I miss my E92

[CSanto]

Originally Posted by dmk08

What im struggling with now is 35k for an 09-10 or step up and pay 40-42k for a 12-13. That and the dct/6mt struggle. Love my manuals but the e92 is so much livelier with the DCT.

Tough call. I think the 6mt in the E92 wasnt that great. The DCT would he my choice for that chassis.

They held value very well. Still an amazing piece of machinery for 40k.

Good luck in your search!

[W///]

Originally Posted by dmk08

What im struggling with now is 35k for an 09-10 or step up and pay 40-42k for a 12-13. That and the dct/6mt struggle. Love my manuals but the e92 is so much livelier with the DCT.

I don't really see a reason to go 12-13 to be honest. The higher cost doesn't justify having ZCP as that could be remedied with aftermarket parts much easier than the F8x.

Originally Posted by yaymitch

I'll probably get bashed for saying this but, I never liked the E92. Coming from an E46 it wasn't that much of an improvement (almost identical torque and E92 was heavier). Anyway, I owned E36, E46 and now F80 and I was so underwhelmed with the E92 that I bought a C63 and loved every minute of it. Let the torching begin...

Drove the E46 M3 for 1 weekend and thought it was OK. Definitely wouldn't trade my E92 for one to be honest. Ended up going E36 M3 and E92 M3 combo instead.

I also can also say I much prefer my Z4MR to the E46 M3, although the E46 is still one of the most beautiful cars on the road.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by W///

I don't really see a reason to go 12-13 to be honest. The higher cost doesn't justify having ZCP as that could be remedied with aftermarket parts much easier than the F8x.



Drove the E46 M3 for 1 weekend and thought it was OK. Definitely wouldn't trade my E92 for one to be honest. Ended up going E36 M3 and E92 M3 combo instead.

I also can also say I much prefer my Z4MR to the E46 M3, although the E46 is still one of the most beautiful cars on the road.

Yeah thats the conclusion I'm coming to as well. The E92 will get blower, coils, wheels, exhaust immediately so ZCP seems worthless. I guess I really just need an 11.5 so it has all the latest combox stuff.

[W///]

Originally Posted by dmk08

Yeah thats the conclusion I'm coming to as well. The E92 will get blower, coils, wheels, exhaust immediately so ZCP seems worthless. I guess I really just need an 11.5 so it has all the latest combox stuff.

Yup, precisely. I haven't checked how much it is to retrofit all that stuff, but I've seen you can even retrofit NBT to those cars. The 13s are going for big bucks

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by W///

Yup, precisely. I haven't checked how much it is to retrofit all that stuff, but I've seen you can even retrofit NBT to those cars. The 13s are going for big bucks

I found a space grey 13 CPO here for 44. A similar non-CPO 11 can be had in the mid 30s. So yeah a big difference. Big enough to pay for a 2k rod bearing swap before the blower. EDIT: AND the blower itself.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by CSanto

Tough call. I think the 6mt in the E92 wasnt that great. The DCT would he my choice for that chassis.

They held value very well. Still an amazing piece of machinery for 40k.

Good luck in your search!

Yeah, I feel like the DCT is perfectly mated to the E92. Mine has been still very reliable at 153k miles now and many track days of use. Only issue I had was gasket oil pan leak at 50k.

6MT on my F82 feels like a great fit as well with the power band.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by yaymitch

I'll probably get bashed for saying this but, I never liked the E92. Coming from an E46 it wasn't that much of an improvement (almost identical torque and E92 was heavier). Anyway, I owned E36, E46 and now F80 and I was so underwhelmed with the E92 that I bought a C63 and loved every minute of it. Let the torching begin...

Interresting you say this. Have you owned an E92?

Having owned and tracked quite extensively all three, I find that the E92 was a greater step up from the E46 than the F82 is from the E92.

Ultimately it is power that translates into performance and the S65 offers a whopping 80hp more than the S54. But I find that it is in the handling department the the E92 imoroved the most on the the E46.

[yaymitch]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Interresting you say this. Have you owned an E92?

Having owned and tracked quite extensively all three, I find that the E92 was a greater step up from the E46 than the F82 is from the E92.

Ultimately it is power that translates into performance and the S65 offers a whopping 80hp more than the S54. But I find that it is in the handling department the the E92 imoroved the most on the the E46.

I have driven the E92, many times. I really wanted to like it. It was super fun over 5k rpms and I'm sure it was good on the track but for someone who drives my cars a lot more than the 4-5 times a year on a track, it was actually pretty boring otherwise. And going to a V8 the S65 better have a whopping 80 more hp to handle the added weight but only 33 more tq compared to the S54. And, in response to another post, obviously going from a E92 to E46 would be pointless unless you just loved the E46 but for a new gen car the E92 was only slightly better IMO than the previous gen. Going from E36 to E46 was a different story. I know my opinion is in the minority but I am okay with that. Anyway, I am back in the M3 camp with the F80, so don't hate me too much.

[Ian1973]

Well the E92 was substantially faster around any track, so that's something.

I drove an E90 once for a few minutes when I owned an E46. I wasn't blown away, but I also wasn't able to really get into it and get above 6k rpms unfortunately.

Considering my 335i was fast in my mind and an E92 M3 was neck and neck with me, and I nearly rear ended an E46 M3 racing one once, the E92 was definitely much faster.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by yaymitch

for a new gen car the E92 was only slightly better IMO than the previous gen.

This is where we disagree.

Originally Posted by yaymitch

Going from E36 to E46 was a different story.

I had the opportunity of driving the Euro spec E36, and the E46 was not a drastic step up from that (only +22hp for 250+lb more to schlepp around) . But yes, compared to the neutered/fake US spec E36 M3...

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by Ian1973

Well the E92 was substantially faster around any track, so that's something.

I drove an E90 once for a few minutes when I owned an E46. I wasn't blown away, but I also wasn't able to really get into it and get above 6k rpms unfortunately.

Considering my 335i was fast in my mind and an E92 M3 was neck and neck with me, and I nearly rear ended an E46 M3 racing one once, the E92 was definitely much faster.

Was your 335 stock. If so, an E92 M3 would blow the doors off a 335i...

[Powerslide]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Was your 335 stock. If so, an E92 M3 would blow the doors off a 335i...

No doubt - my E93 M3 at 4150 lbs was faster than stock E92 335i...

[solstice]

My E90 M3 has a special place in my heart, so yeah I miss it. Special car that one

[JTO24]

I miss my e92 M3, too. It holds a special place in my heart as it was my first M car; I probably got rid of it a bit too early to hop into the F80 but hindsight is 20/20 (F80 was terrific just not as special, to me, as the e92). I wouldn't hate getting back into another e9x M3 after the Cayman.

[NewM3driver]

I'm the opposite. I found the e90 annoying, and the MT was very notchy. It was a drag unless you were beating on it.

For an everyday day driver, the F80 is light years better IMHO

[yaymitch]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

This is where we disagree.

I had the opportunity of driving the Euro spec E36, and the E46 was not a drastic step up from that (only +22hp for 250+lb more to schlepp around) . But yes, compared to the neutered/fake US spec E36 M3...

Yes, I wish we had the European spec version of the E36. I may have never been inclined to get the E46. But alas, we had the neutered version. Still a great car and amazing on a track.

[Ian1973]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Was your 335 stock. If so, an E92 M3 would blow the doors off a 335i...

No, no. I'm not an idiot. lol I had a Cobb tuner, but that is it. Said to increase the car to around 390hp and if I remember a bit over 400 ft-lbs. Must have been in the ballpark of those numbers as he and I were pretty dead even. This was all starting at highway speeds up to very high speeds in Mexico, so it wasn't "just" the torque advantage. I didn't know him, so I don't know what he had, but for sure his exhaust was not stock.

To clarify my first post you highlighted, what I meant was, I raced an E92 M3 and was neck and neck with him and I also got to mess around with an E46 M3 once, and nearly rear ended him I was so much faster than him... So that to me is anecdotal evidence the E92 M3 is loads faster than the E46 M3.

[Mspired]

The e92 m3 is slow. The torque sucks. I drive one. 414 hp isn't that impressive anymore. Especially when you have to wind it up to redline to get it all out. The car looks good. Has nice tech. Sounds really good with the right setup. But for an everyday car, it's just lacking.
My feelings are probably swayed because I have a turbo e46 m3. So I guess the power has never really impressed me. I'm looking forward to replacing my e92 m3 with a M4.

[Damage Inc]

I've had E46 M3 SMG and Manual. E90 DCT and Manual. I now have an F80 M3 Manual.

I felt for DD the DCT was better mated to the E90/E92. The reason is you don't feel the lack of torque as its "hidden" in the automatic/dct. The manual was very notchy and had to constantly shift. Especially with the A/C running. DCT all the way.

I went manual in the F80 thinking the high torque will make up for what I felt the E90 M lacked. It was the right call. Not only does the F80 have enough torque the but manual gearbox feels fantastic (for a bmw). F80 manual is great for DD.

However the E90/E92 M blows the F80 away on a spirted back roads drive. So much more engaging and exciting. The S85/S65 are race car motors where the F80 feels like a modified 335i, lacks any special character and sound.

The F80 is geared towards MPG and daily commuting - numb comfortable steering, updated tech, high torque, etc. Which is what most people want out of an M car now a days. And allows BMW to sell more cars.

[Ian1973]

I will say the S55 certainly has a different sound over the N54 and N55 (assuming the N58 also). I prefer the sound of the N54 to be honest over the S55.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by Ian1973

I will say the S55 certainly has a different sound over the N54 and N55 (assuming the N58 also). I prefer the sound of the N54 to be honest over the S55.

While I agree that the S55 sounds very different to the N55 and B58, I however find some resemblance with the N54, especially in "iS" applications. I think it is related to having separate turbos and exhaust tracts from the engine all the way to the tips for each three-cylinder pair. The S54 on the E46 also had a similar arrangement (albeit without turbos). I think that is where some of the raspiness emanates.

[Ian1973]

I should have wrote, B58. I think they dropped the N.

And I agree, the S54 and S55 sound similar to me, but from what I can remember of the N54 it sound different than an S engine. Maybe I just don't remember now.