Z4MC vs modified E46 & E92 M3
- Thread starter tomscott
- Start date
Liverpool
I liked the e46 M3 and the Z4MC, but didn’t gel with the e90 M3 In had for a bit, as the steering felt remote, the suspension was too soft, the DCT gearbox was slow to engage (fixed with later software updates though), and it didn’t feel ‘fast’ until you were into 3-figures...and it was considerably thirstier than the M5 or Z4MC. Felt more comparable to my old e34 M5 than the e46.
Much prefer the Z4MC on twisty roads…and the only car that would have swayed me would have been a CSL, but even 20 years ago there were no low mileage bargains to be had on those - e.g. in 2008 the choice was a 9000 mile, 2 year old Z4MC with CSL wheels & individual paint/trim for £25k or a 62,000 mile, 5 year old CSL without a stereo or aircon for £27k.
Much prefer the Z4MC on twisty roads…and the only car that would have swayed me would have been a CSL, but even 20 years ago there were no low mileage bargains to be had on those - e.g. in 2008 the choice was a 9000 mile, 2 year old Z4MC with CSL wheels & individual paint/trim for £25k or a 62,000 mile, 5 year old CSL without a stereo or aircon for £27k.
Last edited:
Hardly a fair test - an E46 M3 with AP Racing brakes, aftermarket suspension, what looks like a square tyre set up, exhaust and induction mods vs. a near standard Z4M on CSL wheels with pads that haven’t been bedded in.
No wonder the M3 sounds and handles better…
No wonder the M3 sounds and handles better…
Last edited:
I’d hoped the Z4 would have done better, but I think the result was inevitable for a standard car against the modified M3s.
In fact, as soon as I saw the tyre and brake setups I knew how this was going to go. The potenza sport is a decent tyre in terms of grip, but it didn’t stand a chance against those mega wide cup 2s.
I guess the real question is, who’s going to let them try their properly modified M?!
In fact, as soon as I saw the tyre and brake setups I knew how this was going to go. The potenza sport is a decent tyre in terms of grip, but it didn’t stand a chance against those mega wide cup 2s.
I guess the real question is, who’s going to let them try their properly modified M?!
Yeah I do slightly struggle with these reviews - either do all of them bog standard or properly modified. Mishmash of both is hardly a worthwhile comparison! The results were inevitable - the e46 with a square setup and big ol front wheels had better turn-in and the e92 with the evolve catalogue thrown at it was the quickest and most dynamically resolved - quelle surprise!!
North West Surrey
Come on then Ed, in the interests of forum pride why not submit yours to get ragged about?
Yours is one of a few on here that could genuinely take the fight to those souped up, long wheelbase family limos!
I'm not sure I'd be 'representing'
It reflects the amateur nature of YouTube and the way in which the product creators are remunerated. It’s better to make any video than no video, so who cares if the comparison is valid! Besides, if there’s controversy in the comments, that generates more activity, and then the algorithm pushes the video to the top of viewers’ feeds.
I haven’t seen video from that channel before, but I suspect they want to keep Evolve happy since they took every opportunity to fawn over their products.
Last edited:
When I bought my Z4M for 22k, a CSL was available for 27k but I couldn't stretch the budget
I
Interesting, I’ve always assumed it was synonymous with understeer without be specific to any particular cause.
I tracked my Zed only once before I started to modify it. The understeer was terrible on OEM Continental tyres. I went through half a dozen changes to tyres, geo and suspension before the handling balance was to my liking (oversteer on demand and never any understeer).