[Realw5]

Originally Posted by simpelton

BMW M3 CSL manual conversion. Could this be peak M3?

Perhaps wrong group. Just some nostalgia given the debate

TL;DR: Sorry for a long post, totally agree the e46 was special but I also have nostalgia for every one of my different BMW's I've owned.

I haven't posted much on here but it sure is fun reading everyone's different opinions and views. I like to think to each their own. BMW hasn't let me personally down yet and has delivered on well-engineered, sporty, and technically modern cars.

See the thing is, my first BMW was a 1983' 733i. That car, which I bought for $1,500, was rock solid and had electronics like a check system that was way beyond its time. Little did I know that purchase would define the BMW brand in my head and turn me into a lifelong BMW car owner (*fanboy*).

Ever since I've had ///M cars starting with a dreamy 1995 e36 in Daytona Violet, a 1998 e36 in Estoril Blue, 2001 e46 in Titanium Silver, and most recently a 2015 F82 in Mineral Grey, which I almost cried watching it drive away. All these cars, for different reasons, were nostalgic for me and all left me with a big smile on my face every time after driving.

I think BMW has been consistently delivering on their brand, engineering forward-thinking, driver-centric, sporty cars, with modern technologies and (dare I say beautifully different designs).

I for one, cannot wait for my a BG G82 (with Black Interior) to show up!!!! I ordered sight unseen for the reasons above and from the sounds of it, it was a safe bet The hardest thing about this whole ordeal was picking the color...my gosh too much anxiety.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by solstice

We know for sure that the coupe volumes are lower so that could factor in on needing higher margins for return on investment.

Unless you mean to include base series volumes, but so far the 2-door M3/4 have always outsold the sedan.

[frankiebones]

Originally Posted by ringo9

Nope, never been a member here before, just been following the F80/82 closely all these years and speaking to a couple owners from my local track club to see how they're getting on with them as I have always had my eyes on a F80 CP for when the time would be right to get into one (seems like this could pretty soon).

Can't say the picture painted by either owners or reviewers of the competition package agree with what you say about being difficult for the wrong reasons or front-end being unpredictable? the common conclusion usually is: "that's how the car should have come from factory", despite most mentioning that the car has also a (more hidden than before) wild side which, for most, seems to only add to its uniqueness and more hard-core approach compared to its tamer competitors.

Also, for me personally, after years of driving safe FWD and AWD performance cars jumping into a M-car would be all about that temperament and the sense I'm getting from the reviews is the G80 offers less of that so I see it as step in the wrong direction, especially since BMW offers some truly capable alternatives in that department already (M340i xDrive, M5 F90)

I don't own the car in order to worry about my resale figure and I don't lose any sleep hating the G80 as you might think, just saying it has taken a smoother approach that brings it closer to its competitors and further from its predecessors which for some might work in favour but for others, clearly against it. This has nothing to do with it being apparently an excellent all-rounder otherwise.

The base F80 was difficult and unpredictable for the wrong reasons, to clarify. The Comp was a step in the right direction, and the CS was the perfection of the F8x chassis.

The base F80 did not instill much confidence. The handling was not smooth and it felt like something was missing. Also, the car frequently tried to kill me lol. The same steering and throttle input did not always yield the same results. Going WOT on a base F80 was not something that I did except under the rarest conditions (tires at 110 degrees F and up, weather perfect, etc.). Coming from an Audi S4 to the base F80, I was not impressed with the handling at all. Power? Great. Fun aspect? Great. Looks? Great. Handling? 4/10.

The comp was amazing and had much better steering feel. If you get one, you'll love it. The F80 forums have matured and are a wealth of information on a great car.

If you can swing it, wait a little longer and grab a CS F80. It really handles night and day versus the comp. Enjoy.

[frankiebones]

Originally Posted by DecemberStorm

new joe achilles video after he drove the M4 first... He mistakenly called it dravit grey a few times, but I believe this is oxide ii

"He clearly hates it."

-Everyone who clearly hates it

[bm323]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Unless you mean to include base series volumes, but so far the 2-door M3/4 have always outsold the sedan.

I can't recall clearly, but did you mention previously there was no feel, handling etc difference between the base F8X and the later comp ZCP?

[frankiebones]

Originally Posted by bm323

I can't recall clearly, but did you mention previously there was no feel, handling etc difference between the base F8X and the later comp ZCP?

There absolutely was. There were stiffer spring rates in the ZCP with different damper settings. Cars drove pretty differently from the base. CanAutM3 will provide a more technical explanation but I did a BMW track day in a competition F80 and then 2 weeks later did a track day in my own base F80 and noticed a measurable difference.

By the way, if you said this in the F80 forums you would ignite a firestorm haha.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by bm323

I can't recall clearly, but did you mention previously there was no feel, handling etc difference between the base F8X and the later comp ZCP?

I do not recall ever saying that. There quite a few hardware (stiffer springs, stiffer sway bars, new dampers, different front-to-rear spring rate ratio, 20" wheels, wider tires) and softwares tuning (EDC, EPS, e-Diff) differences between the CP and base F8X to make a perceptible difference in feel and handling. The various CP I test drove definitely felt stiffer and more responsive than my base 2015 M4. I also made a post way back that demonstrates through average 100-200km/h tests that the the CP also has slightly more tope end pull than the base (contrary to what was reported at the time). But it also felt tamed down at more sedate speeds and also had more terminal understeer than the base car. The CS was the ultimate evolution IMO.

Note, in the post you quote, when I say "base series", I mean the base non-M, not the base M...

[solstice]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Unless you mean to include base series volumes, but so far the 2-door M3/4 have always outsold the sedan.

Yes overall coupe vs sedan.

[frankiebones]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Unless you mean to include base series volumes, but so far the 2-door M3/4 have always outsold the sedan.

We never got finalized F82 numbers the way we did the F80 (68k sold worldwide if I recall correctly). You know the F82 sold more?

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by frankiebones

We never got finalized F82 numbers the way we did the F80 (68k sold worldwide if I recall correctly). You know the F82 sold more?

It has always been a known fact that the the M4 production output was greater than the M3, further, the M4 continued production for 16 months beyond the M3.

We do not have hard numbers yet, but BMW says it sold >111,000 F8X and knowing that 34,677 F80 have been produced (not sure where you got that 68k number from...) implies >76,000 F82/3 have been sold.

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by Realw5

I for one, cannot wait for my a BG G82 (with Black Interior) to show up!!!! I ordered sight unseen for the reasons above and from the sounds of it, it was a safe bet The hardest thing about this whole ordeal was picking the color...my gosh too much anxiety.

BG was very nice in person - it's very much like a shade darker and more blueish tinged Hockenheim Silver. Has an almost satin like quality in low light

Side note: make sure you spell Grey with an "E" if you're googling for the color...

[jkap27]

Originally Posted by q77

sounds like this dude is having a little more traction problems than ive seen in other videos...did anyone catch what tires he had? I doubt they put pirellis on press cars but you never know

[MmmmmM2]

Originally Posted by frankiebones

"He clearly hates it."

-Everyone who clearly hates it

That is an absolutely gorgeous color.

[frank70]

Originally Posted by jkap27

sounds like this dude is having a little more traction problems than ive seen in other videos...did anyone catch what tires he had? I doubt they put pirellis on press cars but you never know

I do not know what is the problem that some people have with the Pirelli P-Zeros. If i read indepent tests actually these tires are better than the Michelin PS4S on dry roads but have as disadvantage that they wear out faster. So assuming he has more traction problems because maybe he is driving on Pirelli's is making no sense at all. He is likely having more traction problems because he maybe disabled the traction control systems.....

Back to the tires i assume that if BMW picks a tire for one of it's most premium performance models this tire will be fine. Differences between selected tires will be very minimal as i am sure they have quit narrow tolerances/specs.