How big are the Handling differences between BMW M4 F82 and F83?

[M4SSAD]

Hello everybody,

I have recently became the owner of a 2017 M4 F83 competition (but with 19 inch 437m wheels, 255/35 front, 275/35 rear)

I am wondering for those that drove BOTH the F82 and F83, to describe the difference you felt between the 2.

Obviously the F83 is quite heavier so I am wondering what the differences are in terms of handling, acceleration etc. and also how big of a difference it really is for fast street driving.

Further, I want to know what people's opinions are on tuning the F83 to GTS 500hp power level to possibly match the acceleration of the F82 at 450HP.

[VECTORGRAPHICS]

I was on gts on my f83 for a while felt a little fast in the high end but didn’t feel fast till stage 1. just accept you’ll never be as fast but you will be having a greater time. the car drives best with the top up and if you go coilovers and swaybar end links the car drives amazing so just enjoy the car and don’t be too focused on speed and handling since the difference is so slight

[N44RP]

F82 feels nimble and light on its feet while the F83 feels like you have 400lbs in the back seat and a top that isn’t structurally doing anything

[mwpa71]

F83 with bm3 tune (custom preferable), with xhp and gts coding, lowering springs even with extra weight will run rings around a stock f82. I do alot of fast mountain driving and it performs very well. The sound with the roof down is worth admission price alone.. if you like trackwork and cut times like Michael Schumacher maybe a bmw is not the best choice.
Only beyond 130 kph will a like for tuned f82 pull a gap. Traction plays a roll.

[kfresh]

I've tracked my F83 (was stock) in Willow Springs and Auto Club Speedway and can tell you that i've ran circles around other F80s in my group. This of course is due to driver mod and nothing to do with the car but I can tell you that for casual track days it gets the job done.

I wish I had 400lbs less and a more rigid roof to maybe improve my time by 1-2 secs but im okay with sacrificing those lap times for a top down experience in the Malibu mountains.

[phinsn98_2]

Originally Posted by kfresh

I've tracked my F83 (was stock) in Willow Springs and Auto Club Speedway and can tell you that i've ran circles around other F80s in my group. This of course is due to driver mod and nothing to do with the car but I can tell you that for casual track days it gets the job done.

I wish I had 400lbs less and a more rigid roof to maybe improve my time by 1-2 secs but im okay with sacrificing those lap times for a top down experience in the Malibu mountains.

Just purchased an F83 and it feels like the rear gets unsettled at times. Have you ever experienced that? What I mean by unsettled is with the car set to sport on the highway (top down). Going through a wide high speed turn, hit an undulation in the road made the car feel loose. 35k on a 2017 comp.
I come from an S2000 world. I’ve never experienced that. I’m not sure if it’s something to dig into mechanically or accept that it’s a heavier (beautiful) hard top convertible.

[kfresh]

I feel like unsettled rear is a common issue with the F8x platform, i'm not 100% sure of the issue but I feel like i've read many owners experience this on the forums. Personally i've never had any issues.

I do have CS/GTS coding on my EDC, differential, steering, and DCT so that makes a big difference but even when 100% stock never experienced what you're describing

[samovm]

Originally Posted by phinsn98_2

Just purchased an F83 and it feels like the rear gets unsettled at times. Have you ever experienced that? What I mean by unsettled is with the car set to sport on the highway (top down). Going through a wide high speed turn, hit an undulation in the road made the car feel loose. 35k on a 2017 comp.
I come from an S2000 world. I’ve never experienced that. I’m not sure if it’s something to dig into mechanically or accept that it’s a heavier (beautiful) hard top convertible.

I also have an F83 comp, what helped with making the car feel tighter everywhere for me was changing the following:
Front monoballs from bimmerworld
Rear toe arms
Dual diff mount with Powerflex bushings
Transmission mounts by Rogue
SS brake lines

All of this made the car steer a lot better, gear changes are crisper, under heavy acceleration the car is a lot more stable and the rear just feels a lot tighter.
Brakes are not related to this but the brake lines have made the brake pedal feel tighter also.

[ajbM4cab]

In responding to the OP post and not the last comment in thread.

Firstly, RWD and over 400hp has for me mostly resulted in a ‘twitchy’ rear end if not adequately respected and managed.
Maybe a luxury characteristic in todays market of AWD and extremely predictable so called sports cars.

I have a stock 2019 F83 comp, my close friend a stage 1 2017 F82 non comp.
On paper the F82 stage 1 is way quicker and better handling.
Both of us being reasonably the same skill set of a driver and grown up together with fast fords, E30 325i sports and few other fast Porsches etc. and yes we are getting on a bit. In our mid 50s.

The realism for me is that with normal spirited driving and with a few country lanes thrown in there is marginal difference between the the F83 and F82. Both platforms extremely more than competent and capable.
I found the deciding factor was more about the driver as we both seemed to get equal delivery out of our cars with very little between them.
Let’s be fair, a stock F83 comp has more than enough power delivery for the average driver. With the same S55 engine and DCT gearbox requiring precise gear changes to be best managed. The F82 and F83 both have similar driver management Fine margins really.
In contrast I also have a X4MC and a M240 and I don’t drive them any quicker on the same roads. The X4MC is simply so so quick with the M240 (no LSD) being more of a RWD handful than the F83.
Ok all 3 have different levels of driver management but nevertheless all 3 can still be equally as quick for off track driving when on similar roads.

Put them all on a track then it will be a different story.
Horses for courses as they say.

When I initially purchased my F83 I had a few similar thoughts.
Can I make the F83 perform and handle like an F82 with a few tweaks ???
Can I somehow scramble back that 0.3 seconds deficit on the 0-60.
The f83 more than does its job very well.
I found it non-essential to play catch up on very fine margins.