M3 vs. M4

CPB · 02-04-2018, 11:19 AM

Almost always go for the 2 door coupe. But went with the M3. Just liked the look.

1M4 · 03-10-2018, 03:44 PM

I never got a chance to drive the F80 and bought the F82 . If you compared both with the same spec is there a difference in the way they drive. I noticed the roof is lower on the 4. Both styles have their attributes but is there a different driving experience?

Aaaaaaaaa · 03-10-2018, 04:30 PM

M4 probably handles better

michaelalex17 · 03-10-2018, 04:31 PM

M3 is lighter and handles better

Celestion · 03-10-2018, 04:36 PM

M3 has trivially greater torsional rigidity. M4 has a slightly lower center of gravity and weighs trivially less.

Just get whatever you like more. They handle the same basically.

1M4 · 03-10-2018, 04:52 PM

The M4 roof is lower and the carbon roof on either car is nice.I like the integrated spoiler and the indentation on the trunk lid that flows from the carbon roof,it’s very fluid.The rear wheel arches on the M3 flare out and they have that nice profile.Way to go BMW for giving each model their highlights.Hopefully the next generations have these nice lines as well.

spuntyb · 03-10-2018, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1M4

I never got a chance to drive the F80 and bought the F82 . If you compared both with the same spec is there a difference in the way they drive. I noticed the roof is lower on the 4. Both styles have their attributes but is there a different driving experience?

No, same. Unless you're breaking out the bunsen burners and scanning electron microscopes to shave tenths of a second off your lap times. And if you are, save your valuable time, and just get a well-optioned 997.2 C4S.

Edit: I've test driven the M3 non-ZCP 6MT, M4 ZCP DCT, and 997.2 C4S. Only one I didn't like was the non-ZCP. I'm picking up an F80 ZCP in April or May fwiw (need a real back seat for rear and front facing car seats).

knightarmor · 03-10-2018, 05:13 PM

I got to drive both zcps with m performance suspension at the m track days. The 4 felt heavier and stayed "flatter" through the turns. It also felt alot bigger. The 3 felt lighter and just as flat through the turns but a bit "looser". My buddy and I had both cars set exactly the same for all settings except he was driving in manual and I kept it in auto D3 mode.

It was after this that I realized my f80 needed a firmware update for the suspension because even without the m performance suspension there was no excuse for how terrible my f80 felt after I walked away from the M track days.

3liter1 · 03-10-2018, 05:14 PM

it depends on the driver

1M4 · 03-10-2018, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spuntyb

No, same. Unless you're breaking out the bunsen burners and scanning electron microscopes to shave tenths of a second off your lap times. And if you are, save your valuable time, and just get a well-optioned 997.2 C4S.

Edit: I've test driven the M3 non-ZCP 6MT, M4 ZCP DCT, and 997.2 C4S. Only one I didn't like was the non-ZCP. I'm picking up an F80 ZCP in April or May fwiw (need a real back seat for rear and front facing car seats).

That’s another one I liked but for 140k with the options I chose .I always put a limit for each brand and model. I am over 100k on another car I own but again every model has a price point for me . The value for the performance on these F80/F82 is very good .

elitex · 03-10-2018, 05:39 PM

I have access to both right now, a 17 M3 comp and 18 M4 comp. I think M4 drives a little better and feels lower. I drove them back to back 2 days ago.

lukej · 03-10-2018, 05:52 PM

There’s a big difference between the M3 the M4 ,,

The M3 has four doors

Actually after driving both at the BMW M school and I couldn’t tell the difference driving both of them back to back on the racetrack..

spuntyb · 03-10-2018, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1M4

Quote:

Originally Posted by spuntyb

No, same. Unless you're breaking out the bunsen burners and scanning electron microscopes to shave tenths of a second off your lap times. And if you are, save your valuable time, and just get a well-optioned 997.2 C4S.

Edit: I've test driven the M3 non-ZCP 6MT, M4 ZCP DCT, and 997.2 C4S. Only one I didn't like was the non-ZCP. I'm picking up an F80 ZCP in April or May fwiw (need a real back seat for rear and front facing car seats).

ThatÃ‚Â’s another one I liked but for 140k with the options I chose .I always put a limit for each brand and model. I am over 100k on another car I own but again every model has a price point for me . The value for the performance on these F80/F82 is very good .

Yeah, same here in regard to the price cap, but I was referring to the older generation 911. A new one, forget it, but a 2012 C4S comes in around the same price as the F80/82, depending on what options you're looking for.

Agree about the value though. For the $, the F80/82 is pretty fantastic!

uniqueMR · 03-10-2018, 06:48 PM

Coupes win over sedans

JoeKixxon · 03-10-2018, 08:34 PM

I attended 2 day M School and the M3s and M4s felt exactly the same to me. Perhaps I'm not a talented enough driver to really notice, but I was reasonably quick. Upper 1/3 in timed events (lower 1/3 of times that is).

On a totally different note I also drove M2 and it is a go cart - it's awesome and I have to say more fun for me, but I still prefer my M3 because I need 4 doors and I love the way it drives as a DD.

CanAutM3 · 03-10-2018, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestion

M3 has trivially greater torsional rigidity.

Proof?

CanAutM3 · 03-10-2018, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelalex17

M3 is lighter and handles better

It's actually the other way around, albeit by a trivial margin.

M4 is lighter by a few lbs (15~45lbs), has a lower center of gravity and less drag due to a smaller frontal area than the M3.

Professor///M · 03-10-2018, 09:09 PM

I have always found the M3 to be more comfortable than the M4. My laptimes in the 2 vehicles were better in the M3;

I've always attributed it to my own personal comfort with the sedan's platform, went from 2 e90s, to the F30, to the F80.

So at the end of the day, it will likely just be a matter of which vehicle you're more comfortable - from all perspectives (# of doors, convenience, etc)

Celestion · 03-10-2018, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Proof?

One of the Albert Biermann M3/4 interviews on YouTube (I’ve watched all of them). Too lazy to find it right now. Maybe it was the /Drive interview?

I’m guessing it’s related to the B pillar location. That and the door count would seem to the chief structural differences between these two cars.

R-M4 · 03-10-2018, 09:32 PM

I couldn't answer that. However, I can assure you the M4 looks way better than the M3.

1M4 · 03-10-2018, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

It's actually the other way around, albeit by a trivial margin.

M4 is lighter by a few lbs (15~45lbs), has a lower center of gravity and less drag due to a smaller frontal area than the M3.

I guess the weight could fluctuate as well depending on cargo,fuel level,and passenger load.Its more probable that the m3 will have passengers and those passengers might have belongings in the vehicle which might affect dynamics.I never have more than one passenger in my M4 and we travel light.Maybe it’s because the back seats are not that easy to get into or maybe I don’t want the extra weight

CanAutM3 · 03-10-2018, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestion

One of the Albert Biermann M3/4 interviews on YouTube (I’ve watched all of them). Too lazy to find it right now. Maybe it was the /Drive interview?

I’m guessing it’s related to the B pillar location. That and the door count would seem to the chief structural differences between these two cars.

I think it is an urban legend.

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02-04-2018, 11:19 AM	#1189
CPB Second Lieutenant 28 Rep 227 Posts Drives: 911 turbo/E63S Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Texas iTrader: (0)	Almost always go for the 2 door coupe. But went with the M3. Just liked the look.
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03-10-2018, 03:44 PM	#1190
1M4 First Lieutenant 146 Rep 374 Posts Drives: 16 M4 Alp/Sakhir CF Roof 19" Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: My garage 🏠👈🏃😎 iTrader: (0)	Does the M3 drive any different from the M4 with same spec? I never got a chance to drive the F80 and bought the F82 . If you compared both with the same spec is there a difference in the way they drive. I noticed the roof is lower on the 4. Both styles have their attributes but is there a different driving experience?
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03-10-2018, 04:30 PM	#1191
Aaaaaaaaa Banned 7559 Rep 5,056 Posts Drives: The other M3 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: So Cal iTrader: (0)	M4 probably handles better
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03-10-2018, 04:31 PM	#1192
michaelalex17 Brigadier General 595 Rep 3,386 Posts Drives: Manual Wagon Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: CT iTrader: (4)	M3 is lighter and handles better __________________
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03-10-2018, 04:36 PM	#1193
Celestion Lieutenant 250 Rep 468 Posts Drives: '22 M3 Comp Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	M3 has trivially greater torsional rigidity. M4 has a slightly lower center of gravity and weighs trivially less. Just get whatever you like more. They handle the same basically.
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03-10-2018, 04:52 PM	#1194
1M4 First Lieutenant 146 Rep 374 Posts Drives: 16 M4 Alp/Sakhir CF Roof 19" Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: My garage 🏠👈🏃😎 iTrader: (0)	I like the 4 for the trunk lid shape and the 3 for the rear wheel arches The M4 roof is lower and the carbon roof on either car is nice.I like the integrated spoiler and the indentation on the trunk lid that flows from the carbon roof,it’s very fluid.The rear wheel arches on the M3 flare out and they have that nice profile.Way to go BMW for giving each model their highlights.Hopefully the next generations have these nice lines as well. Last edited by 1M4; 03-10-2018 at 05:35 PM..
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03-10-2018, 05:13 PM	#1196
knightarmor Lieutenant Colonel 853 Rep 1,549 Posts Drives: 2017 M3 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Washington iTrader: (2)	I got to drive both zcps with m performance suspension at the m track days. The 4 felt heavier and stayed "flatter" through the turns. It also felt alot bigger. The 3 felt lighter and just as flat through the turns but a bit "looser". My buddy and I had both cars set exactly the same for all settings except he was driving in manual and I kept it in auto D3 mode. It was after this that I realized my f80 needed a firmware update for the suspension because even without the m performance suspension there was no excuse for how terrible my f80 felt after I walked away from the M track days.
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03-10-2018, 05:14 PM	#1197
3liter1 First Lieutenant 57 Rep 376 Posts Drives: 2019 X3 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Northern NJ iTrader: (1)	it depends on the driver __________________ 2018 M3 Alpine White -gone 2009 128i Auto -gone 2014 128 grand coupe - gone
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03-10-2018, 05:39 PM	#1199
elitex . 1231 Rep 1,918 Posts Drives: 22 M8C Coupe, 21 X5MC Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Atlanta iTrader: (0) Garage List 2020 Mercedes C63S ... [0.00] 2021 X5M Competition [0.00]	I have access to both right now, a 17 M3 comp and 18 M4 comp. I think M4 drives a little better and feels lower. I drove them back to back 2 days ago. __________________ Previous 21 X5M MBB, 20 Evora GT, 20 C63S Coupe,19 X5 50i, 18 Giulia QV, 18 M5, 17 Evora 400, 18 LX570, 17 GT350,18 M4 Comp,17 R8 V10 ,17 M3 Comp,17 GT350,16 Escalade Plat ESV, 16 570S,16 911 GTS,15 M5, 15 LX570, 13 M5,13 Viper,14 Cayman S,13 M3,13 S4,10 RX8,12 A4,10 G37, 04 Mini Cooper S, 08 Scion TC, 06 Altima V6, 05 Altima, 01 Altima, 00 Altima, 94 Explorer, 92 Toyota Pickup, 98 Altima
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03-10-2018, 05:52 PM	#1200
lukej Lieutenant 387 Rep 544 Posts Drives: 2020 M4 Comp, Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Midwest iTrader: (0)	There’s a big difference between the M3 the M4 ,, There’s a big difference between the M3 the M4 ,, The M3 has four doors Actually after driving both at the BMW M school and I couldn’t tell the difference driving both of them back to back on the racetrack.. __________________ 1."Luck" is an excuse for people that have failed at their mission to do something! (Allan McNish) 2. I’m not an (EXPERT) I’m just here with an opinion. So don’t hate me. (lukej)
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03-10-2018, 06:48 PM	#1202
uniqueMR Colonel 1881 Rep 2,923 Posts Drives: ... Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Coupes win over sedans __________________ Currently: '24 Mercedes G63 \| '24 Porsche GT3 RS \| '24 Volkswagen GTI Previous BMWs: 340i, 740i, 745Li, M3, M4 Previous Others: Audi, Ducati, Honda, Infiniti, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen
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03-10-2018, 08:34 PM	#1203
JoeKixxon Captain 715 Rep 746 Posts Drives: 2016 M3 Sakhir Orange on Black Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Austin, Texas iTrader: (0)	I attended 2 day M School and the M3s and M4s felt exactly the same to me. Perhaps I'm not a talented enough driver to really notice, but I was reasonably quick. Upper 1/3 in timed events (lower 1/3 of times that is). On a totally different note I also drove M2 and it is a go cart - it's awesome and I have to say more fun for me, but I still prefer my M3 because I need 4 doors and I love the way it drives as a DD.
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03-10-2018, 09:09 PM	#1206
Professor///M Brigadier General 819 Rep 3,341 Posts Drives: 2022 M3, 2022 X5 40i; Join Date: May 2007 Location: Northeast iTrader: (5) Garage List 2022 BMW M3 Comp. [0.00] 2016 BMW X5 35i [10.00]	I have always found the M3 to be more comfortable than the M4. My laptimes in the 2 vehicles were better in the M3; I've always attributed it to my own personal comfort with the sedan's platform, went from 2 e90s, to the F30, to the F80. So at the end of the day, it will likely just be a matter of which vehicle you're more comfortable - from all perspectives (# of doors, convenience, etc)
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03-10-2018, 09:32 PM	#1208
R-M4 Lieutenant 301 Rep 500 Posts Drives: 2022 X6 M CP Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Central Florida iTrader: (0)	I couldn't answer that. However, I can assure you the M4 looks way better than the M3.
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