What you think of the Z4 M?

[Rail26]

It is still a BMW and it is still a Z4 chassis no matter what kind of engine they put in it.

By my calculations BMW + Z4 + M(badge) < My Box therefore: My Box = Wow!

I drove the Z3 and the M3 and did not like either one. I can't explain the way the Box feels, but damn man, it just feels better! You know? The difference between the P cars and the BMW/MB line is that we built our cars around the engines and suspension, we don't need to constantly shoe horn bigger and bigger engines into the cars. The other day I was smoked by a Mustang Cobra in about a 1.4 mile before a hairpin turn...However, I hit that turn without letting up the gas, flew by him and kept toolin' on down the road. He almost slid off the road.

[Brucelee]

No question that the Box handling is superior to a z3. Seems this also pertains to an M Roadster but I have never owned one so I can't say.

[tmc]

Rail26,

A Z3 was based on the E36 frame and is a completely different car at every level than a Z4, which is in turn not the same as a Z4 M Roadster. Driving a Z3 or a Z3M (Z3 M roadster) tells you nothing about the Z4 nor the Z4 M Roadster any more than driving, for example, a 993 would tell you how a 997 handles.

I drove both the Z4 and the 987S when I was in the market. The Z4 is a very capable car. It handles in some ways better than a 987S, notably better in the body rigidity category. Its steering is numb, and the run flats make going over rough road an uncontrolled experience. The new Z4 M fixes the steering. It still has run flats, so I am curious to find out if they have compensated in the suspension somehow. And it has one thing the Boxster S does not have: limited-slip differential. In my opinion, a real track car should have LSD, and I was surprised (and it gave me great pause) to discover the 987 does not even offer it.

I believe BMW can produce fine automobiles and so can Porsche. BMW's forte is more sport sedans than roadsters. But I do think Porsche will have to react to the Z4 M Roadster. My guess is they will drop the 3.4L version of the M96 engine into the Boxster S (i.e., the same engine as what's in the Cayman S). I hope Porsche considers adding LSD as an option. If they do those two things, I will trade my current 05 987S for this (hypothetical) new car in an flash (modulo major cash loss for depreciation).

tmc

[ljd-924se]

Originally Posted by tmc

Rail26,

. . . In my opinion, a real track car should have LSD, and I was surprised (and it gave me great pause) to discover the 987 does not even offer it . . . I hope Porsche considers adding LSD as an option . . .

tmc

I share the same sentiment. However, I don't expect to see a factory LSD available for the boxster/cayman any time soon. Thanks to the weight distribution of the mid-engine layout, slipping the inside rear tire does not occur nearly often enough to warrant an LSD. . . at least that's what porsche seems to think. Whereas, the front-engine Z4M has much less mass holding the rear tires to the ground, and a good deal more power.

If you are willing to spend, quaiffe and guards both have LSD options available for boxsters. Quaiffe specializes in 'torsen' type LSD's that transfer power according to torque , and Guards specializes in 'clutch' type LSD's that transfer power according to relative wheel speed.

The following quote is from a thread on renntech.org by the owner of a boxster with the 'torquey-er' 3.4L 996 engine. . .
Limited Slip Differential, Performance Improvement

"Last Sunday we drove the car for the first time with the LSD and what a ride!
It was the last PCA-LPR autoX of the season with 47 drivers with around 35 cars. The results have not been posted yet but we may have run 2nd and 3rd over all with a ultra light full race 914 in first place. I can tell you there were some 911's working very hard to beat the Monster Boxster. But the real credit goes to the Quaife torque biasing differential, we accelerated faster and corner much faster.

You can view Quaife's web site:
http://www.quaifeamerica.com/

Three parts were purchased from Patrick Motorsports in Phoenix: 1. Quaife Torque Biasing Differential, 2. Side Cover, 3. Bearing. Total with shipping $1,827.51.

This is the best single mod that I have done in terms of performance improvement."

[insite]

the M Roadster and, to a lesser degree, the Z4, seem to have too short a wheelbase for the weight bias. they seem very twitchy to me and not nearly as confidence inspiring as a boxster. in the M Roadster, i could never shake the feeling that if i lifted off the throttle in a fast turn near the limit, it would spin in a heartbeat. the turn-in was attrociously sharp. some people may like that; i hate it.

i find the boxster, even with a similarly short wheelbase, to be so much more refined both in terms of communication and in balance. it's mid-engine layout eliminates the horrific (IMO) biased short polar moments designed into the Z's.

to me, driving is about the zigs and the zags. the boxster hangs with the best of them. at the limit, i always felt like the z's could ZIG great, but was never confident in their ability to quickly and predictably ZAG back the other way. they just don't feel right to me.

Was racing against one three weeks ago on our national track
was very fast but still look bug ugly!
also M3 on track at same time, seems amazing but probably due to the fact that the driver was very good, saw the same car last weekend on wet track, was a very different story!
test drove the new M5 and this is amazing!push that booster button and waoh! it goes, but too complicated like an over programmed dishwasher, 3 set of suspension and five set of power for each setup. too much hassle!
BMWs are not bad but compare to a real racer like a 911 or a well sorted Boxster forget it.

[Rail26]

TMC...you are wrong, I am right. No take-backs and infintity plus one.

[roman]

BMWs are not bad but compare to a real racer like a 911 or a well sorted Boxster forget it.

Such a narrow, or inexperienced mind . . .