2009 BMW M3: Rubber in Second. And Third.

what would be the point of the M3 unless it was driven like that at some point in its life though? might as well buy a 328i if you weren't gonna drive like that...

Exactly. Anyone buying a used performance car, especially one like the M3, should expect or assume that it has been driven hard at some point. Otherwise, what is the point of having such a car?

Were you shifting at red line?

The only time you're gonna find a car of the M3's caliber not driven like that is if you find an old man selling his few-year-old Corvette that has a couple thousand miles on it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Black-on-Black-Beauty-with-Low-Mileage_W0QQitemZ120466451400QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item1c0c5c2bc8&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

Like that ^

I approve of this influx of E90 M3 posts. Do continue.

Awesome - Now can we see a similar video of the SX4? Haha

You were kinda forcing the thing out of first gear...

um....is it supposed to sound like that? the shifts sounded like a horse buggy over cobblestone roads

Yikes! That 1-2 shift sounded crummy, like you broke something. What is that shuddering sound that makes the camera vibrate?

^^ um, that would be the tires breaking loose and fighting for traction. Hence the title of this blog entry

Hmmm...I'm sure the car sounds a lot better live inside the cockpit than what I'm hearing through my headphones......but from what I do hear...it's not very impressive.

@stoppre75 - That's how I bought my Vette, from a mid 50 year old guy that babied it. It is no longer babied. I drive it like it's meant to be and it now has 44k on it. ;-)

the sounds in the video were underwhelming. Too refined and quiet for its own good.

That's why it's nice to have AWD hooked up to that kind of power :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEsSwxw1DWU

...And a transmission that can handle a 1-2 shift without the accompanying sound of grinding syncros, a common problem on the manual M3s, unfortunately.

Clutches for manuals don't cost that much...that said, who wants a stinking manual in a performance car? Give me the stick anyday...

That looked more than a little painful for that poor gearbox..

Need moar!

So bueno.

ptc - what?

But wait, the M3 doesn't have any torque, and it takes torque to do that! I'm confused.

To those that think this is harsh or abusive, you really have no concept of what all cars go through during routine instrumented testing. It's far more severe than the video here.

"Clutches for manuals don't cost that much...that said, who wants a stinking manual in a performance car? Give me the stick anyday..."

That's awesome. Quote of the week?

And to echo what J. Kavanagh said, that was neither harsh nor abusive. Those were clean, fast shifts done at wide open throttle.

Sorry - I don't get it. I didn't hear the tires. Had a 1966 442 convertible that could get rubber threw all 4 gears. 411 rear was the trick and came stock. Every now and then a car that can - should. Just don't overdue it. Clutch and pressure plate along w/ install time gets very expensive. Can also do the same (chirp the tires/get rubber/whatever it's called now a days)when downshifting. Up the revs before before releasing your clutch. Very cool, but I believe a good posi is needed for control and durability. Warning: Don't try this in traffic ;-)

Didn't hear any rubber, but I'm sure it did something. I think my B7 S4 sounds better, though. :D

PTC was confused....especially on the "who wants a manual" comment.. should have said "automatic"

I don't understand why this is impressive.

First, the engine sounded great to me considering the overall poor quality of the video.

Second - My 2006 Civic SI can break the tires loose on the 2nd and 3rd gear shift if I try (and i'm not talking flat-footing, powershifting, or even popping the clutch)

Many others can do that too....why is that impressive in a car with twice the displacement/power?

Now if you said you could break traction in 4th gear at 70mph in a straight line, that I'd be damn impressed with :)

I weep for that poor transmission. Forcing it out of first gear there. It hurts! It really hurts!

Ive been in a "modified" 2006 Mitsu Evo MR that could break all 4 tires loose at highway speeds. That car was well beyond insane.

In regards to the M3, people are nagging about the transmission. Given the M3 is a high performance machine, I'm fairly sure it can withstand this treatment as it didn't seem violent at all to me.

Agree with the intent of the post, but the video doesn't do the engine justice. In real life, it sounds so much more mean, so much more intoxicating.

Great post though. Put a big smile on my face and got my heart racing a bit faster. :)

For what it's worth, that shift to third is breaking it loose at about 70mph, if that's full throttle. Not bad for less torque than a mustang.

"But wait, the M3 doesn't have any torque, and it takes torque to do that! I'm confused."

This car has torque, just not a lot for a V8. It has a lot for a V6 though- too bad its not a V6.

Engine sounds were OK but I didnt hear any exhaust note from the inside. That was not exciting at all from a sound standpoint. Very lame for a high performance v8.

"very lame"?" Didn't realize a sub-5 0-60 was "very lame" these days.

And though it doesn't have a lot of torque, this car certainly has enough to get you around town easily at low speeds and, combined with the free and high-revving engine, more than enough to put a permanent grin on your face when you're really thrashing it.

not acceleration, the sound. it is lame. I've watched videos of the car in action on this site and others. Its OK, but cannot match the soundtrack of larger V8s from the Americans or MB. The 6.3L MB engine makes glorious V8 appropriate noises in EVERY application. The C63 sounds much more manly than this car.

c63 is only available in automatic, therefore it loses

not to me. Most high performance sedans are available in automatic only. CTS and M3 are two exceptions.

"Second - My 2006 Civic SI can break the tires loose on the 2nd and 3rd gear shift if I try (and i'm not talking flat-footing, powershifting, or even popping the clutch)"

Yeah, and your Civic is FWD. Big difference. If your Civic was RWD, it wouldn't break the tires loose at all in 2nd. Weight transfer is the reason of course (rear tires loaded, front tires unloaded, on full throttle acceleration).

Your Civic also has drive tires that are what, half the width of the M3's?

Come on Joe, you know better than that.

"By 1487 10:09 AM

not to me. Most high performance sedans are available in automatic only. CTS and M3 are two exceptions."

...And the RS4, and B8 S4, and 535i, 550i, and so on. You're pretty much pointing to Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Zzzz.

By the way, the "6.3L" engine in the C63 is actually a 6.2. Marketing guys got to it though, and decided that C63 has a better ring to it. Awesome exhaust sound, yeah, but it's not nearly as advanced as the bimmer V8. Talk about inefficient combustion because of the huge displacement.

And here's another video that shows off the BMW a little better (from outside the car) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srD0G7n9q4A&feature=channel
He does a standing start at 1:46 where you can hear burning rubber on the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts.

And if you're really interested in crazy power, check out the horsepowerfreaks stage 4 turbo kit for the e46. Eurotuner quoted 900+ whp, and said that you can break traction with a 4-5 shift near redline. Damn!