hoping to settle a discussion with a friend. do you think a geared S can keep up with the new bmw beast? and with 3 less hp than the m3 coupe, how is it slower?

 

Is it slower? I thought it was right around hte same speed as the m3 coupe...give or take.

Anyhow, I think it's gonna take a lot more than geaers to keep up with the Z4M.

 

I agree! I think you will need a supercharger to keep up with thz Z4M, it's got 343 horses in standard trim But it's price is nearly twice that of an S2000, so let them have the power benefit for that amount of money, it's ok...

 

M Roadster is 3.63 final drive ratio with 333 hp & 262 lb-ft torque. The E46 M3 is 3.23 final drive ratio with the same power specs (same S54 motor). BMW claims the M3 does 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, and says the M Coupe/Roadster does it in 4.9 seconds.......if you can't keep up with a M3, I doubt you're going to keep up with an M roadster/coupe.

I had a S2000 for two years and now I daily drive a 2002 M3 and have an order in on a 2006 M Coupe, but I've only driven the M Roadster. The new M roadster does not feel like it jumps off the line like the M3 does, but it definitely has it on the top end. Compared to the S2000, there is no comparison stock for stock. Any S54 M car is going to walk all over a NA S2000. Even with gears, low torque owns the S2000 off the line. You need forced induction in the S to hang.

 

This would probably be a good question for the Street Encounters forum.

Given that E46M3's with SMG using launch control have been turning in times in the 13.1-13.5 range; and decent stock s2k drivers are running times in the 13.6-14.0 range; and that 4.57s reportedly drop .5 off a 1/4 mile run...I think it could be a fun race.

 

^you're probably right, but I took the question in terms of regular driving. I could care less about straight-line racing (I like watching it though), so it is one of the last things that enters my head.

My post was solely based on my own experiences behind the wheels of those cars. I should have also mentioned that comparing the S2000 to the S54 models is closer when starting from a roll. I'm a big fan of the S2000 and the S54 M's.

This thread is probably better for Car Talk, but I'd like to see some more S2000-ish responses first.

 

Wow! I gotta read magazines more often. A Z4-M thats as fast as an M3. Is this correct? I am geared, SC'd, and two encounters with M3s have had me in front by just a margin. More on one than the other (possibly one of the M3s was modded). Anyhow, I would think the Z4-M would walk the S...

Erick

 

The Z4M isn't the only one to share a motor with the E46 M3. Albeit very rare there were a few Z3M's built with that same motor in the last two years of its production. They may have all been coupe versions (the M Shoe or "Penis Car" as they're called ). I want to say there were only a few hundred built for the US. If you ever see a yellow Z3M Coupe it, more than likely, has the S54 motor.....I'm unsure of its gearing though.

 

^and those S54 Z3's have insane resale values.

 

The Bimmer holds up better