(23-05-2014, 09:46 AM)Midnightclub Wrote:

(23-05-2014, 08:41 AM)C.A.R. Wrote: I don't doubt that they're a quick car with good handling, but they're not a car you can grab 'by the scruff of the neck' and really push your luck in - they're a big car at the end of the day, nothing like what a light-footed hot hatch can do.

Without meaning to sound condescending, have you even driven a properly setup 3 series? Or is that opinion based purely on thought? Genuine question.

(23-05-2014, 09:45 AM)JJ0063 Wrote: Exactly as CAR said, how many blown turbos do you see on N/A cars?

one less thing to go wrong...

(22-05-2014, 08:09 PM)Midnightclub Wrote:

(22-05-2014, 07:58 PM)C.A.R. Wrote: 3 Series isn't really a proper 'drivers' car, it's a quick car yes, but hardly something you can point and shoot down a B-road in anger.

I used to think the exact same thing and was worried of the handling especially coming from a 6, but given how mines setup now I'd completely disagree, it's very very chuck'able for the weight and the nose goes exactly where you point it

(23-05-2014, 11:27 AM)aaronshort Wrote:

(22-05-2014, 08:09 PM)Midnightclub Wrote:

(22-05-2014, 07:58 PM)C.A.R. Wrote: 3 Series isn't really a proper 'drivers' car, it's a quick car yes, but hardly something you can point and shoot down a B-road in anger.

I used to think the exact same thing and was worried of the handling especially coming from a 6, but given how mines setup now I'd completely disagree, it's very very chuck'able for the weight and the nose goes exactly where you point it

Thats after work though, you can make any car handle well with some work!
My e36 is terrible on backroads, mostly due to the steering

(23-05-2014, 09:55 AM)C.A.R. Wrote:

(23-05-2014, 09:46 AM)Midnightclub Wrote:

(23-05-2014, 08:41 AM)C.A.R. Wrote: I don't doubt that they're a quick car with good handling, but they're not a car you can grab 'by the scruff of the neck' and really push your luck in - they're a big car at the end of the day, nothing like what a light-footed hot hatch can do.

Without meaning to sound condescending, have you even driven a properly setup 3 series? Or is that opinion based purely on thought? Genuine question.

It's not concecending at all bud, and no I haven't driven one hard before, it's just years of reading car mags that have formulated my 'unexperienced' opinion, that's what they all seem to allude to.

I'm totally open to you suggesting otherwise since you have first hand experience, I just can't imagine that an e46 is as forgiving as say a FWD hot hatch / coupé down one of our country's fine B-roads*. You can usually take a lot more risks in a FWD car because the grip is easier to predict, all you're ever going to get is understeer when pushing or lift-oversteer where applicable. In a RWD car you can get snap oversteer if something unsettles the car, which is worrying. Not saying that I'm scared of RWD cars, just that most people aren't the driving gods they like to think they are and when the time calls, the talent isn't there to keep out of the scenery...

*ie bumpy as fook

(23-05-2014, 10:05 AM)Midnightclub Wrote: ^^
That's fair enough, I'd agree that over sharp bumps it can be a little skittish but I think that's more down to the low profile tyres on the 18's and how I've got my damping setup currently, I imagine with 17's with a slightly thicker sidewall the handling would improve further but in stock guise it was very planted even over sharp bumps (that was on 14 year old dampers/springs too). The independent suspension also means if you hit a bump with one wheel, the entire car doesn't jump or skip. In stock guise you do 'feel' the weight more due the aforementioned roll but you can pick up a set of eibach for the same price as you could for a 306 (and easy to fit.. no TB's FTW!!) which would sharpen up and reduce the roll to no end and cheaply, but keeping it comfortable.

I was a little 'worried' as to the difference between FWD and RWD especially given a 306 and a '46 are so different but it's just something to get used to, you can use the throttle pedal to help push the back round, but they aren't as tail happy as most people expect and generally will understeer before oversteering as they're setup for grip (not to say you can't get them sideways however..)

I would say (dare i?) that coming on/off the throttle is a lot more stable in a '46 than say a GTi6, but I think a lot of that is down to the weight distribution.. GTi is like nearly 70% front weight? Where as '46 (in fact basically all bimmer) is 50/50.

(23-05-2014, 02:48 PM)Tom Wrote: S14, if one comes up.

(23-05-2014, 03:04 PM)JJ0063 Wrote: I would recommend driving an ep3 before you get your heart set on one, they are different to most cars to drive. Not in a bad way, just different.

(23-05-2014, 03:05 PM)silverzx Wrote:

(23-05-2014, 10:05 AM)Midnightclub Wrote: ^^
That's fair enough, I'd agree that over sharp bumps it can be a little skittish but I think that's more down to the low profile tyres on the 18's and how I've got my damping setup currently, I imagine with 17's with a slightly thicker sidewall the handling would improve further but in stock guise it was very planted even over sharp bumps (that was on 14 year old dampers/springs too). The independent suspension also means if you hit a bump with one wheel, the entire car doesn't jump or skip. In stock guise you do 'feel' the weight more due the aforementioned roll but you can pick up a set of eibach for the same price as you could for a 306 (and easy to fit.. no TB's FTW!!) which would sharpen up and reduce the roll to no end and cheaply, but keeping it comfortable.

I was a little 'worried' as to the difference between FWD and RWD especially given a 306 and a '46 are so different but it's just something to get used to, you can use the throttle pedal to help push the back round, but they aren't as tail happy as most people expect and generally will understeer before oversteering as they're setup for grip (not to say you can't get them sideways however..)

I would say (dare i?) that coming on/off the throttle is a lot more stable in a '46 than say a GTi6, but I think a lot of that is down to the weight distribution.. GTi is like nearly 70% front weight? Where as '46 (in fact basically all bimmer) is 50/50.

"Do you even drift bro!?"

(23-05-2014, 02:48 PM)Tom Wrote: S14, if one comes up.

Do you even read bro!?

(23-05-2014, 03:09 PM)Tom Wrote: On the subject of cars though, look what i just found...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-S3-QUATTRO-1-8T-2002-IN-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-260BHP-/221431871804?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item338e5e393c

That has swayed me alot...

(23-05-2014, 03:59 PM)Seb_Ryan Wrote: Some alfa v6? Gt or something like that?

Edit:

Like this?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=161290877589&globalID=EBAY-GB&alt=web

(23-05-2014, 04:12 PM)Curt Wrote: Another car that I think you should try would be a Celica GT-4, if you can find a decent one in budget. Cracking cars, I will own one.