[jmg]

I attended my first Time Attack in the G82 last night at a local track. I would call this a cross between an autocross and small road course. We run three sessions a night, 9 timed laps per session. Timing is done via stopwatch by the track staff.

I will be heading to a proper road course, probably Streets Of Willow sometime soon! For now, this is a comparison of my F80 M3 CS and M4 Comp X at Adams Motorsports Club with Chicane.


G82 M4 Competition X-Drive:
Stock

Date: 2/25/2022
Ambient Temperature: 53°

Fastest lap time for the G82 M4 Comp X: 45.01s,

For reference, I ran all three sessions and placed 1st, 2nd, and 1st in each respective session. This fastest time was in the 2nd session, good enough for 2nd place in the second session. 1st place was 45.00 so I was +0.01 slower .

Anyway, that's besides the point. How does this compares to my slightly modded F80 M3 CS?


F80 M3 CS:
RE71Rs
PFC-08 Track pads
GC Camber Plates
M Performance Hight Adjustable Suspension
M Performance Exhaust

Date: 10/17/2021
Ambient Temperature: 59°

Fastest time for the F80 M3 CS: 45.17s

For reference, I placed 2nd, 2nd, and 1st in three sessions, my fastest being in the 2nd session. I was +1.57 in the first session and +0.14 in the second session.


Notes:

I am not a professional, so take this for what it is.

In the M4 I ran the first session in MDM mode. After noticing too much interference in letting me throttle steer, and getting a better feel of the car, I turned off DSC completely for the remainder of the day. Times improved from in the 47 second range to consistently in the 45 second range.

Both my F80 and G82 were consistently in the low 45's during my "clean" laps.


Impressions and takeaway:

The G82 is extremely capable even stock. I was running against modded Mustangs, a Lancer EVO X, a Cayman S, G8, prepped Miatas, FRS's, S2000's, STI's, Corvettes etc, all with stickier tires, racing seats, harnesses, etc...

The times are so close, it's enough to dismiss the differences as driver error, or timing error. Both cars were consistently in the mid to low 45 second range, but the F80 had stickier tires, more camber, and race pads. The M4, of course, benefits from X-Drive.

X-Drive allowed for sooner, and harder acceleration from all corners as expected. The G82 is better balanced than the F80 mid-corner. It was easier to manage, the steering is direct and more responsive. It was telepathic in handling oversteer. I felt much more confident that I wasn't going to lose the rear end in the hairpin. I think with more practice, I can break my hesitation based on habits formed while driving the F80 and be even faster. Because of this, despite the stock suspension, the G82 felt gripper than the F80 coming out of the banked bowl and into the esses. However, hooning was still possible even in the G82. I was able to break the rear out for some fun oversteer action on warm up laps.

The ZF8 is indeed a hair less responsive than the DCT. While it was noticeable from the driver's seat, and not noticeable in lap times, it doesn't feel as satisfying as the crisp DCT.

Videos:

I was hoping to directly compare the footage of my fastest laps, but unfortunately, I seem to be cursed with my GoPro. My fastest times for both the G82 and F80 were not recorded due to the battery dying. Also, the telemetry on the G82 lap is not from the OBD, but from the GPS, so it is not as accurate. My OBD adapter was acting up and I think it had something to do with Carplay, as I found out later I had not completely disconnected my iPhone from the system. The new iDrive handles phone pairing a bit differently, so I have to figure that out. Anyhow, I do have the 2nd fastest laps of the night in these cars. I don't know how much insight they will give, but here they are regardless:



F80 M3 CS - 45.36s

G82 M4 CX - 45.13s

[beachBmmr]

This track is hella narrow...jesus.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by beachBmmr

This track is hella narrow...jesus.

It's a GoKart track! You should see it on drift night. They do tandem!

No passing on this track for time attack either.

[Mrspeed636]

Yeah, that's intense! Especially at night, I hope you can see better than the camera.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Mrspeed636

Yeah, that's intense! Especially at night, I hope you can see better than the camera.

There's a few spots that are dark, but the white and red curbing is visible!

[BulkBen]

This is a really thorough analysis. Nothing better than seeing controlled variables covered. Same driver, same track, same weather conditions etc.

Many thanks for doing it, awesome result for the G80!
Would be very interesting to see what happens when you start adding stickier tyres, track pads and more camber to it.