M3 won in literally the first turn. The Porsche got off quicker and had the lead through until he missed the apex and the M3 just nailed the rest of the course.
Just sold an e46 M3 I had for 2 and a half years and did 42k mikes in I loved that car. Had a 996 Carrera for 3 weeks now and my wife is surprised I’ve finally got a car that is comparable to the M3 and if I’m being honest it’s a bit more exciting to drive just
Because Porsches are extremely overrated cars. My e46 M3 can do everything it does better while carrying two 6 footers in the back seat. Porsches are also overly functional and boring to drive.
Only reason it won here was that the 911 was being driven by an incompetent oaf with lumps of lead yoked to his legs where most people have feet with nerves. E46 is good, but 996 is better.
Great video! As a point of comparison, I run consistent mid 2:03’s in my 140 whp Miata on Toyo RR’s. On a cooler day both of these cars should do sub-2:00 easily. Keep these coming!
Very cool video, I only think the side by side was a bit too hectic with needing to go crosseyed for seeing the matching perspectives at the same time and moving the bonnet cam left to right all the time.
great video, they should've panned between Porsche sounds and bmw sounds so they wouldn't play at the same time and we could hear each engine individually. That m3 sounds so good
996 driver might not be used to 911s on track, and if he stripped out a bunch of the interior weight, the rear weight bias is going to be even more pronounced. Switching drivers probably wouldn't help. Geoff might not have much experience with 911s either. Not to mention, the suspension on the M3 is very sophisticated, and definitely better than the stock 996 GT3 coilovers. Additionally, I'd bet the M3 has significantly wider front tires. Those look like 265s from the poke, and the 996 probably has like 235s up front. You can see it in how much tighter the M3 is able to take corners.
I have had my E46 M3 up at Sebring race track in Central Florida. It is true, the E46 M3 can be quite competitive to Porches and Corvettes of the same era. I had Brembos and racing brake pads which helped a LOT. My car only puts around 300 HP to the rear wheel. Not very much. But it goes pretty darn fast. LOTS of fun! I passed most 911's and vettes on the track in 2010 when I was there last. I thought both drivers were quite good. Very fun video footage. I enjoyed this video very much.
Not that I know much about racing, but it seems to me the 996 should have taken this but the M3 driver looked like he was hitting all his lines and was extremely fluid about it - I assume that's a testament to his skill and experience. Definitely shows why the E46 M3 is so highly praised though. These 2 cars and the original NSX are my dream cars if I was going to drop some cash on a toy. Fast, but not crazy, available with manual transmission, not crazy expensive, not crazy to maintain as long as you do preventative maintenance. Overall nice video to see.
NT01s are great I've just bought a set 305 square on my roushcharged 15 mustang, they are night and day from the G2s I had on it even on TE37s, great super sticky tire that doesn't fall off quickly amazing tires.. on rails
I’ve tracked my SMG Vert M3 at PIR (Portland) because you can, there, and it is a blast with the top down and a lady riding along with you on track days lol 👍
Both cars are done up very nicely. As a Porsche and BMW owner I have to say the Porsche sounds so much better than the E46. Looks like it was a fun day at the track.
It amazes me how people are asking how the Porsche lost, really ? Obviously they have never driven an E46 M3. Here we have a modded engine Porsche to a standard E46 M3 motor and it still lost. They are pretty even and it would depend on a few factors ie like temperature etc, but why are people so surprised. My M3 can blow off a standard 996 Carrera. The E46 M3 is a legend for a reason- simple!
I’ve had both this year and would be surprised to see the M3 beat the 996. The E46 M3 is amazing possibly the best car I’d owned till I bought the 996 I’m a Porsche convert now
SMG is perfect for bumper to bumper. I throw in in auto until the traffic clears. Works awesome in crowded South Florida traffic. 2005 E46 M3. My SMG works great still. No problems except change out one salmon relay a month ago. Still flawless.
@@2702simmo Serviced the 12v pump motor at 80k miles. Filthy with brush debris and carbon. Needed a cleaning ONLY. No parts needed. Critical to replace dual mass flywheel with EVERY clutch plate renewal!
@@beggottenson1869 I just did about 4k miles ago. I need to inspect it. I know my dual mass flywheel springs are about shot. I have to shift very carefully so as to not stress any components. Replacing the flywheel is a YUUUGE job!
I got one a few weeks back to replace an e93 M3 I had a few weeks that struggled to replace an e46 M3 I had. I love the 996 and can’t believe I waited this long to get a 911. The handling is amazing and it feels more sporty than the M3 that I dodo loved
you can see the 996 is faster on the straights but when it comes to the corners I am surprised that the e46 actually got thru them quicker... the porsche had more power and is lighter, they used almost identical lines except for 1 turn. Guess that moton suspension is doing some good magic, they should coz those things aint cheap.
@@ayowser01 I've seen quite some people installing their rotors that way and I think it's for looks tbh. Cuz that way round they don't catch the air like they are supposed to. But ey... their car, their brakes^^
You realize that is not necessarily true. Air flow on rotors is from the center of the rotor out discharging to the inside of the wheel, not from the outside in. The vanes when curved BACKWARDS in relation to rotation in essence make the rotor an air pump, where it sucks air from the center pushes air to the outside. So if you go by the holes (Which not always match vane direction) his rotors are installed correctly
Better aero and suspension. The E46 is set up well, the 996 isn't. The 996 has much less downforce on the front and rear. The spoiler on the E46 sticks above the roof which adds significantly more downforce matching the front spoiler and weight in the front. Really tests of performance aren't tested in straight lines only.
911 lost on the last turn early apex. The bmw late apex and was able to get on the gas earlier. But looks like the 911 look way more stable out of corners. And was ahead early in the lap.
Takes 30 mins to an hour to change e46 alternator. Will save 200+ in labor. Also was probably the power steering resevoir bubbling over and dripping onto the alternator due to the heat or a bad pulley bearing. Nice vid, but could have done without both exhaust notes at the same time :P.
Porsche: "There is absolutely nothing I fear. No company. No car. I am the most supreme car manufacturer." Also Porsche: "But that one Car... the BMW M3 GTR... It scares me." Who remembers the legandary M3 GTR in ALMS 2001?
Not to point out the obvious, but, around the 1:50 mark during their run, the porsche took that last big s-turn too early. That caused him to go wide and miss the apex. He would've won if his entry was better. His acceleration was slightly better than the M3. However, the M3 did have a better drive line. Good job to the BMW M3 driver.
E46 has much more downforce causing it to stick better. Everytime he got ahead was at the corners. Everyone thinks power to weight is oh so important. It's nothing next to aero and suspension. The E46 is also more planted with tighter suspension.
I would appreciation if you don't fling those POV comparison up down left right, keep those POVs on the same side, and switch around with the outside shots on the other side.
These comments are so outrageous. The better set up car won. He drove his car better because it allowed him to drive it better. If they swapped cars, the result would've likely been the same. The Porsche tried to have the same line but couldn't. He made up his time on the straights with less drag and more power.
The sticker headlights cost him the race I think...please just make them black or something...lol. BMW got it done...nice car, balanced car, looks good....the end.
It’s actually a well known secret that bmw engineers kinda knew the alternators on m3s did not like the consistency of 8k revolutions But it’s not really a catastrophic issue so fuck it 🤷♂️
Porsche: 400hp in a 2500lbs car BMW: 333hp in a 3300lbs car BMW gets a better lap time... somethings not adding up. In reality I think the BMW had a better driver. But I also wonder how the temperature affects the cars differently. Maybe the BMW can handle the high ambient temps better? I find it sad that the Porsche has no headlights, no interior, and an upgraded motor but still matches a stock m3.
That porsche may have him in the straights with that horsepower, but he needs to work on his cornering. Entries are too slow. That's a porsche man! Those will handle corners like mad, you gotta throw it hard at those apexs
