09-24-2014, 09:54 PM | #1 |
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///M Track day
I had the opportunity today to run all of the current M offerings on an auto cross track back to back. My impressions were that the M3 and M4 are very nimble and fun to toss around tight corners, while the M5 competition package with ceramic brakes and the M6 grand coupe also competition package with ceramic brakes were much less nimble but sounded amazing. Obviously the creature comforts in the five and six class are superior to the three and four however from a track perspective the three and four seemed perfect. At the end of the track day we did a few hot laps with professional drivers which included an M3 which I was in following and M6 gran coupe competition package, and the M3 was glued to the M6s rear bumper through the entire track. There was a small amount of time on the straightaways when the M6 pulled away a bit but was reeled in in the corners.
I also took the 760Li around the track. Pretty impressive for a limo!!
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09-24-2014, 11:13 PM | #3 |
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Great write-up, thanks for sharing! What a great opportunity to drive these M's back to back to for comparison.
BMW NA offered this last week (9/17) in the Seattle area at Pacific Raceways. The email to me only provided five days notice and coincided w/ a 10 year wedding anniversary. My wife was surprised I didn't go... |
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09-24-2014, 11:26 PM | #4 |
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No surprise here.
The 5 and 6 are large luxury vehicles with sporty characteristics. The 3 and 4 are much smaller, less amenities and far lighter. The 5 and 6 have no business on a track... IMO.
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09-24-2014, 11:36 PM | #5 | |
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09-25-2014, 07:17 AM | #9 |
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I had a chance to take an M4 for a test drive last week, and agree with your commentary on the M3/4 versus the M5/6. Fun, lightweight car that you can really toss around. One thing disappointed me though, and I wonder if you noticed it too? The day I took the test drive the temp was in the mid-70s and it was nice and sunny. Almost optimal conditions for a test drive, maybe a little higher temp would have helped the rear tires be a bit stickier. However I found the M4, under 75% to full throttle acceleration, couldn't put the power down without the nannies kicking in. For the first part of the drive I had the full nannies on until I got a feel for the car, and I found the throttle constantly cutting out on the upshifts when shifting into second and third. Even when I switched to MDM mode the nannies would kick in, although not as pronounced. After a while I got the feel for how much to lift off the throttle on the upshift before squeezing the power back on as the RPMs rose, but the car did not feel nearly as quick. The M engineers designed a similar torque curve to the M5 that plateaus from 1,800 RPM to 5,500 RPM, but I feel like the power in the M4, given how light it is, would be more usable if the torque ramped up a bit more slowly.
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09-25-2014, 07:59 AM | #10 | |
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Oh also you mentioned about the 760Li. Imagine when the next generation 7-Series comes out soon and it's about 300lbs lighter! Or when the new ///M7 comes out.
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09-25-2014, 08:17 AM | #11 | |
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09-25-2014, 09:22 AM | #12 | ||
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09-25-2014, 10:57 AM | #13 | |
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When I did the hot laps with the professional driver in the M3, he was so smooth with turn in, throttle application etc that he had crazy fast entrance and exit speeds with no traction loss. However when an amateur (like myself) is less smooth with the throttle and braking (more jabbing...) the handling dynamics change dramatically. I know there is skill and art to smooth fast tracking. These M cars (unlike the non turbo M cars of yore) have so much low end torque that you really have to be super smooth with the throttle to maintain traction at the limits. That is my impression.
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09-25-2014, 11:02 AM | #14 | |
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I was also able to compare regular to CCB back to back. The CCBs are noticeable better under track conditions especially with repeated use (no surprise). Are they $9k better for mostly street driving? Not if I am paying! One other comparison I was able to make was back to back laps in a 650i vs a 650i xdrive on a wet track (it rained in the morning). The RWD 650i was VERY loose in the tight turns resulting in serious nanny aids etc which is no surprise. The xdrive version felt very planted and required almost no special attention other than point and shoot. Impressive, but for me less "fun."
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09-25-2014, 11:49 AM | #15 | |
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09-25-2014, 01:46 PM | #16 |
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Nice!!
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09-25-2014, 05:38 PM | #17 |
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Depends how much time you spend at the track. I used to be a track day junkie and have run all the track biased cars till I am sick of them. I now realise I spend more time enjoying a cars civility on the road than I do its agility on the track. And the m5 is a great compromise that allows the occasional track session whilst still giving me a place to relax on my way home from a hard days work everyday. Guess this is showing my age...
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09-25-2014, 05:40 PM | #18 | |
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