Quote:
Originally Posted by highrevs
I’ll try to add a perspective I haven’t seen in the thread. I currently have an ESS supercharged E90 M3 (6MT, roughly 635 bhp) and I’ve also owned “high torque” GM cars (notably a moderately modified C6 Z06). My opinion is almost purely based on physics (can’t comment on the woman). When we discuss supercharged E9X M3s, the centrifugal vs. Harrop debate often comes up. You’ll often see negatives about centrifugal setups but frankly there is one positive - the lower torque significantly benefits traction. You just don’t need to feather the throttle like you do in a HO or SC LS engine car. You nail it and it goes, like the S65 and chassis were made for it. If you look at our fast list, based on the quickest 60-130 mph time for an ESS 6MT E9X M3, the math works out to a quarter mile time of about 11.0 s at 130 mph. For comparison, the latest C&D long term test of the CT5V BW (and they beat the shit out of loaners) put it at 11.7 s at 124 mph. Different cars, different drivers, different conditions. But I’m willing to bet the CT5V BW’s weight and traction issues played a significant role. My old Z06 on PS4S tires used to scare the shit out of me in temperatures lower than 50 deg. My M3 on the same tires is very composed in the same conditions, similarly worthless in poor conditions, but no fear of going sideways into the woods at 80 mph.
So all that being said, you will never get back what you put into the M3. I’m probably up to a total of about $110k (yeah insane) but I went all out and even replaced all valve springs for added reliability. If I sold it tomorrow I’d be lucky to get $50k. The Cadillac may depreciate but I’d doubt it would depreciate 55% in 1-2 years. Food for thought. Both cars offer incredible fun!
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Appreciate the perspective. I’m not terribly concerned about 1/4 mile times and/or acceleration. At anything above 500rwhp, traction is an issue unless you have weight in the rear (ala 911), or AWD. I’ve been around a lot of big HP cars in my younger days, and straight line speed gets old real fast. Once you’ve had your face torn off in a 2JZ running over 2bar of boost and nitrous, everything else starts to pale in comparison. The BW is really just the Goldilocks compromise car … does everything really well, doesn’t suck at anything (well, gas mileage). But it’s gawdawfully expensive for a GM spec interior/paint/fit & finish.
I’m putting in the 10k in parts to the E90 to get it up to spec for a while. I fell into the stroker rabbit hole for a couple days, and I’ve convinced myself that it’s 40-50k well spent … but if I’m being honest, hopefully the BW’s will depreciate down into the 70-80k range in a couple years, and I’ll just pick one up and keep the E90 for fun.