[toyota86]

Originally Posted by BIC_BAWS

Alright, now that I've updated the Official 2020 latest pic of your ride thread. Here's what I got to say about the M3 and the 330CI. Both are from 2002, the 330CI is 5MT with a 3.0L I6 and the M3 is a 6MT 3.2L I6. The M3 has 150xxx, whereas the 330CI has 260xxx. I let RoverT drive it (hard) on Friday night, and he seemed to have enjoyed it.

Having driven both cars back to back on the Coq in the span of a day (round-trip), I will say that while both cars are similar, they are very very different. Interestingly, when I mentioned earlier that the BRZ beats you up compared to the 330CI, the same comparison can be applied to the M3 and the 330CI.

Normally, one would think that the M3 is very raw. I disagree. Raw is how I built the 330CI. The M3 is very refined and effortless. It almost put me to sleep on the Coq. On the contrary, the 330Ci definitely beats you up. The lack of a muffler, 95a engine and poly mounts, and lack of window seals, all contributed to an unbearable NVH level. Since I removed the rubber insulation when I installed the RTD shifter, all the heat from the transmission travels into the cabin. Driving the 330CI on the Coq requires so much concentration, it's not as easy as the M3.

The M3 is on ST XTA coilovers with 19" wheels. The 330CI is on Bilstein B8 + H&R Race Springs with 18" wheels. The M3, surprisingly, had much more of a compliant ride quality. The steering rack in the M3 sucks. It's light (soft) and numb. It doesn't provide much feedback, whereas the turn in on the 330CI is much more direct with lots more feedback.

Initially, my plan was to swap my shifter and poly mounts into the M3, but now I'm not sure. Overall, I'm very surprised about the very different experiences that each car provides.

swap a 330 zhp steering rack in.