Tbred911

the 335 falls on its face in 4th gear... as does the e46 m3... 4th/5th and 6th gear on a 996 are shorter and therefore accerate faster..... also the 335i is a pig and on the track you will go through brakes and tires like crazy as they weight punishes you...

AudiOn19s

hummm...My E46 M3 pulls on my 996 above 100mph. First hand experience with my own personal cars.

The E46 will hold it's own at the track too, but you're correct the weight is a huge penalty when it comes to going through consumables.

This thread isn't about BMW vs. Porsche though. I think anything that can run a sub 5.0 second 0-60 time is still very much a quick car by todays stadards. HP wars have gotten a bit crazy as of late but MOST of the really big HP cars are also bit heavy pigs. Look at performance numbers and they're astonishing once the cars are rolling, but still not much more impressive from a standing start aspect.

For the street I think power to weight is more important. anything 10:1 is going to be entertaning to drive from an enthusiast standpoint.

Andy

Jake Ok

I kind of agree with the orginal post...magazines numbers more often than not doesn't reflect the real world driving experience. Here are 2 vids on Youtube that surpised me and there are many more.

BTW, I bougth my 02 996 C2 after test driving the 04 M3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTRAO...eature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwG6R6WhGnI

Tbred911

hmmm.... my friend has an E46 ZCP edition with dinan mods and is pushing about 360 HP... and @ mosport international raceway on the mario andretti strait away I always pull away from him in top of 3rd and 4th BIGTIME.... its a no contest.... there must be something wrong with your 996... were you driving it when your own e46 pulled away? who was driving yoru e46?

Tbred911

totally agreed... its a no contest... the M3 is nice but there are many reasons why the 996 is more expensive... its more car...

BruceP

Agree with everything you said. But it's worth clarifying your M3 comment. The E46 M3 is a totally different animal than the 335. The 335 is a forced induction motor, and those are characteristically torquey and thus quick off the line. The S54 engine is a high revving, normally aspirated motor that's meant to make horsepower rather than low end grunt. So it makes total sense that it would be a better match for the 996 on the track, but that experience doesn't reveal much about what a 335 would be like. Chalk and cheese.

Most of the marketing claims of horsepower in the car business are just that, marketing claims. They're peak numbers that, in the worst examples, were actually engineered to make good ad copy. But they have nothing to do with real world driving, or even performance, just as you pointed out.

Thundertub

Interesting as I read all of these posts, that these days the trend if for Turbo's to be considered torquey off the line and at low RPM, sooner than Normally Aspirated. In the beginning, back in the 70's and 80's, turbo's were constantly criticized for being piggy off the line because of turbo lag and no low-end torque. LOL! Of course, "In The Beginning", turbo's were singular installations and the size of General Electric Turbofan jet engines. These days, they are small (less rotational mass to spool up thus less centrifugal resistance), and often come in pairs.

Chaos

I think the driver is key...

Chaos

I read the comparo tests and track performance is not a big concern(stopping distance is). I look for the best overall driving experience. If I did not have a dedicated track car that would be different.

AudiOn19s

Did you have corner exit speed on him coming onto the straight? I've made runs on much faster cars than my own at the track from carrying more corner speed. Despite my 996 being slower in a straight line I consistantly see 4-5 mph more at the end of the back straight at Mid Ohio in the Porsche than I do in the M3. The Porsche puts down the power soo much better after apex it has a huge advantage.

My E46 m3 dyno's 292 at the wheels and the 996 at a 255 wheel. Both where they should be. Me driving the 996, my heavier brother driving the M3. 40-140 freeway rolls. (in mexico I swear).

Andy

Jake Ok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9k5Lo_ja_w

Don't beat yourself up guys...Car and Driver is always pro Bimmer

ivangene

If set up right the 996 really kicks it in the *** going thru the second 1/2 of a turn... that's by far my favorite part of the car


and I have said it before and will say it again. Yup, there are faster cars out there... I dont give a rat's @ss they are ugly

RF5BPilot

Consider the TopGear episode where they compared the Porsche with the BMW and Aston Martin. The Porsche had the least horsepower of the three, but posted the fastest time on course (the Stig driving all three). They made the point of it not being the total hp, but how much of it is useable combined with handling.

Jake Ok

I remember that episode....C2 S vs M6 vs Vantage and it was the Porsche brakes that won the race.

tooloud10

No, you're not going to outrun a new GT-R in any kind of car that doesn't also absolutely embarrass a 996.