Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiBimmer
Here's my thinking. The 1 series M is a favorite car for many reviewers and BMW fans. It's basically 135i with suspension bolt ons and LSD from the E90 M3. All those suspension parts can be put on a 128i and many people here have done that or even better with aftermarket coilovers.
The twin turbo N54 in the 1M/135i is a monster but I personally prefer a normally aspirated engine like the S54 of the E46 M3. I figure an N52 can make about 280 crank HP with a 330i intake manifold, bolt ons and tune. That's a good deal less and the 333 HP S54 but that engine is about 200 lbs heavier than an N52. The E46 M3 overall is about 3400 lbs, so ballpark it has 10::1 weight to horsepower. A 128i with a lighter aftermarket exhaust system, coilovers and wheels should be around 3000 lbs so power to weight is a little less but close. With a shorter final drive could it be nearly as quick as the M3? And with the E82 being so much lighter and having a shorter wheelbase I wonder if it's the more fun car?
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Engine wise, mine is 100% stock, but yeah with bolt ons, i agree with the numbers you came up with, its doable. The 3000 lb though, I think you're pushing it a little. 3200 is likely what you can achieve, unless you strip the car or something like that.
Im 99.9% sure that you can have as much fun with an e82 than with e46 ///M3. One thing i can tell you from my experience is that i rather have a car that handles better but is slow than vise versa. Its an amazing car bone stock but you put some money in suspension and it will out-handle an ///M3 100%. (but M3 is still faster, going back to your original question but driving pleasure isn't just about being fast) Maybe its just me but I love my car.