Quote:
Originally Posted by NYC6
Meant E36, just a typo.
All things being equal the 128 would have the slightest edge in cornering. The weight difference is so minor its not really negligible. Especially since the 135's power more than makes up for it.
As for braking, its not an equal thing. The 135's brakes are much larger and have better calipers than the 128's. They are better for the street and limited track use. And yes, before someone else chimes in, they sometimes have issues with extreme track usage. Even still, they are much better than the N/A's cars setup.
Most of the things you talk about are your(or others) opinion of a car. You say that the handling is better with the Z06 over the ZR1 but using your C&D list there, its basically a matter of ones opinion.
There are many who could claim the the ZR1 is better handling, opinions based on your criteria. I'll stick to track times and other measurable data(along with personal opinion) to reach a conclusion. For me, the 135 has my vote in spades over the 'high winding'  128.
I seriously doubt the 128 is faster around any track than the 135. |
Nobody said it was faster around a track. Completely missing the point. Again.
The weight difference, per BMW, is 165 lbs. Many independent tests have shown it to be much greater-- for example, car and driver weighted theirs and found the weight difference to be 230 lbs. Either way it is certainly significant.
Additionally, the 128 is much closer to 50/50 weight distribution, which is much better for handling as well.
I would argue that both brake setups for the 1 series suck, but if I had to chose one, I'd rather have the setup that fades than the setup that catastrophically fails. That said, I wonder if the 128i setup on the 128i is actually more prone to fade than the 135i setup is on the 135i-- less weight to slow it down and less power means less speed to be slowing from. Either way, I don't believe BMW has ever actually shipped a car with good brakes from the factory. All of mine have been upgraded to full Brembo GT BBKs :roll eyes:
Either way,
Worst case for 128i brakes: fade (probably completely addressable through track pads)
Worst case for 135i brakes: cracked pistons, melted dust boots, fade. If you address the fade with pads, you increase temps making it more likely you'll have cracked pistons and melted dust boots.
High winding, from the drivers perspective, doesn't matter what the absolute redline is. The idea is that you have to work the trans over to stay in the power band rather than just relying on torque. It doesn't matter if that happens at 7000 rpm or at 8200 rpm (as it does in my DD e46 M3).