz the 335 is less stiff, or coz of sway bars, or what, i have no clue. just an observation

the car has minimal body roll. strut bar im thinking would help, but i love it as is.
Steering
i have no fucking clue why they say it feels light. compared to my 335 yes it does, compared to e46 m3 no way! in any case it's very very precise and you really feel there's a lot working under you when you flick the wheel just a little. it's not a Z4M steering, but it's pretty damn precise.

Acceleration
cant say yet, i havent pushed it. but i can tell it can do something when i shift from 4th to 3rd for instance. oh that growl is so fucking addicting

Vs. My 335
haha i have no idea why people are comparing it to 335's. 335 is one hell of a car, very very extremely well engineering and surprisingly fast. but come the fuck on! there's more to it than that.
the only thing i'd understand when comparing is a chipped 335 with a couple of other mods like DP's or exhaust in terms of acceleration. but then i was beat by a CRX and a Evo in my 335. so that makes a CRX and the Evo "better" cars than the 335 for a lot cheaper too!!!

EDC
i tried the stiffest option on there, it's very noticeable. the car just becomes rough and bumpy. in "wavy" roads like the 57 freeway in front of angels stadium the car will not bounce like the others do at all. very impressive. i still have to test this at higher speeds post-1200 miles.

Misc.
iDrive is meh... used to it now, but i dont think it's the nicest thing. the metal knob can get fucking hot. i have to tint for sure, i cant touch it when i first start the car.

shifter knob looks nice IMO, i wouldnt wanna change it, but want a shorter shaft. we'll see what the market has to offer

I can see the iDrive screen with polarized sun glasses just fine. no problems at all.

i love the leather and CF trim, i think it's very clever and classy to do the CF leather vs. glossy CF trim

i cant get over how nice comfort access is

gas mileage im getting 18.3 now, after getting 19.2 on first 300 miles. city driving kills it, and the $4.10 per gallon sucks balls... but as i say JOKINGLY "good gas mileage is for poor people"

Exhaust noise is just addicting, it's the right volume, not too loud for me, and not too quiet. the white the M3 has is addicting too. so very fucking nice sounding car. when i turn it on in the morning with a cold start it gives me a boner.

im noticing long cranks when the car starts in the morning

i cant figure out hill-assit, sometimes i feel it kick in, some times it doesnt. i *think* it has to do with how hard i press the brake pedal??

why the fuck doesnt it have metal pedals????!!!!!

Red Interior... hmm... every one who saw it in person agreed it looks good and better than pics.

the car gets a shit load of attention, last thumbs up i got from like a 9 year old indian boy in his mom's car going to school. was drooling and waving and smiling like crazy. girls, guys, old people stopped and said something nice, even a guy on a bike came over and say "this is the shit man"... the funniest is a bunch of old black ladies hahaa

did i miss anything?

[rai]

thanks. looking forward to more reviews as time goes by.

Let me get this straight. you have never driven an M3 over 5K rpms? Even a test drive? I did test drive twice and maybe it slipped and I got 6K-ish maybe 6500 but it was a demo car so I don't feel terrible about that. It's hard to not rev that sucker. I mean that engine loves to rev.

I'm sure you can't wait for the break-in to be over.

[Crimson92]

nabil the hills assist only engages when you come to a complete stop, put it in neutral and back to first

and the jerk you feel is prolly the cdv doing its job

i still need to drive your car ass monkey

[E90SLAM]

I have to say...why the fuck u doing here???
Go out and DRIVE!!!

[Crimson92]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

I have to say...why the fuck u doing here???
Go out and DRIVE!!!

GTFO

[asaulo1]

good review, mantis.... I guess you just have to rub it in knowing that your old shipmates (supposed to be) are still waiting and probably still have to wait a wee bit longer....

[nusevad]

Nice review Mantis, however i am concerned when you said long cranks, should this be something we should watch out for?? Because i know that long cranks is a symptom for fuel pump failure in the 335i

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

i'd like a car without the clanks and little whine and what not,

im noticing long cranks when the car starts in the morning

Also you notice the whine too?? I thought i was the only one.

[Crimson92]

the whine is prolly the diff.....guys who have driven cars with a perfomance lsd know the sound

[ersin]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

i have done over 400 miles on the car, i have no revved over 5k RPM, i have not put on M mode or done anything that is really "M" yet. but i'll make a thread and update as i continue putting miles on it.


Transmission:
funny thing is my main complaint about my old G35 was that the clutch was less forgiving, very sensitive and willing to jerk any time. It makes all sort of noises when it engages, u hear it clearly when driving slow, u lift your foot off the pedal and u'll hear things, etc. just bugged me.
After having driven a 335 i thought my next car is definitely a BMW. I ended up with a M3, and guess what! every thing i didnt like about G35's clutch is here BUT this time im loving it for some reason. i'd like a car without the clanks and little whine and what not, but i guess it's a character of a sporty car.

PROBABLY coz i am getting used to it, because when Rich@Autobahn drove it and OC 335i drove it they jerked quite a bit, even after the first 350 miles.

Moving on to the next item is the shifter. the shifter is really nice, throws seem short enough although i think i want to consider a shorter shift shaft after having driven Rich's E46 M3 with UUC ssk. about 15-20% of the time i miss the 3rd gear, it just doesnt go in there. that is definitely my bad.
the other thing is reverse sometimes doesnt let me go into gear. it's funny i feel like i need to force it in, which i wouldnt.

I am having a hard time rev matching when i shift down for corners. the gas pedal seems to be less sensitive that i expect. but then again that will change once i go in sport mode or something to enhance the throttle. for now it sounds like it needs a hard blip to rev match.

Engine
I cannot say a word about the engine that i would want you to read or believe right now. reason is i have not seen what the engine can do. all my revs have been under 5k, so as far as im concerned i can be driving a really loud 328 haha not that bad, but i still need to see what the engine can do.

all i can say right now is the rush i get when im about 4k RPM makes me wanna keep pushing, the sound is very addicting and around 4k rpm definitely feels faster than my chipped 335 with Procede V1.

again that review wasnt helpful coz i didnt push the engine enough to see what it has to offer.

Handling
let me put it this way: my 335 with KW V2's + sway bars need a lot of improvement to handle like the M3. but then again i didnt take sharp corners or anything, just judging from freeway ramps and that one corner on my way to work that i used to take at 50+ with my 335. the grip with the M3 is just amazing.
The person that was with me last night would freak out every time im taking a corner thinking we'd flip then the person would realize how flat the car is. i can see her grab the handle and prepare to flip then she'll be like 'oh, that wasnt bad' the car's really flat.

this is pretty random. but on my 335 the cockpit would creak when i drive down my work's parking lot's drive way. the M3 doesnt, im not sure it's coz the 335 is less stiff, or coz of sway bars, or what, i have no clue. just an observation

the car has minimal body roll. strut bar im thinking would help, but i love it as is.
Steering
i have no fucking clue why they say it feels light. compared to my 335 yes it does, compared to e46 m3 no way! in any case it's very very precise and you really feel there's a lot working under you when you flick the wheel just a little. it's not a Z4M steering, but it's pretty damn precise.

Acceleration
cant say yet, i havent pushed it. but i can tell it can do something when i shift from 4th to 3rd for instance. oh that growl is so fucking addicting

Vs. My 335
haha i have no idea why people are comparing it to 335's. 335 is one hell of a car, very very extremely well engineering and surprisingly fast. but come the fuck on! there's more to it than that.
the only thing i'd understand when comparing is a chipped 335 with a couple of other mods like DP's or exhaust in terms of acceleration. but then i was beat by a CRX and a Evo in my 335. so that makes a CRX and the Evo "better" cars than the 335 for a lot cheaper too!!!

EDC
i tried the stiffest option on there, it's very noticeable. the car just becomes rough and bumpy. in "wavy" roads like the 57 freeway in front of angels stadium the car will not bounce like the others do at all. very impressive. i still have to test this at higher speeds post-1200 miles.

Misc.
iDrive is meh... used to it now, but i dont think it's the nicest thing. the metal knob can get fucking hot. i have to tint for sure, i cant touch it when i first start the car.

shifter knob looks nice IMO, i wouldnt wanna change it, but want a shorter shaft. we'll see what the market has to offer

I can see the iDrive screen with polarized sun glasses just fine. no problems at all.

i love the leather and CF trim, i think it's very clever and classy to do the CF leather vs. glossy CF trim

i cant get over how nice comfort access is

gas mileage im getting 18.3 now, after getting 19.2 on first 300 miles. city driving kills it, and the $4.10 per gallon sucks balls... but as i say JOKINGLY "good gas mileage is for poor people"

Exhaust noise is just addicting, it's the right volume, not too loud for me, and not too quiet. the white the M3 has is addicting too. so very fucking nice sounding car. when i turn it on in the morning with a cold start it gives me a boner.

im noticing long cranks when the car starts in the morning

i cant figure out hill-assit, sometimes i feel it kick in, some times it doesnt. i *think* it has to do with how hard i press the brake pedal??

why the fuck doesnt it have metal pedals????!!!!!

the car gets a shit load of attention, last thumbs up i got from like a 9 year old indian boy in his mom's car going to school. was drooling and waving and smiling like crazy. girls, guys, old people stopped and said something nice, even a guy on a bike came over and say "this is the shit man"... the funniest is a bunch of old black ladies hahaa

did i miss anything?

Nice review. Thanks.

I'd say the difference between the G35 and M3 clutch is that the G35 has a Japanese accent whereas the M3 has a German accent.

I believe others have a a problem getting into reverse. Are you sure that you were at a complete stop when you tried to get it into reverse. I've had some cars where you had to be absolutely still before it would let you go into reverse. Also, the clutch usually has to be all the way to the floor.

I'm glad to hear about the steering. All this talk of light steering was scaring me a couple of months ago. When you say it's no Z4 M steering what do you mean? Is the Z4 M steering that good? Or that bad?

I bet you can't wait to get past break-in. Hope you get there soon. I can't understand why people keep comparing the M3 to the 335 also. It doesn't make sense. It's like comparing a Lexus to a Toyota.

They ought to cover the iDrive knob in leather.

Funny how everyone notices your car. When I got my E46 M3 in 2002 the only people that noticed it were servicemen. Women just thought it was your run of the mill BMW.

$4.10/gal? Out here in Maryland it ranges from $3.35 to $3.39 still. I guess I better count myself lucky. Although 18 mpg is not bad in town. I don't even get that on the highway in the SUV.

Cheers, and good luck getting to break-in.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by rai

thanks. looking forward to more reviews as time goes by.

Let me get this straight. you have never driven an M3 over 5K rpms? Even a test drive? I did test drive twice and maybe it slipped and I got 6K-ish maybe 6500 but it was a demo car so I don't feel terrible about that. It's hard to not rev that sucker. I mean that engine loves to rev.

I'm sure you can't wait for the break-in to be over.

yah never over 5k. i was asked to keep low RPM's on my test drive just coz someone else will be owning the car, so i respected that.

Originally Posted by Crimson92

nabil the hills assist only engages when you come to a complete stop, put it in neutral and back to first

and the jerk you feel is prolly the cdv doing its job

i still need to drive your car ass monkey

not CDV, it's clutch.. when u drive it u'll get what i mean

Originally Posted by asaulo1

good review, mantis.... I guess you just have to rub it in knowing that your old shipmates (supposed to be) are still waiting and probably still have to wait a wee bit longer....

worth the wait bro... trust me... next week right?

Originally Posted by FifthStreetz

Nice review Mantis, however i am concerned when you said long cranks, should this be something we should watch out for?? Because i know that long cranks is a symptom for fuel pump failure in the 335i

Also you notice the whine too?? I thought i was the only one.

yah i definitely have a very sensitive ear to all noises coming from car, anything.
im not concerned about the cranks. if the part is available it'll be fine, i'll live with it. i hope it's not a problem, but i'll live with it it if it were.

Originally Posted by ersin

Nice review. Thanks.

I believe others have a a problem getting into reverse. Are you sure that you were at a complete stop when you tried to get it into reverse. I've had some cars where you had to be absolutely still before it would let you go into reverse. Also, the clutch usually has to be all the way to the floor.

I'm glad to hear about the steering. All this talk of light steering was scaring me a couple of months ago. When you say it's no Z4 M steering what do you mean? Is the Z4 M steering that good? Or that bad?

I bet you can't wait to get past break-in. Hope you get there soon. I can't understand why people keep comparing the M3 to the 335 also. It doesn't make sense. It's like comparing a Lexus to a Toyota.

They ought to cover the iDrive knob in leather.

Funny how everyone notices your car. When I got my E46 M3 in 2002 the only people that noticed it were servicemen. Women just thought it was your run of the mill BMW.

$4.10/gal? Out here in Maryland it ranges from $3.35 to $3.39 still. I guess I better count myself lucky. Although 18 mpg is not bad in town. I don't even get that on the highway in the SUV.

Cheers, and good luck getting to break-in.

yes fully stopped. here's the thing, on old old cars if u have the car in first u have to put neutral, clutch out, clutch in THEN put in reverse. same for reverse to first. but that's like old cars from the 30's or something. now it shouldnt be the case. but if i do it, the shifter will go in no problem. and yes i clutch ALL the way in.

Z4M steering is ridiculous. it's like a go kart. it's amazing.

i think people notice my car more than older M3 coz it's loud, and maybe coz roof is different color??
one persian girl yesterday was like "ur car is cute.." then she paused, in the meantime i was thinking "wait till u hear it before u say cute", then after like 10 seconds she goes "u probably dont want to hear the word cute, huh" hahah

i havent punched the car yet, once i do i'll hit like 13 mpg's

gas is expensive. ridiculously expensive now

[par4bmw]

Thanks for the update Mantis. Sounds like you are having a blast.

[ersin]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

yah never over 5k. i was asked to keep low RPM's on my test drive just coz someone else will be owning the car, so i respected that.

Ha, you and I are probably the only ones that respect that. I had a chance to take out a brand new M3 back in 2001. They let me have for an hour or so. Nobody else in the car. Of course, I already had one on order. Anyway, I respected the 5500 rpm. My CA afterwards said don't worry about that. Go figure.

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

yes fully stopped. here's the thing, on old old cars if u have the car in first u have to put neutral, clutch out, clutch in THEN put in reverse. same for reverse to first. but that's like old cars from the 30's or something. now it shouldnt be the case. but if i do it, the shifter will go in no problem. and yes i clutch ALL the way in.

Hmm. I seem to recall other cars I've had that were similar (neutral, clutch out and in, then into reverse). Can't recall for sure though. Weird. I wonder now if it supposed to be that way or not.

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

Z4M steering is ridiculous. it's like a go kart. it's amazing.

Ok. Reports in magazines say that the Z4M steering is not as good as the Porsche Cayman S. Doesn't surprise me. But then the Z was wearing those crappy Continentals. I've heard a strut brace and PS2s make a world of difference. Cool.

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

i think people notice my car more than older M3 coz it's loud, and maybe coz roof is different color??
one persian girl yesterday was like "ur car is cute.." then she paused, in the meantime i was thinking "wait till u hear it before u say cute", then after like 10 seconds she goes "u probably dont want to hear the word cute, huh" hahah

Carbon fiber roof is sexy. But the question is not whether you want to hear that the car is cute or not but was she cute?

Cheers, and get those miles in.

[OC Guy]

I drove the car for a bit on the weekend (Mantis'). The absolutely loved the way the engine sounds, especially over 6k (Mantis wasn't looking, okay JK! but I probably scared him for a sec). The steering response is very good, a bit better than my 335i IMO. The car feels more stable than my 335i that is lowered/aligned/corner balanced (Lowered with Kwv2s). I drove the car with both EDC on/off.

As soon as I parked the car for the first time we received a compliment from some ladies. They said, nice car you have there. I just smiled and pointed to Mantis indicating he was the owner. I'm not sure they noticed because they were walking away while still looking at the car.

The transmission does seem a little notchy, I know what notchiness feels like, coming from a S2000. The clutch grabbed nice for a stock clutch but I did have problems with a little bit of jerkiness. I think perhaps I need to probably get used to it a bit more but I have a lot of experience with aftermarket clutches with very stiff clutch plates. I think the jerkiness is attributed to partly driver getting used to the clutch, myself babying it a little bit too much, and the clutch doing a good job at grabbing the way it does (which is a good thing for performance). It definitely has some bite to it for a stock clutch.

The car does indeed crank a little longer than my 335i, but it's not nearly as long compared to when I had fuel pump problems. It is possible that this is just the way the car is, I will have to check out some other friends' M3s soon.

All in all, I enjoyed driving the car quite a bit. It made me miss driving a 6MT. Thanks Mantis for coming down and keeping me company while I got my car detailed and thanks for letting me drive!

[southlight]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

yes fully stopped. here's the thing, on old old cars if u have the car in first u have to put neutral, clutch out, clutch in THEN put in reverse. same for reverse to first. but that's like old cars from the 30's or something. now it shouldnt be the case. but if i do it, the shifter will go in no problem. and yes i clutch ALL the way in.

Yes, occasionally the car doesn't seem to like going into reverse. Mostly I engage the first gear to 'drive' slightly forwards (only a inch or so), then in reverse without a prob. When thinking about it, don't know if that's normal.


Best regards, south

[Davinhci]

thanks for the insights

[gadget]

mantis, if you spent half the time driving as you do posting, you'd already be over the 1200 mark. probably like 8000 miles by now.

[southlight]

Originally Posted by OC 335i

Thanks Mantis for coming down and keeping me company while I got my car detailed and thanks for letting me drive!

There's a German saying: "There are two 'things' a man never lends: his wife and his car."


Best regards, south

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by southlight

There's a German saying: "There are two 'things' a man never lends: his wife and his car."


Best regards, south

South, I'm glad I live in the U.S. this time.

Although my visit to Germany was great.

Originally Posted by gadget

mantis, if you spent half the time driving as you do posting, you'd already be over the 1200 mark. probably like 8000 miles by now.

Alas, some people have to work.

[southlight]

Originally Posted by OC 335i

Although my visit to Germany was great.

The girls or the cars?


Best regards, south

[ersin]

Gee, if the car garners this much interest then we ought to have a contest: who will be the first to see someone walk into a lamppost or something while ogling the M3?

[nusevad]

How do you get 18mpg around town? ive been getting 11mpg city driving....

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by FifthStreetz

How do you get 18mpg around town? ive been getting 11mpg city driving....

He's babying it. haha.

On that note, Mantis just stalled.