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Originally Posted by Patronus86
I thought BMW fixed the overheating and fuel pump issues early on the in E90 series lineup. Not really sure if you are debating on whether to get a m5 or m3...so here is my take:
First off, as good a job as Dinan does with its tuning and aftermarket packages, it still is just that...an aftermarket provider. Regardless of how much hp and torque dinan adds to a baseline 3 series or 5 series, they still don't offer the same overall performance package (handling, reliability, consistency, ect.) as their rivals/counterparts in BMW's M Performance series. And if you decide to get a dinanized version of a m car, you get much more bang for your buck with BMW. A fully upgraded Dinan M3 with 500+ hp will cost 93k at least (31k in upgrades + 62k base price). For that kind of performance, why not just spend a bit more for the m6 and get the peace of mind of having a well-designed car?
Dinan still has a role to play in upgrading and fine tuning cars (new and used) to meet owner needs. But when it comes to buying brand new, I don't think anyone can rival BMW's performance and reliability for the price you pay.
As for your fear that the 70k M3 will simply be a factory tuned version of the 335...I think it is the other way around. The M3/M4, much like previous versions of the M3, will be a unique car/setup with 50% of its components being standalone. The S55 engine, though derived from the twinscrolled turbo charged n55 used in the current 3 series, will have twin turbos and vastly more hp and torque. The 3 and 4 series will have the option to upgrade to certain M performance parts and receive a factory tune in a sense, though the it seems the performance gap will still be significant.
As for your concerns about overheating and the new carbon fiber parts breaking...time will tell. BMW certainly has a lot of experience doing this, and I find it hard to believe that they would produce a performance car without thoroughly testing and refining it. I'm not saying that there won't be design kinds in the first year, but the M brand has a reputation, and you will have a warranty. You are right, the price is high for M performance cars (though still reasonable when you compare it to other European performance cars), but that has always been the case.
In terms of putting 500hp to the rear wheels (I assume you meant through aftermarket modding)...I'm no engineer but that seems unlikely with the m3/m4's s55 3.0 liter. Turbo charging or not, I'd assume there is a limit to what hp you can achieve with that kind of displacement. BMW is getting back to its roots with the new M3/M4 (everyone seems to forget that the last generation of V8 M3's was an exception to the norm). If you want 500hp at the rear wheels, a) mod an E92 M3 b) get pretty much any American v8 muscle and supercharge it c) save up for a m6 or more expensive euro v8. I don't know what else to tell you other than your expectations for a 3.0 liter are unrealistic.
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One point.....
....people were able to eclipse the 500 HP mark in E46 M3's, so I don't think engine size is the factor (..
especially when you consider that there are high horsepower 3.0 liter N54 cars running around). The limiting factor is the software.