[Driver72]

So, for those who don't think the 335i can handle too well...well, Motor Trend enlisted the driving of Max Angelelli to take several different cars to Laguna Seca and run his best times.

The E92 Coupe did quite well, thank you very much.
Angelelli's only major complaint was the lack of a LSD, and a minor quibble about some body roll.
But he said the chassis was rigid and only the Porsche Cayman S felt stiffer.

So even with tires a smokin around the corners (because of the lack of the LSD) the 335i coupe circled the track only about a second slower than the
Mitsubishi EVO IX MR and just over 2 seconds slower than the Porsche Cayman S, but the 335i Coupe beat the Honda S2000
And again, this was also on the stock run flat tires!!

So, for those of us lucky enough to be getting the Quaife LSD, this car would BEAT the EVO IX MR around Laguna Seca. Add on some nice tires and we'd surely be beating the Porsche Cayman S too.
Angelelli also thought the brakes were good!

Oh...FYI
1st place: Porsche GT3
2nd Place: Corvette ZO6

[stressdoc]

$5k of mods (tires, coilovers, sways, LSD, PROcede) and the 335 is in the same league with Cayman S, and likely close to the 997 and C6.

[Driver72]

Well, you can't get all those for $5K installed, but you are right.
Actually, as I stated, it would only take the tires and LSD for that coupe to have matched or beaten the Cayman S times.

Adding the suspension and PROcede would allow it to easily beat the Cayman S on a track but a decent margin too.

I know most probably get this magazine anyway and will see it soon.
But I posted it because there was so much talk about how the E92 335i doesn't handle as good as the E46 M3 and blah blah.
To an extent, that's true stock for stock, but the 335i comes with a big disadvantage without having a LSD (and on crappy runflats too).

So for it to hold it's own against the EVO IX MR and beat an S2000 around Laguna Seca, speaks volumes about the 335i's chassis and handling considering it doesn't have all the upgrades the E46 M3 has but the 335i has several distinct disadvantages.
Gives you an idea of what the E92 M3 is going to do with ALL the e46's M3's advantages and more! I bet it wouldn't of been far behind the ZO6 and GT3

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

$5k of mods (tires, coilovers, sways, LSD, PROcede) and the 335 is in the same league with Cayman S, and likely close to the 997 and C6.

$5K of mods on the C6 and the gap just got much wider.

[esbezee92]

whats the difference time wise between the gt3 zo6 and 335i?

[chbrules]

Is there a link to any article or something? Where are we getting this information?

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by esbezee92

whats the difference time wise between the gt3 zo6 and 335i?

I'm willing to bet the GT3 and the Z06 were very,very close.

When Car and Driver did a compare of the Z06, the GT3 and the Lotus Exige, the Z06 won in 0-60, 0-100 and the 1/4 and on the run at ButtonWillow Racepark (2.7 miles) the difference in time between them was only a half a second. They are very equal cars, except the Z06 is 40K cheaper so you could buy a Z06 and a 335 for the price of the GT3.

Z06- 2 minutes and 1 second
GT3- 2 minutes and 1.50 seconds.

[Driver72]

This info. is from the just released Motor Trend magazine.

The GT3 beat the ZO6 by about 1 second.
Keeping the ZO6 planted was what was hard. It wanted to power oversteer if you applied to much gas exciting corners.
Angelelli thought the front tires on the ZO6 were too soft and the rears too hard,which induced too much oversteer.
The ZO6 is a handful to drive on the track...apparently you really need to be skilled with it.

GT3's time was: 1:39.517 seconds
ZO6 time was: 1:40.919 seconds
335i time was: 1:49.038 seconds
EVO MR time was: 1:47.926 seconds
Cayman S time was: 1:47.577 seconds
S2000 time was: 1:50.738 seconds

The slowest of the group:
Civic Si time was: 1:54.990

The biggest surprise of the group:
MazdaSpeed 3 had a time of: 1:50.375 (beating the S2000 and the Mini Cooper S with JC Works GP package).

[E90330iS]

COOL!

[Dr_Dirt]

Originally Posted by matsarge

$5K of mods on the C6 and the gap just got much wider.

Unfortunately for the 335i it will always be carting around 400lbs more than the Vette, and closer to 600 lbs more than a Cayman.

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by Dr_Dirt

Unfortunately for the 335i it will always be carting around 400lbs more than the Vette, and closer to 600 lbs more than a Cayman.

the extra weight is a bitch but it is still an outstanding car for the money.

[Dr_Dirt]

Originally Posted by matsarge

the extra weight is a bitch but it is still an outstanding car for the money.

Exactly! the 335i is an awesome car and also the reason I ordered one (btw I should have mine soon seeing as how it's on the boat). I wonder what tricks the new M3 has up it's sleeve.

[Driver72]

Oh and guys, on a side note...Car and Driver picked the 328i Convertible as the 1st place car in a convertible comparo of roughly $40K.

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by Dr_Dirt

Exactly! the 335i is an awesome car and also the reason I ordered one (btw I should have mine soon seeing as how it's on the boat). I wonder what tricks the new M3 has up it's sleeve.

Congrats on the new car. Go have some fun on the tollway once you get it.

The M3 will be nice as always. Alot of people get to hung up on the 0-60 game and that's not what the M3 is about. I can't wait to take one for a spin and get the sedan when it finally arrives.

[Dr_Dirt]

Originally Posted by matsarge

Congrats on the new car. Go have some fun on the tollway once you get it.

The M3 will be nice as always. Alot of people get to hung up on the 0-60 game and that's not what the M3 is about. I can't wait to take one for a spin and get the sedan when it finally arrives.

The M3 sedan looks incredibly awesome from what someone posted here, almost made me wish I hadn't ordered the 335 but I think I might get carried away with the M3 I could see where it could be too much fun.

[cupspeed]

The car does have quite a bit of roll at high speeds (80-100+). Found out the rear bar is 13mm which answers that.

Better tires, more power plus some suspension. The 335 would kick some axx

[John 070]

Originally Posted by matsarge

$5K of mods on the C6 and the gap just got much wider.

So many coulda should wouldas. If only I had sold all my stock in 2k rather than holding it forever and buying more, and if only I had bought a house in LA in 1999 and sold it in 2004, it never ends. It lost to a Cayman S and it lost to an EVO, end of story. Doesn't change whether or not the 335 is a great car or not.

[fusionchicken]

Originally Posted by Driver72

So, for those of us lucky enough to be getting the Quaife LSD, this car would BEAT the EVO IX MR around Laguna Seca. Add on some nice tires and we'd surely be beating the Porsche Cayman S too.
Angelelli also thought the brakes were good!

um....ok.

not sayin it won't happen, but what makes you so sure it would?

no logistics behind your claims..

also note that for $1,500 (price of the LSD) you could get a decent coilover system on the Evo which would basically wider the gap again...

this mod vs. mod thing never ends.

[fusionchicken]

Originally Posted by John 070

So many coulda should wouldas. If only I had sold all my stock in 2k rather than holding it forever and buying more, and if only I had bought a house in LA in 1999 and sold it in 2004, it never ends. It lost to a Cayman S and it lost to an EVO, end of story. Doesn't change whether or not the 335 is a great car or not.

ftw

[runnerx]

dang.. how could they left out Z4M roadster?

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by John 070

So many coulda should wouldas. If only I had sold all my stock in 2k rather than holding it forever and buying more, and if only I had bought a house in LA in 1999 and sold it in 2004, it never ends. It lost to a Cayman S and it lost to an EVO, end of story. Doesn't change whether or not the 335 is a great car or not.

Too bad for you...

[John 070]

Originally Posted by matsarge

Too bad for you...

Not really, I'd rather be straightforward than to live on imaginary streets where chocolate flows out of the tap