[stein_325i]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Lightning Lap 2022: The Hottest Cars on America's Toughest Track

M240i xDrive

Originally Posted by Car and Driver

Lap Time: 3:03.0
The M240i didn't really get a fair shot this year. Like every other BMW present, the all-new 2 arrived without extra tires. To avoid prematurely wearing out the rubber, we sent it around the track in anger only four times in two days. The quickest lap came on the third session, and the by-then scrubbed-up tires contributed to a startling amount of turn-in oversteer that robbed some time.

X4 M Competition

Originally Posted by Car and Driver

Lap Time: 3:02.9
The aptly named Roller Coaster consists of a 130-foot drop into one of the last corners before the front straight. Smashing over the final chunk of curbing on the left before dipping into the right-hander Hog Pen is usually routine business, but in BMW's roided-out tilt-a-whirl, it's a moment of weightlessness. Siri, play Sinatra's "Come Fly with Me."

X5 M Competition

Originally Posted by Car and Driver

Lap Time: 3:00.5
BMW used to tout its even front-to-rear weight distribution as one of the magical elements that made its cars handle so well. Jump from the Audi RS Q8 into the X5 M, and you'll be a true believer. The X5 M carries 50.6 percent of its 5338 pounds in front, whereas 56.4 percent of the RS Q8's 5489 pounds sits on the front tires. Instead of steady understeer, the X5 M is playful and works all its tires hard, not just the fronts. The X5 seemingly pivots around an axis in the middle of the car. Depending on where your feet shift the load by braking or accelerating, the X5 rotates in an easy and controllable manner that makes it seem alive and willing.

M3 Competition xDrive

Originally Posted by Car and Driver

Lap Time: 2:53.5
The BMW M3 Competition takes the win over the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing primarily because it can stay with the Cadillac in the lower-speed technical parts of the track and flex its 31-hp advantage on the straights and in the straight sections that lead to the Climbing Esses.

M5 CS

Originally Posted by Car and Driver

Lap Time: 2:50.3
Without so much as a press release or other announcement, BMW apparently decided it would like the Lightning Lap four-door record back and rolled out a lighter M5 CS. BMW briefly held the record, but then in 2019 was eclipsed by the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S with a 2:49.3 run.

Lightning Lap Results 2006 to 2022: Every Car, Every Lap Time

[DocWeatherington]

Excellent post - Shame BMW didn't send more tires.

As time was lost especially with only 4 laps to find the best time and really only one lap to go hard at it.

Kudos to Porsche

[Bahn360Photo]

Damn these cars are quick

How good m3 is being only 3s behind track version of m5!

Overall impressive how these numbers stack up against purpose built supercars…and you can take any of them for a road trip and not need a chiropractor after

[GOLFFRR]

I want that M5CS such a cool video overall

[SYT_Shadow]

Impressive showing! And on normal tires, in cars you can drive 1k miles in a day and not need to be hospitalized.

[gnolivos]

My buddy and I bought bmw cars the same day in December. I got the m340i and he got the X4M competition. His car is a beast!

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by Bahn360Photo

Damn these cars are quick

How good m3 is being only 3s behind track version of m5!

Overall impressive how these numbers stack up against purpose built supercars…and you can take any of them for a road trip and not need a chiropractor after

Unless you're reaching for the absolute best lap time (if you can even achieve it), the remaining differentiating factor is brand/prestige and driving feel. As much I want a Porsche, the better driving feel of one over almost everything comparable is not worth the significant premium I would have to pay, so with that, well done BMW.

[TAZ007]

Very nice, thanks.

[jmg]

It's still quite astonishing how fast the M5 CS is on a road course! I would have loved to see an M340i lap though.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by jmg

It's still quite astonishing how fast the M5 CS is on a road course! I would have loved to see an M340i lap though.

2020 BMW M340i at Lightning Lap 2021

Lap time was 3:03.2

[Dave07997S]

The Ford Mustang Mach 1 did it in 2:51.4. Kudos to Ford. Granted it had Mich Sport Cup 2s, but it was also a manual and not AWD.

[M2Cmtl]

You really see what size and weight does, with an M240i, X4M, Sq8 in the same league...

FYI, results for all cars: https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...storical-data/

[Sedan_Clan]

Sweet video!

[wesleyan92]

The M3 beat the CT4-V Blackwing.

Car and Driver: hold our beer and it doesn't matter. We recommend the Cadillac over the BMW.

[M3WC]

Originally Posted by wesleyan92

The M3 beat the CT4-V Blackwing.

Car and Driver: hold our beer and it doesn't matter. We recommend the Cadillac over the BMW.

The CT5-V BW beat all the BMW's, including the M5CS which was on much better rubber. PZC4 on the CS is basically a track tire, 80 treadwear compared to 4S 300 treadwear.

CT4-V BW is like older BMW's, lose in speed but wins due to driver connection and feel(at least that is what C/D like about the Blackwing). In the past Benz fanboys use to hate on magazines when they picked the BMW over the Benz eventhough the Benz was actually quicker that day. I remember the old..."the magazines are paid off".

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by M3WC

The CT5-V beat all the BMW's, including the M5CS which was on much better rubber.

CT4-V is like older BMW's, lose in speed but wins due to driver connection and feel(at least that is what C/D like about the Blackwing). In the past Benz fanboys use to hate on magazines when they picked the BMW over the Benz eventhough the Benz was actually quicker that day. I remember the old..."the magazines are paid off".

That was especially true with the W204 C63 and E9X M3. The E9X M3 was primarily the winner because of driver feel even though it was slower in a straight line and was not that much quicker than the LCI C63.

Those were the times…

[Tflong24]

Originally Posted by M3WC

The CT5-V BW beat all the BMW's, including the M5CS which was on much better rubber. PZC4 on the CS is basically a track tire, 80 treadwear compared to 4S 300 treadwear.

CT4-V BW is like older BMW's, lose in speed but wins due to driver connection and feel(at least that is what C/D like about the Blackwing). In the past Benz fanboys use to hate on magazines when they picked the BMW over the Benz eventhough the Benz was actually quicker that day. I remember the old..."the magazines are paid off".

You could almost buy a 5 Blackwing AND a G80 M3 for the price of a CS!!!!! What Cadillac can do with RWD is amazing. Oh but wait, the CS will detroy the BW 0-60. We all know that Is all that matters. Just don't understand the mad rush to AWD for BMW. At least there is a choice with the M3.

[Mako]

Where did they get their M3 xdrive base price from?
maybe thats what dealers are charging for a base?

BMW Website M3 Comp xdrive
base $77,100

Car and Driver reported M3 Comp xdrive
base $89,845


am I missing something?

I think feature for feature, RWD to RWD the CT4 and M3 are close in price (both low $70s) but this comparison makes it look like the M3 costs 25% more

[EDWYER]

Nice to see the M240i beat the R by more than a second with scrubbed up tires. lol (Also M2 still beats the M240i and M340i)

[Neptune7]

M5 CS seems to be slower than all its rivals (AMG, Porsche, Cadillac) on the track despite being quickest in a straight line. I was hoping the weight loss would have helped. And what's with the tire supply?

[VIERsr]

Originally Posted by M2Cmtl

You really see what size and weight does, with an M240i, X4M, Sq8 in the same league...

FYI, results for all cars: https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...storical-data/

This.
Also, the M240i (far from a lightweight car) with crappy narrow runflat tyres and the trucks with huge performance tyres.
What a waste of power.

[SpeedyATL]

It's interesting to see how many 'modern' cars are now faster than the 2007 911 Turbo at number 173, including all the BMWs tested this year.

The horsepower gains in the past decade are significant for sure....It wasn't that long ago that the 225hp in a Mustang GT was crazy, now BMW seems 'ashamed' to post a true HP number for the B58 motor (we all have seen wheel hp dyno results close to their claimed 382 crank number).