Chase and Griffin battle it out in the new M3CS and the GT4RS at Thunderhill raceway to see how the M3 handles the track, and to see who's a better driver!
Imagine a really lightweight (titanium maybe?) exhaust, plus really lightweight wheels wrapped up in 200 tread compound tires (or even something track only) on the M3CS! At half the going price of the GT4RS, there's a lot to love about the BMW. Then, when poor rainy/cold winter weather comes along, slap the stock wheels back on, shod in Michelin PS4 S tires or similar, for the off season. Great package.
If you‘re doing a drag race with an M5 CS, please, if possible, use an M3 CS with Ceramic Brakes. There‘s a significant difference in acceleration between the steel and ceramic brakes due to the (unsprung) weight difference.
I think the better comparison would of been , a G80 M3 Comp vs G80 M3 CS worth the 60k difference on track times , I know I can do lots of work to my G80 on ecu \tires\ suspension to outperform , just saying
The ceramic brakes area a must have on the CS… sad to see this doesn’t have it equipped. 13kg in unsprung weight makes a significant difference in acceleration/handling and the braking performance also improves by a lot, especially on track. And also the tires, I think the Gt4rs was on Cup 2s? But the PZero Corsa aren‘t on the same level, that‘s another big disadvantage for the CS. Disappointing video
I have the M3 comp xdrive and there's a very simple fix for the steering to put it on par with the GT3/GT4: Fall-line's front monoball conversion. It was a night vs day difference and didn't affect the street drivability at all.
This makes perfect sense actually. Great suggestion. Maybe we’ll look into that for the CS too. I have that ball joint replaced on my Giulia as well and it was a solid improvement.
Taking my 3CS out for its maiden track voyage in a few weeks … trying to decide if I just abuse the stock tires and brakes or do an upgraded set of each. I loved NT01 on my F80..
We abused the Pirellis, and it was super fun. They performed well until the last session and then shredded. We have the steel brakes and honestly they were really good. Not sure what you have but I think the steels will last at least a few track days before you would need to upgrade. I wouldn't track the BMW ceramics if you're going to push really hard.
@@carhoneysounds good! Not sure how long I will keep the car but definitely want to do a couple of sessions with it … and hopefully not destroy the brakes/tires completely. I have the steels and have never gotten a car from the factory with brakes that held up on track. The stock camber definitely will help! Thanks for the feedback!
Hey Sam, congrats and thanks! You’re going to love the CS. We had the secondary cats and resonator removed on the exhaust system and that was a cheap way to make it sound much better. Also, we ran through the stock pads in 1.5 track days so upgrading those. Other than that, and maybe a future brake upgrade if we keep tracking it heavily, it really doesn’t need anything suspension wise. It goes like hell and handles amazing. Most of the cosmetic upgrades that the M3 comp owners do have already been done on the CS. Let us know what you think!
I got mine in Walnut Creek for $5k over. I think you can get them second hand for at or just under msrp right now. Very few new ones as there was only like 1000 made for us and about 1 per dealer
late to the party, so don't know if you'll see this one,, but out to buy the M3,, wondering if modding a comp. vs. the cs is worth the effort? And have you tested the new M2 and thoughts on that one for pure fun and feel. thanks and you two make a good team full of real information.
Would definitely go for the CS if you can swing it. Will still be better and have more unique M suspension and handling tuning than a fully modded comp and will hold value significantly better.
Yeah, but its very close and will come down to launch. GT4RS is still 500 HP but 700 lbs lighter and much quicker shifting. Would be fun to see drag races on a prepped surface with them!
Still on stock alignment yes. And for sure the weight and tire consideration is frustrating, especially when you can slam a Porsche all day and not have this issue. We’re switching to cup 2’s for Laguna seca next week and will report on if those hold up any better.
I like the idea folks but I’ll be honest, you’re pretty far off the pace which makes comparisons just hard to make sense of. Both these cars should be running sub 2 minutes on this track.
Yeah no one’s claiming to be an expert driver, but there’s absolutely value in the individual difference between each car/drivers times. These cars are, in stock form, roughly a few seconds different in pace. These are 4 data points, and importantly ones that represent the majority of track day drivers. I agree that the GT4RS is a sub 2 minute car at Thunderhill E Cyclone but I can’t agree that the M3CS is. Maybe if you had a pro driver but that’s not really the viewpoint we’re coming from.
It’s a different type of car. Nothing to do with levels. Don’t forget one is an actual daily car (BMW). And the CS is a real sedan that occupies 5 passengers safely
