Professional driving on the track - Rs4, m3, 335i, TT and many more

[Zafiro]

from a bmw board, quote:

Well people, I hope you find this post Interesting.

Every end of year one of the biggest car magazines in the country are gathering the "elite" cars of the season and they are putting them on the track against each other as well against the lap times that the previous years-cars-made.

This year was, no doubt, the year of the 335i. The lap times of 335i was superior than the SLK 55 AMG ,Z4 M & RS4 while they made exactly the same time with Cayman S.
That proves that despite the fact other cars are quicker (on road) than 335i ,the total "set-up" & balance of the 335i allows it to perform amazing track times.

The picture below is in "Greek" but i'm certain you can get the point.

I will make additional posts on this with pictures and other additional comments.
Please drop a line and let me know what you think

http://img114.imageshack.us/my.php?image=driver3aat0.jpg

 

[NarutoRamen]

Damn, is that for real? The RS4 was slower than the M3 and 335i? That's horrible. TRANSLATE PLEASE!!!

 

[Zafiro]

Damn, is that for real? The RS4 was slower than the M3 and 335i? That's horrible. TRANSLATE PLEASE!!!

this is what happens when you dont use semi-R-tires and ceramic brakes which the rs4 used in sportauto. Actually this is the second time I see a M3 ahead of a RS4 but the other test was in an italian carmag.

also notice that the 335i was faster than an M3 without SMG and Z4M. 335i is one hell of a car, promising for the upcoming M3

 

[PC Valkyrie]

So the 335i kicks butt on a track....that's great!

But what I find most interesting from that chart is the difference in times between the E46 M3 SMG and E46 M3 with a manual transmission. I think this is the first time we see how much faster an SMG car can be compared to a stick shift on a racetrack. I have always thought this was the case, as the driver does not have to worry about a clutch pedal and rowing the gears. Doing all those things can cost time on a racetrack.

 

[Zafiro]

So the 335i kicks butt on a track....that's great!

But what I find most interesting from that chart is the difference in times between the E46 M3 SMG and E46 M3 with a manual transmission. I think this is the first time we see how much faster an SMG car can be compared to a stick shift on a racetrack. I have always thought this was the case, as the driver does not have to worry about a clutch pedal and rowing the gears. Doing all those things can cost time on a racetrack.

its not a huge difference but you certainly have a good point

and btw who said american cars cant turn, check out C6

 

[NarutoRamen]

Valkyre...I know what you're saying. Just look at F1 cars, there is no way they can be that fast if they had stick shifts. But, the time for the SMG vs. 6spd still wasn't huge, which shows you that if you're good enough you can still hang with the smg crowd with your stickshift. By the way, the 335 is the most impressive here. 335...what a machine!

 

[PC Valkyrie]

Uh oh....the 335i is on par with the Cayman S and is faster than the Z4M Coupe, which means it is likely faster than the Boxter S and Z4M Roadster, which are my favourite 2 seat roadsters....... This isn't fair.

How believable is this chart?

 

[Zafiro]

Uh oh....the 335i is on par with the Cayman S and is faster than the Z4M Coupe, which means it is likely faster than the Boxter S and Z4M Roadster, which are my favourite 2 seat roadsters....... This isn't fair.

How believable is this chart?

its done by a pro driver and apparently something this carmag does every year, collecting cars so why shouldn this be believable. Other carmags has reporting the 335i to beat a M3 E46 around a track before. But if I find more details about this test I post it here. I could be all wrong.

 

[Centurion]

Wow. The Cayman raped the competition, despite the fact that it is derivered from the Boxster aka cruise car, which wasen't built to be a track car.

 

[Zafiro]

from the test, 335i going sideways

 

[NarutoRamen]

Wow. The Cayman raped the competition, despite the fact that it is derivered from the Boxster aka cruise car, which wasen't built to be a track car.

Actually Luw, it's still a porsche. The main surprise (or is it?) is the 335ci. Now that car has just raped the car of the year...RS4. Now the 335ci was NEVER meant to be a track car, thus all the luxury inside. The Cayman on the other hand lacks the luxury so I'd still say that it was performance oriented.

While on ther other hand, the American muscle with it's ancient leaf springs almost raped everyone...thats amazing.

 

[Zafiro]

335 touring surprised me in this test too, fastest laptime. Somethings are mysterious
http://germancarforum.com/showthread.php?t=8870

 

[Centurion]

Actually Luw, it's still a porsche. The main surprise (or is it?) is the 335ci. Now that car has just raped the car of the year...RS4. Now the 335ci was NEVER meant to be a track car, thus all the luxury inside. The Cayman on the other hand lacks the luxury so I'd still say that it was performance oriented.

The Cayman was an under dog when it was presented, some people looked at the performance figures and laughed. One thing many didn't know is that there is more to it than just figures. The 335i did wery well but the Cayman does offer equally as much luxury. It does come with climate control, full leather interior, sat/nav and just about any luxury option BMW offer.
Audi with their RS4 was a big let down but then again there is very few cars which have the best lap time on every single track out there.

 

[Zafiro]

Cayman is the car that would beat a 911 around a track if it had a larger engine. Cayman is a better handling machine than a 911. We all know the story why Cayman has smaller engine than it big brother 911.
Cayman is more a trackcar than lets say the 335i and not as spacious or comfortable as a 335i. Cayman has also less weight and is a more compact car, Cayman is more suited on a track than a 335i, thats for sure but still it got beaten by a riceboiler, the EVO.

 

[Centurion]

Yeah the Cayman is more suited for the track than the 335i. The E92 M3 will probably be a monster. BTW the Cayman was never built to beat the 911. Porsche just gave the Boxster a fixed roof and voila, the car turned out to be spectacular. Porsche kind of out played themselves with the Cayman. Are there any maps of the track the car were tested on?

 

[Tumbo]

This has been posted a looong time ago on RS6.com, and after a lot of fuss about the slow RS4 time, somebody found out that there was some problem with the RS4. I don't remember what exacty.

 

[Zafiro]

This has been posted a looong time ago on RS6.com, and after a lot of fuss about the slow RS4 time, somebody found out that there was some problem with the RS4. I don't remember what exacty.

the Rs4 had a clutch-problem but it was fixed so I really hope the laptime was done after they fixed the problem.

and what do you mean with loong ago? 3 weeks, 6 months or 1 year ago?

 

[klier]

This has been posted a looong time ago on RS6.com, and after a lot of fuss about the slow RS4 time, somebody found out that there was some problem with the RS4. I don't remember what exacty.

Some problem.....

A flat tyre perhaps?

 

[Nicholai_AMG]

this must be a short and technical track....STi and lancer have very good times...

 

[Tumbo]

the Rs4 had a clutch-problem but it was fixed so I really hope the laptime was done after they fixed the problem.
and what do you mean with loong ago? 3 weeks, 6 months or 1 year ago?

Yes, it was the clutch problem. How old? Probably about 3 months ago. Cause sure you have to know that the 335i can't touch the RS4. It's obvious.