Raced a 330I
 

I just raced a 2003 bmw 330I we went from 20 mph to 110mph and then let off. the whole race we were side by side. Does this sound right for a 1999 box tiptronic or should i have beat him? The whole race i just left it in drive i did not manual shift.

Hi,

In a straight line... that's about what I would imagine. Shifting Manually might have given you a slight edge, although the Peak HP on a '99 comes at 6k RPM, so maybe not. But then again, there may be things he could have done to improve his run as well. The Boxster, in any form really, is not a racer despite what some may think...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

He was holding back ;-)

I raced a e46 330i (218bhp or so) with my manual BoxsterS and it was close.

Mark.

My boss has an 2002 Z3 3.0i and we race all the time (I have an 01 Boxster 2.7). He consistently beats the pants off of me in a strait line. Dending on the year of the 330 it's probably the same engine. Factor in that the 330 has more weight than the Z3, and the 99' has less HP than the 01' and that sounds about right.

However, when he borrows my car and comes back he's always pissed off that he didn't get a boxster because of how it handles. ;)

he wasnt holding back because i talked to him after and he told me that it was WOT. and his car only has about 35,000 miles on it. I dont know but it was head to head so it could be that you just didnt shift right. if i was head to head you should have beat him because you have an S and its manual.

He may be quicker in a straightline (not the real measure of a sports car) but over a hot lap he's not even in your class!


Here's my local Autocross clubs' classifications. this is one of the more competitive clubs where some events have the first 6 places in a class seperated by less than .4's over a 60 second course. That's tight.


Class B
Car HP to Weight Ratio

M3 (E46) 333/3415=0.098
v.
Boxter S (up to '04 include) 250/3145=0.079
Boxter '05 240/2850=0.084
997 325/3200=0.102
996 320/3200=0.100
911 Carrera Coupe'02 320/2965=0.107


Class C
Boxster (’02 and older) 217/2779=0.078
928 S4 320/3505=0.091
vs.
M5(E39) 394/4024=0.098
M3 Lightweight (E36) '95 240/2700=0.088
545i (E60)'04 325/3415=0.095
645Ci (E63), 645Conv (E64) '04,'05 325/3300=0.098


Class D
330i (E90) '06 255/3190=0.080
330i PP (Performance Pack) E46 235/3190=0.074

Class E
330Xi (E46) 225/3483=0.064
330Ci, (E46) 225/3285=0.068

Im suprised....Ive gone up against a Z4 3.0 and didnt have a problem with it. It was close to about 50mph then i started to pull...

What type of transmissions are you guys using?

We both have 5 speed manuals. His is 225HP, I believe, and mine is 217HP. Truth be told, "beats the pants off of me" is a bit of an exageration, but he does consistenty get about half a car lenth ahead of me when we go 0-70. I've driven both cars many times and his does have some very peppy low end torque that the 01' Boxster doesn't have. And although it is NOT an M series Z3 (which has a 3.2 liter 333HP tear your head off engine), I do wonder if it was some sort of 'special edition' with maybe an extra 15HP or something for a couple of reasons:

1. It has an M logo on the steering wheel and on the shifter.
2. It was the last production year for the Z3 and I wonder if they spiced it up a bit to keep them selling when people knew the Z4 was around the corner.
3. I've also driven a few 3.0i Z4's and they were not as fast off of a straitline as his 02' Z3.

Either way, they are both great cars.

Hi,

No Offense, but when two Cars are That evenly matched, it often comes down to the Drivers. In '04 Shuey wasn't just driving the Fastest Car :). Someone is getting just a little more from their machine. Your Car's HP peaks at 6k RPM, if you are shifting Early or Late, you're giving something up to him. Either that, or he has a little Tweak which he's just forgotten to mention ;) ...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

I thought the same thing, until we switched cars and had the exact same results. I can get about half a car length ahead of him if I'm driving the Z3. If you drive a Z3 3.0, a Z4 3.0, and a 01' Boxster you will feel a very small, but noticeable, difference and the Z3 will feel a slight quicker than the others. At least that has been my expierience with my car, his car, and a few test driven Z4's.

I have to agree that it depends on the driver. When they post 0-60 results, it's on the average time of a good driver. One slip of the clutch could be 1/2 second already. Drag racing on the street is not the best use for the potential of the car. You should go the track and/or autocross. The boxster should do very well, especially on autocross.

He does have 214lbs of torque at 3500rpms....That may be it...I'm gonna try and find a Z3 this weekend to play around with...

Hi,

Actually, when a Manufacturer does Testing for Publishable Stats, they optimize everything in their Favor. A friend works with Lambo's US Advertising Agency and was present when Lambo did the Testing for the Mucielago.

They had the Car at Monza for a week. Removed all interior panels, the Passenger seat and sideview Mirrors, ran an upgraded ECU and Intake/Exhaust on Race Rubber with no more than 8 Ltrs. of fuel.

Giancarlo Fisichella, the former Bennetton F1 Driver performed the Tests. They ran in the Morning - when Air Resistance was highest, but Track Temps were lowest and in the afternoon when the opposite conditions existed until they got the best numbers they could find, which then went on to be published. BTW, they blew 3 motors in the process! The same is true of Aerodynamics Testing, all exterior appendages are removed (Side Mirrors, Rain Gutters, Antenae, Flaps, etc.) and the Car is lowered before the Wind Tunnel Testing begins.

You have to remember, it takes $$$$ to bring a new design to Market. The Manufacturers need to get figures which at worst compete, or at best exceed those of their competitors. You can't Market a DUD.

All the figures published in all the Car Mags are optimized (ever notice how the Mag Staff rarely approaches these numbers?) and you won't ever achieve them with a Stock - Off-the-Lot Car no matter how Good you are...

Happy Motoring... Jim'99

by the way,
Racing on the street is part of the reason why sportscar insurance is so expensive!!
Tell your BMW guy to join the PCA and you can settle it on the Autocross.

> you should have beat him because you have an S and its manual.

LOL. I should have beat him because I own a Porsche and he doesn't ;-)

Mark.

Texas must have lots a long staright roads. At least that's how I picture it. Perfect for street rods. But I think Perfectlap is right. The Porsche has a better chance on the track. For street racing you want some American iron. There are some metric cars that are quick but for the street you have to go with cubic inches.

Anyone else notice the return of the muscle car? What a difference 30 years makes.

Tell me about it. Out of 40 cars at my jobs parking lot...there are 6 mustangs. My Boxster and this babe's Mercedes CLK 320 are the only German cars there. There were 8 mustangs at its peak.

We are entering a Golden Age of motorworks. The power output of even the 4 cyl. machines is amazing and the aftermarket is thriving. The manufacturers are producing increasingly more powerful engines and retro styling is emerging as a dominant theme. Back in '87 my Mustang GT's 302 was rated at 225hp. How many family sedans top that now? Diversity is good for us.

Sooner or later we'll be next to one of these muscle cars at a light and I guarantee they will launch hard. Yesterday I even had a kid in a Crown Vic jump the light. I could care less and won't take the bait. I've noticed that guys who spent a lot of money on their BMW's, Saabs and Audi's drive a lot more aggressive when I'm in the Porsche vs. my SUV. But the point is that Porsche is one of the standards they will use to benchmark their ride. IMO

That may be true of some companies but Porsche's numbers always seem to be on the conservative side. It seems that most car rags get times that are a couple of tenths quicker than the official numbers from Porsche.