330ci can beat..?
- Thread starter 3MW
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Porsche 944
Mustang GT
Riced out Integra
A4's (all of them except S4, so 1.8t/3.0 B5, and both the new ones)
Camaro RS (old one)
Tauras SHO
Riced out Accord
Jetta's and GTI's up the wazzoo
--been killed by--
993 911 Turbo
996 911 C2 and Turbo
E36 M3
E46 M3
E39 M5
'02 Mustang GT Cobra and SVT
@brah: i agree completely about going to your local track, but some of us don't have a local track. i know deep in my heart that i can out drive 98% of the people i've rolled-on against on the freeway, i just need the opportunity on a track.
Mustang GT
Riced out Integra
A4's (all of them except S4, so 1.8t/3.0 B5, and both the new ones)
Camaro RS (old one)
Tauras SHO
Riced out Accord
Jetta's and GTI's up the wazzoo
--been killed by--
993 911 Turbo
996 911 C2 and Turbo
E36 M3
E46 M3
E39 M5
'02 Mustang GT Cobra and SVT
@brah: i agree completely about going to your local track, but some of us don't have a local track. i know deep in my heart that i can out drive 98% of the people i've rolled-on against on the freeway, i just need the opportunity on a track.
What about autocross in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, and Brainerd Int'l Raceway?
Are you a member of your local bmw cca chapter?
If not, you need to go to www.northstarbmw.org
They have a full calendar of driving events, year round.
You have a local track, frolf, you just gotta drive a few hours to get there. I drive over an hour to get to Road America.
BTW, I may be staying within the BMW ranks and getting a 99 540i/6 instead of the TL. I hope to have all of the information to make my decision later in the week.
Are you a member of your local bmw cca chapter?
If not, you need to go to www.northstarbmw.org
They have a full calendar of driving events, year round.
You have a local track, frolf, you just gotta drive a few hours to get there. I drive over an hour to get to Road America.
BTW, I may be staying within the BMW ranks and getting a 99 540i/6 instead of the TL. I hope to have all of the information to make my decision later in the week.
before i was really into 0-60 times and such, but now last thing on my mind is to drop a clutch and smoke the tires on a 40k+ ride for a 6 second rush.. well maybe not the last thing but does seem a bit dumb..
now i'm interested in learning the limits of my car and get the full bimmer experience. if i wanted a go fast box, i would've gotten a 20k neon srt/sxt or whatever the designition. and pretended like a boy racer.. saving up money for a driving school![[:D]](/images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin [:D]")
now i'm interested in learning the limits of my car and get the full bimmer experience. if i wanted a go fast box, i would've gotten a 20k neon srt/sxt or whatever the designition. and pretended like a boy racer.. saving up money for a driving school
![[burnout]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_burnout.gif "Burnout [burnout]"){kind=icon}
well, yeah, but the same car was tested on different days. The conditions were different. Either way, the Intake and especially exhaust (330i has a free-flowing exhaust from the factory) on the 330i offer very marginal gains. You get looks, sound, save weight, a bit better fuel mileage and a bit of power up top. Even with the software, you won't get more than 5-9hp tops, not with these two simple bolt-ons.
Knowing that a car has 200 horsepower does not tell you how fast the car is. If it is a race car that weighs 2000 pounds, it is considerably faster than if it is a large sedan that weighs 4000 pounds. Power to weight ratios are expressed in terms of the number of pounds that each horsepower has to move. In other words, 190 hp. is a lot of engine for a 1700 pound lotus elise, but not enough for a luxury sedan.
Horsepower is just a function of torque and RPM.
Gearing is the combination of your final drive ratio and the individual gear ratios. The combination determines how much of that power is being transmitted to the ground.
Your engine does not transmit its power to the wheels directly. It goes through the transmission and the differential (oversimplified). Both change the rotation of the engine's crankshaft into a rotation at a different speed. That is why your car goes a different speed at 3000 rpm for each gear you have.
You should check out the automotive information available at www.howstuffworks.com
![[wave]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_wave.gif "Wave [wave]")
Horsepower is just a function of torque and RPM.
Gearing is the combination of your final drive ratio and the individual gear ratios. The combination determines how much of that power is being transmitted to the ground.
Your engine does not transmit its power to the wheels directly. It goes through the transmission and the differential (oversimplified). Both change the rotation of the engine's crankshaft into a rotation at a different speed. That is why your car goes a different speed at 3000 rpm for each gear you have.
You should check out the automotive information available at www.howstuffworks.com
Interesting, thanks for the feedback. Do you have any idea what the gear ratio is for a 330CI? Also here's another question
I first was told that by revving the engine as close to the red line as possible will get the maximum performance(hence quickest accerlation and speed) from the car. Now I am being told that, the car hits its peak way before that, and after it passes that point, lets say 4/12 rpm, you actually lose horse power.
Which theory is correct if any? Thanks again for the info
I first was told that by revving the engine as close to the red line as possible will get the maximum performance(hence quickest accerlation and speed) from the car. Now I am being told that, the car hits its peak way before that, and after it passes that point, lets say 4/12 rpm, you actually lose horse power.
Which theory is correct if any? Thanks again for the info
The trick is to get as close to the peak again when you hit the next gear, so you probably want to go to the redline before shifting. Yes, the HP and torque drop off before redline, but if you shifted at the peak, you'd be way below the peak in the next gear. You have to ride both sides of the peak.
You need to know the engine's power characteristics and the gearing. For most cars, the optimal shift point is a few hundred rpm before redline, and decreases 1-200 RPM as you go up the gears.
You actually need a graph of the engine's powerband and some calculus to figure it out precisely, as you are calculating the area under a curve. However, you can estimate it pretty well if you just pay attention to the road speed at a particular rpm in a particular gear.
For example: My 1994 325i makes peak torque at around 4000 rpm and peak horsepower at around 6300 RPM. When I shift up, I am trying to engage the higher gear at as close to 4000 RPM as possible. That means my 1-2 shift happens at 6500 rpm, 2-3 at 6350, 3-4 at 6200 and 4-5 at around 6050. Each of the gears has its own gear ratio, typically around 3:1 for 1st gear and going to 1:1 for 5th gear.
My NSX is a different story. The gearing is very tall. The 1-2 shift is best at redline, because the gears are spaced such that shifting from 1st at redline (8300 RPM at 45 MPH) will put you in 2nd at about 4300 RPM. For the NSX, you want to be engaging the higher gear at 5000 RPM or so, if not 5800 (VTEC kicks in). The higher gears are closer together, so a few hundred RPM below redline is the way to go. (Of course, if you shift into 4th at redline from 3rd you are going 117 MPH, so it doesn't happen all that often on the street.)
So, once you figure out the 330s torque peak RPM (probably around 4000 RPM), then find out what road speed in MPH that RPM occurs at in 2nd gear. Lets say that is 30 mph. You want to shift from 1-2 at 30mph, so figure out what RPM equals 30 mph in 1st gear. Repeat that for all of the gears and you will be close.
You actually need a graph of the engine's powerband and some calculus to figure it out precisely, as you are calculating the area under a curve. However, you can estimate it pretty well if you just pay attention to the road speed at a particular rpm in a particular gear.
For example: My 1994 325i makes peak torque at around 4000 rpm and peak horsepower at around 6300 RPM. When I shift up, I am trying to engage the higher gear at as close to 4000 RPM as possible. That means my 1-2 shift happens at 6500 rpm, 2-3 at 6350, 3-4 at 6200 and 4-5 at around 6050. Each of the gears has its own gear ratio, typically around 3:1 for 1st gear and going to 1:1 for 5th gear.
My NSX is a different story. The gearing is very tall. The 1-2 shift is best at redline, because the gears are spaced such that shifting from 1st at redline (8300 RPM at 45 MPH) will put you in 2nd at about 4300 RPM. For the NSX, you want to be engaging the higher gear at 5000 RPM or so, if not 5800 (VTEC kicks in). The higher gears are closer together, so a few hundred RPM below redline is the way to go. (Of course, if you shift into 4th at redline from 3rd you are going 117 MPH, so it doesn't happen all that often on the street.)
So, once you figure out the 330s torque peak RPM (probably around 4000 RPM), then find out what road speed in MPH that RPM occurs at in 2nd gear. Lets say that is 30 mph. You want to shift from 1-2 at 30mph, so figure out what RPM equals 30 mph in 1st gear. Repeat that for all of the gears and you will be close.
yeah, i did think about it. but i always hesitate when it comes to used sports cars. i'm sure whoever drove the M3 did not drive it the way i would want anyone to drive my car, especially if they were to get rid of it that quickly. i didn't think a used m3 was worth it at the price i was looking for. i know a lot of people baby their bimmers, but i didn't want to take that chance. besides, i've been hearing bimmers have lots of electrical problems and i didn't want to increase that chance either by buying an older car.