John wrote:
>Other factor: The good handling has misled several drivers. They
>pushed their vehicles even harder and caused the vehicle to turn over.
I'm not sure if this is a fair concern for the E36 M3. I have heard of
softly sprung 318tis and E30 chassis BMWs flipping at autox events, but the
M3 keeps its body motions in check well enough that I doubt it is any more
of a rollover risk than anything else out there. Especially if the car is
on street tires for novice class, you are going to need some other
circumstances (bad course design, extreme driver stupidity) to flip a stock
E36 M3. Regarding that and the motor mounts, the problems of all BMWs
shouldn't be heaped on one particular model.
If you were wondering why no one has suggested the M3 as a competitive AS
car, that is a good question. It clearly has, as you pointed out, the best
motor in AS. Tons of torque and 240hp are a good thing. However, compared
to the Boxster/S2000/MR2, it is rather heavy, has a long wheelbase, and the
weight is all out on the ends of the car. I have heard autox'ing M3 owners
say that the car is set up to push from the factory, and road racing owners
say that it is an absolute revalation. From this I might theorize that the
car is set up to be very stable and neutral at high speed, the price being
some low speed understeer which is bad for autox. That's all speculation
though. Someone like Rex Tener might have more accurate thoughts on this.
And having said that, I'm confident that Rex could come and whip my butt in
his M3 any day.
Every time I ride an E36 M3 on the street, I marvel at what a wonderful car
it is for the real world. The ride is *so* perfect, letting you know what's
going on without being harsh. The car feels stable, solid and safe. I
can't think of a better street car. My advice is to come to more of our
events, get more experience, and enjoy this wonderful car that you have.
Don't let anyone tell you that it's not competitive or that you need to mod
it until you can't drive it on the street anymore. If you like your car,
that's all that matters. Enjoy it!
Peter
|