steveevo8

what handles better and don't say evo cause you own one.. i own an evo. but i'm having a discussion.. if you can help give me some info too...

Secret Chimp

iTrader: (2)

What do you mean by handle better? Handle better on a track? Handle better on the highway? Handle the streets of a major city better? Better skid pad numbers? Better slalom numbers?

The Evo trumps the M3 in just about every handling category. But stock for stock, the M3 is a lil' faster in a straight line and the M3 has a more compliant suspension. So it has nicer manners on the freeways and on rough surfaces.

steveevo8

sorry i should of specified.. i mean on the track. and maybe slalom... which one ?

RaceCarDriver

I owned a 2003 M3 (it was stolen) now I'm considering an EVO. The M3 has a rock hard ride, even on the highway. M3 is a heavier car, 3,400+ lbs. Understeers more than an EVO. IMO has a much nicer interior, but I would say the EVO handles better. The M3 is a well balanced car and is very easy to bring back under control even when you've lost control at the track. You can do four wheels drifts all day long in an M3.

For real hardcore handling (street or track) I would take the EVO. EVO would also out handle the M3 in the rain and snow.

RaceCarDriver

TheGVR4kid

iTrader: (3)

what model M3? I would say a 271hp E36 on A046s would win.

Secret Chimp

iTrader: (2)

The E46 has a rock hard suspension when compared to other BMW's. The Evo has a rock hard suspension when compared to a conestoga wagon.

John4321

iTrader: (9)

Ok, I own an evo and my father used to own a 2003 M3 so I have alot of experience driving both. After driving my dad's m3 alot is actually what caused me to be interested in the evo, they feel very similar: ride quality and overall agility. I find in my evo though that it feels much safer when being driven hard through the twisties. The M3 just doesn't seem to have the forgiveness the evo has. It feels as though if you start to loose the rear end..well your just screwed. That being said it's is very possible the 30k price defference could keep me from driving the m3 like I drive my evo. I hope that helps a little.

jbrennen

iTrader: (1)

I autoXed a 1999 M3 recently (April 4) after many autoX events in my Evo.

I thought the M3 had some serious understeer problems compared to the Evo. It was a very tossable car in a constant speed slalom, although it felt a bit slower than the Evo. But under braking or acceleration, it felt like it didn't want to turn.

I should add a few disclaimers though... The M3 was not a stock suspension -- it had coilovers. It was on Michelin Pilot Sport tires (not particularly grippy compared to the stock Evo tires) on a slippery parking lot with patches of wet pavement. And the guy who usually drives the M3 does pretty well with it.

By the way, the M3 driver drove my Evo at the same autoX and was over 3 seconds faster than me on a 60 second course. Both of us were driving those particular cars for the first time, and that's a huge time difference. I think the Evo won this round.

siantjab

iTrader: (2)

I think the evo will be very close spec for spec with the M3. But you also have to consider the upgrade path. To uprade ANYTHING on the M3 is going to cost big $$ and won't yeild huge gains. Upgrading the evo is simple, cheap, and results in huge gains. So you also have to decide if you're buying the car and leaving it as is, or if you want to mod. If you want to mod the hands down answer (at least to me, with my meager income) is the evo. I've been down the luxury/preformance car path and prefer the porformance more then the luxury. I say go with the evo and enjoy modding it!!

Tracer

I just met a guy recently who has an m3 2002 i think and an evo.
He said he would trust the evo on dangerous highspeed turns etc any day of the week. But m3's are bad *** cars, that is the
smoothest power curve I have ever felt in a car!

badlooser

iTrader: (23)

awd AND GREAT handling V.S. 2wd

typeR430

///M3s suspension isnt horrible, its not horribly rough, before i drove an evo for the first time, the M3 was the best handling car ive driven, i still cut curves at 95mph wiht one hand on the steering wheel, not as much understeer as u expect, almost neutral steering actually because u can make the car oversteer on command anytime u would like, as long as the DSC is off
top end is much nicer on the M3(I've gone about 150mph rolling from 80 in about 8 or 9 seconds), and so is my interior, I have the Harmon Kardon premium sound, navigation, heated seats, dual power seats with memory, park tronic, climate control, etc etc etc oh yea and the digital redline starts at 4000RPM and digitally goes higher and higher while the temperature of the engine goes up redlines at 8000RPM 11.3:1 CR out of an I6

u can power slide the car all day long until the tires pop, the thing is...theres a DSC dynamic stability control, it puts u back on track and cuts off fuel when it feels the car drift or lose traction, its basically cheating...i went canyon carving with some buddies, i took turns so ******* fast it was seriously unbelievable, plus on one turn i tried to basically spin the car out and the car straightened out for me LOL, its seriously cheating, u cant go wrong, by the time i got to the end of the canyon, i was leaning on my trunk and smoking a cig with my engine turned off, waited about a minute before the rest of my buddies came down

u cant compare the 2 really, because the ///M3 is still a BMW, luxury coupe, i dont drive fast usually unless im fired up, i love to cruise in the car though, im excited everytime i drive
i know hard core evo enthusiasts probably think their car is much faster and its all about racing and stuff, i was the same way with my integra, but when it comes down to it, its kinda sad that a luxury car can somewhat hold up with a rally champion
honestly, im sure i would lose at least by a little bit to my frends modded evo

if u dont care about the luxury of the ///M3, and wanna know how sport bred the car really is...DL Top Gear E46 M3, Tiff needle smokes the tires, drifts like a freaking crazy bastard and finishes it by smoking the tires doing doughnuts...not to forget when he Slams the brakes going 60mph, they time it, and he goes from 60-0 in 3 seconds...then u gotta watch the Top Gear episode about the M5...(OMFG!!!) he does a full 360 in the rain while hes going about 60mph and then straightens out and keeps going like he never even spun out

siantjab

iTrader: (2)

You make some very good points typeR430. You may liken the DSC to cheating, but I liken it to the car interrupting my driving. I've had two other cars with simmilar systems, and none of them (including DSC) is worth a crap in my opinion. In my IS300 you could turn the thing off and it would still adjust if you tried to get a little crazy with the back end. I hated that! There is nothing worse than a car getting in the way of my driving.

As for what you say about the luxury, indeed like I said the M3 has us there. But I personally don't mind that there are less electric "gizmos" to breakdown when I least expect/need them too. The evo is a pure drivers car. The M3 is a luxury car, that will allow for some spirited driving (unless modded to be a racer). Comparing the two is kind or worthless; since it's completely a matter of taste.

I personally think having both would be great! I would make the M3 my daily driver (to and from work and such) and drive the evo when I wanted to get my heart pumping. That would be sweet!

Michael Adair

You guys pretty much got it right on the money. I have a e36 m3/4 and I would add one thing. There is ALOT more suspension tuning info out there on the M3 from all of the years of racing. Also, it's personal preferance but the inline six at full song at 7000rpms is the sweetest thing I have ever heard. I would also add that if you were to track day an M3 5-10 days a year, lap after lap after lap the motor and car is damn near bullitt proof. I am not sure an EVO would be able to duplicate that. That said I still want an EVO!!!!!!

Anybody interested in my M3?

hueman

iTrader: (17)

taken from sport compact car's website from their battle of 911, m3, evo, and s4....