e36 m3 cab. or coupe....and why

BavBrwlr · #1 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 12:32 PM

advantages vs. disadvantages of a cabriolet....is coupe that much better?

CMT · #2 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 12:43 PM

It is if you care about performance - but the convertible M3 is still one hell of a car. Drive both and see for yourself - while the performance difference may be substantial, nothing beats being able to drop the top and cruise on a nice spring/summer day.

It just comes down to what you want.

bignate · #3 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 02:07 PM

cabrio!!

BavBrwlr · #4 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 02:25 PM

yea im leanin towards the cabrio but i hear that performance is not as good as coupe, like its a second slower 0-60. can that be fixed with a chip, also does handling differ at all. those who have cabrio m3's, how do u feel bout ur ride. do u ever regret not having goten a coupe.....?

DaCePtiKoN · #5 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 02:35 PM

VERT! i love being able to drop the top on a nice night, plus i got the speed and handling,i just upgraded my suspension, racing dynamic sways, springs and strut bars, and bilstien shocks, handles like a dream, i love it, i depated on getting a coupe and getting rid of the cabrio because i want to get into auto-X and tracking my car, so i just bought a nice e30 for that ( new project!) i couldnt have got rid of my car it's too nice to have on them great days! go vert

BavBrwlr · #6 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 02:50 PM

hows the cabrio performance wise, can it be brough to coupe standards with the right mods?ie cai,exhaust, chip...etc

bignate · #7 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 03:14 PM

i seriously doubt the 0-60 is a second slower.. i'm sure it's slower but not by that much. someone please correct me if i'm wrong..

nate

CMT · #8 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bignate
i seriously doubt the 0-60 is a second slower.. i'm sure it's slower but not by that much. someone please correct me if i'm wrong..

nate

Don't doubt it - it's true. Depending on what magazine times you read, it can be well over a second slower 0-60 etc. I have seen times as high as 7.5 to 60 mph, and considerably slower for the automatics. The convertible is a lot heavier, with its curb weight listed at 3491 lbs as opposed to the 3175 lbs for the coupe. But forget about magazine times - before my diff upgrade, with my car at 225 whp/225 tq, I ran into quite a few M3 convertibles around Boston and it was never even a close matchup. Not once. Of course I am sure that since the majority of them were running huge shiny wheels that their owners weren't too performance-minded.

That's a 316 lb difference. No chip/intake/exhaust/pulley combo is going to offset the weight penalty, or the stiffness (which translated to compromised overall handling) lost from removing the roof. Of course you could always go the AA Supercharger route like member ESP did, which then can put your E36 M3 convertible into E46 M3 territory speed-wise.

As stated, it all depends on what you want - And if you want the performance that gave the M3 its name, you want the coupe. If you want top-down motoring in a car that looks great, still performs quite well, and with a lot more air-in-your-face fun, go convertible - it's a win-win proposition!!

bignate · #9 (**permalink**) 06-15-2003, 07:19 PM

hmm.. maybe thats why i don't feel like i'm running //M3 coupe 0-60 times after the //M3 engine swap into my 328ic...

nate

BavBrwlr · #10 (**permalink**) 06-16-2003, 07:45 AM

how is it heavier, its got no roof, what if you add a hardtop, does that do anything other than act as a roof.?

CMT · #11 (**permalink**) 06-16-2003, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BavBrwlr
how is it heavier, its got no roof, what if you add a hardtop, does that do anything other than act as a roof.?

All that extra weight comes from the welded structural reinforcement necessary to keep the cabin from crushing in on itself once the top is cut off. A hardtop only adds even more weight on top of it.

BoomerE30 · #12 (**permalink**) 06-16-2003, 08:21 AM

the convertibles are heavier because they have to be more reinforced because there is no roof.. they have to have thicker doors and windshield area... the roof also works as a strut bar/stabalizer so when you dont have a roof your car is not as stable that means the designers had to put more steel into the frame itself.
the doors are more thicker in the convertible than the coupe if im not mistaken.

please correct me if im wrong.

Renat.

nicot · #13 (**permalink**) 06-16-2003, 09:17 AM

US E36M3 cabs are usually auto's...and heavier... no probs with my euro.. i pull on 3.0L euros and equal with stock Euro 3.2.

though the hardtop which I've got adds alot of rigidity.. u really need a strut brace makes a big difference on cab compared to coupe and sways...

petar7408 · #14 (**permalink**) 06-16-2003, 09:30 AM

i think you'll feel safer in a coupe (when you are taking those insane twisty roads)

personally i would never buy a cab, too much trouble IMO (please dont snap at me !!! )

-leaks
-people cutting a hole in it
-that window in the back has to be changed (meaning the whole top) usually once every 75k-ish miles
-etc.....

but when everything is cool, an open top is PIMP

nicot · #15 (**permalink**) 06-16-2003, 09:44 AM

peta- true..I personally never had a prob...
windows can be cleaned..and replacements are done in 2 hours on a E36...zipper is used... whereas glass is a different story..