Friday, September 9, 2016

Video: Supercharged Comparison Pits the BMW E39 M5 versus E46 M3

2

Out of the recent history of BMW, two models rise above all as possible future legends: the BMW E39 M5 and the BMW E46 M3. These two seem to have the best mix of technology and old school adrenaline infusing characteristics, making them a crowd favorite. However, they also have downsides and they usually become apparent when you take into consideration the incredible performance newer cars bring to the table.

That’s because a lot of people are complaining that the old M cars are lacking power or torque. If we were back in the year 2000 these complaints wouldn’t have existed but since we’re in 2016 and everything’s turbocharged, so we can understand where they’re coming from. Fortunately, solutions exist and if 400 or 343 HP aren’t enough, you can easily get supercharger kits for your cars.

2

The guys from Vehicle Virgins recently took two such modified Bimmers out for a stroll to see which is better. And while comparing the M5 to an M3 doesn’t really make sense due to a large amount of reasons, they still went ahead and did it. Therefore, they’re comparing a mid-size sedan with a V8 to a sport coupe with a straight-six engine. The only common thing between the two being the badges and the fact that they are supercharged.

What most interesting about these two is that their supercharging kits are quite different and the power levels quite similar, despite the obvious displacement difference between the S62 and S54 engines. The M5 with the ESS VT-560 supercharging kit should make about 550 HP at the crank with 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque to go along with it. On the other hand, the VF570 kit for the E46 M3 should give you about 570 HP at the crank and some 515 Nm (380 lb-ft) of torque. The lower torque figure is, of course, due to the difference in displacement.

Even so, since the M3 is considerably lighter than its brother, it’s only natural that it’s also faster since it has more power as well. But is power all that matters? Let’s see what Vehicle Virgins have to say about the two.

The article Video: Supercharged Comparison Pits the BMW E39 M5 versus E46 M3 appeared first on BMW BLOG



from BMW BLOG http://ift.tt/2cchvb9

No comments:

Post a Comment