2011 M3 or z4 sdrive33is

[Incipio]

Hi Guys,

Hope to get some inputs from you guys, Right now I drive a e93 335i. I am thinking of changing the car. I had a E85 Z4 but I had never driven a M3. If you had the choice would you go for the Z or the M3 ?

Thanks

[bmw-nj]

There very different cars. If you plan to daily drive the car then I would go for the M3. If this is a weekend car I would lean towards the z4. Either way opt for the manual transmission. I had a 335 mt and bought a z4 35I dct and it's definitely faster but I miss driving a manual transmission. I get bored driving dct and always want to just mash the throttle.

[jparnes1]

I use my Z as a daily driver (in better weather). IMO, these are 2 very different cars. An M3 isn't just more powerful. The suspension, transmission, etc. are of an M caliber. Which would you rather drive, a sedan or roadster? For me, there's nothing like driving a roadster when the weather's nice. I've driven M cars and they are fantastic, but I'd never own one. I think they're more car than I'd ever need for the kind of driving I do and they're quite expensive to own and maintain over the life of the car. If you're leasing, I guess that's another matter. And you'll get a lot more looks in a Z4!

[ZheHbKa]

z4 is a gorgeous car, its fast, facelift coming soon
m3 handles much better and sounds of the V8 but it will be changed in about a year

[Constant.S]

As stated above the Z4 will keep its value more since the new 6-cylinder tri-turbo M3 coming out soon. Plus the Z4 is a much sexier car

[rfx45]

Originally Posted by ZheHbKa

facelift coming soon

Any confirmation on this?

[az34]

so much difference between those two cars. Get them both "if you can"

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

All depends on your needs my friend both are super cars. I can attest to this since I owned the following cars ... e46 M3, e85 Z4 30is, e89 Z4 35i, e92 M3 2011 (for a short while) now e92 M3 2012.

Drive them both then decide, make sure you keep your needs in mind (daily use, need for luggage etc).

Good Luck

[bmw-nj]

Drop the super car comment. But the luggage comment is good. There is extremely little trunk space and even less with the top down.

[Baremeg55]

Originally Posted by bmw-nj

Drop the super car comment. But the luggage comment is good. There is extremely little trunk space and even less with the top down.

I think he was simply saying they were "super" cars as in "both are great rides"..........

[Incipio]

Hi Guys, Thank you so much for all your help and comments, I decided to go with the Z4 35s. I know my self The drooling over the new M3 will start in a year or so from all the speculation, at that time it'll hit me I am driving an old car... And I'll lose a lot of cash trying to unload it. And I wasn't getting a great deal to begin with for the M so it made more sense to go with Z4. Again Thank u.

[baldguyj]

Originally Posted by Vert335i

Hi Guys, Thank you so much for all your help and comments, I decided to go with the Z4 35s. I know my self The drooling over the new M3 will start in a year or so from all the speculation, at that time it'll hit me I am driving an old car... And I'll lose a lot of cash trying to unload it. And I wasn't getting a great deal to begin with for the M so it made more sense to go with Z4. Again Thank u.

With a Dinan tune or ESS if want to chance the warranty you can get almost the same power, add some suspension and wham a Z4 with M performance at a bit less price. Good choice!

[Incipio]

Originally Posted by baldguyj

With a Dinan tune or ESS if want to chance the warranty you can get almost the same power, add some suspension and wham a Z4 with M performance at a bit less price. Good choice!

How abt JB4? sorry I am new to mod'ing .

[entrepreneur177]

Originally Posted by Vert335i

How abt JB4? sorry I am new to mod'ing .

Hey, nice choice!

Why don't you buy z4 35i and save on "s" and get JB4 + exhaust + intake (and still save some cash) You will get better performance than z4 35is for a better price.

For chip tunning there's no difference if you have "i" or "is" it gives you equal output. And I would choose JB4 over any other mod.

[SANguru]

have both. Very different cars. The M3 handles better, the z4 35is feels faster around town with the torque in a smaller package.

[flpnout]

That's a tough choice. I have both and like them equally!
M3 daily + Z4 weekends = a dose of "joy" a day.

[ZheHbKa]

Originally Posted by rfx45

Any confirmation on this?

no but knowing bmw's 3 year facelift cycle its an accurate estimate

[SCBMW02]

My 2 cents. I sold my e92 M3 and got the Z4 35is because I wanted another roadster (had a 2000 M Roadster). As others have said, very different cars. For me, the Z4 is more fun because it is quicker in real world driving with the much higher torque. Certainly does not have the M handling or braking, but still plenty of grip and a blast to drive. Plus the car is just a great looking car. At this point with the next M3 around the corner, I would not buy the e92

[baldguyj]

Originally Posted by Vert335i

How abt JB4? sorry I am new to mod'ing .

In my view the Tuning Mod in a nutshell:
1. JB-4 Requires going under hood and doing some cuts to the wiring harness and rewire the inputs to the computer. There are a lot of videos on youtube that show you how and from all the reviews in these forums it works great. Worries, when you take it into the shop for service, you have to rewire it back and make sure you don’t leave a trail of your work because if there are problems they will not honor the warranty. Several forums talk about this, the best one I read came from a Ford Forum and with a checklist of how the dealer will look for Mods.
2. ESS is nice and clean, no cutting of wires but requires you to “reprogram” your computer and there are no guaranties that it will not be caught by dealer (one forum stated that BMW now can see computer Mods) and same issues as above on warranty.
3. Dinan is basically the same as ESS but your warranty is covered by them. Issues are they cost more, for about the same performance 4 – 7 Hundred more.
In reading the forums for the past year they all seem to give you anywhere from 70 – 114 ft/lbs more torque depending on stage 1, 2 or 3 and HP goes up with that depending what RPM… (that’s another issue to chat about) Dinan is the most expensive and requires you to upgrade oil cooler and get inner cooler for stage 3, together a 6k cost. But for me I’m going stage 2 at $1700 just for the peace of mind, if I go that much higher will need to add more suspension when at the track. I’m and Electrical Engineer that deals with testing and I figure BMW programs their cars to handle the power provided with minimal chance of failure in their engines. When you boost power there is a greater chance of failure and I would rather have a full proof method to correct it than dealing with arguing with the repair cost.
These numbers were off the top of my head so I’m sure others will correct me with exact figures, but I think I’m close enough to give you the ball park explanation.

[Vintage]

BMW can see any tune, just not "directly" if done right. Good ole BMW now looks at your turbo output/revs, and if the boost is modded it will show on their computer - I promise. The question is whether your particular dealer will care - some do tote the BMWNA line on no warranty and some do not. Know which one you have before you take your tuned car in for warranty work that could possibly be related. In addition, even if you remove the tune, with ESS for example, BMW will still see the turbo history.

[Incipio]

Hey Guys,

So I made my choice and it's finalized..

I ended up getting a brand new 2011 Sdrive35i Alpine White with Walnut Kansas Interior.
I wanted to get a 2012 but the dealer gave me an amazing deal on the 2011. If there was a face lift involved I would have held out for a 2012 but since there wasn't any I decided to go with the 2011.

When I walked into the dealer I was still on the fence about losing out on the rear seats (currently i drive a 335i convertible). But When I saw her it wasn't even a question did the paper work and it was done. Picking her up on Friday!

Again thank you for all your inputs and help, it made my choice pretty easy.

I did few searches but couldn't find any definite answers . Maybe you guys can help me out.

1- I would like to change the front bumper to the "is" Msport type bumper , OEM is the only way to go ?

2- After all your concerns should I tune the engine ?

3- LED angel Eyes, what would you suggest, LUX 8 seems to come up a lot ?

Thanks

[baldguyj]

Originally Posted by Vert335i

Hey Guys,

So I made my choice and it's finalized..

I ended up getting a brand new 2011 Sdrive35i Alpine White with Walnut Kansas Interior.
I wanted to get a 2012 but the dealer gave me an amazing deal on the 2011. If there was a face lift involved I would have held out for a 2012 but since there wasn't any I decided to go with the 2011.

When I walked into the dealer I was still on the fence about losing out on the rear seats (currently i drive a 335i convertible). But When I saw her it wasn't even a question did the paper work and it was done. Picking her up on Friday!

Again thank you for all your inputs and help, it made my choice pretty easy.

I did few searches but couldn't find any definite answers . Maybe you guys can help me out.

1- I would like to change the front bumper to the "is" Msport type bumper , OEM is the only way to go ?

2- After all your concerns should I tune the engine ?

3- LED angel Eyes, what would you suggest, LUX 8 seems to come up a lot ?

Thanks

Can you drive it now as engineered? I take mine to the track and want to get more out of her but for daily drive no need for the tune.