Hey Forum!

I am a first time poster, long time lurker. This one of the most informative, quality car fourms I have seen on the net...great job guys.

Anyway, I own a 1998 M3 coupe and it is the best car I have ever owned: near perfect neutral handling, great power, style and exclusivity, and a dose of practicality. But its time to get something new and the 8 is on my short list of replacement candidates (the usual suspects: G35, S2000, and MINI round out the lot).

I have agonized for weeks over this decision because I have been spoiled by the M3's agility and sharpeness. I wanted to hear form any RX-8 drivers here who have previoulsy owned a M. Do you long for the Bimmer or are you so in love with the Mazda Rotary that you say "BMW... whats that???"

Thanks and I'll be listening!

 

I don't know about M3->RX8 but I've read about people going M3->S2000. They enjoyed it a lot as you didn't have to be going so fast. From what I hear, in a lot of ways the M3 is so accomplished that it's almost boring. Given the RX8 and S2000 are so similar maybe this holds true across both. Easiest way is to test drive. I wouldn't have thought the MINI would cut it in the aforementioned company, although a lot of fun.

 

There have already been numerous threads on BMW owners switching to RX8.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=19147

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=17106

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=17787

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=13294

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=12186

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=12185

 

I had a an 01 330Ci steptronic and then a 03 330i manual, after borrowing my step-fathers RX8, I fell in love with it.

I have driven the E36 M3 MANY times and it is definitely a very communicative car. The biggest difference your going to find is the RX8 does not have that torquey feel that the M3 has.
The M3 always has the instant on torque feel but then it runs out of stream and it's time to shift where as the RX8 keeps going until 9000 rpm redline.

Going back and forth between the 330i and the RX8, the 330i felt very fast off the line but the RX8 felt fast once you are over 4000 rpm's which when driving aggressively happens very often since when you are shifting out of the gear at 7500 - 8000 rpm the next gear is right around 4000 rpm which keeps you in the top of the rev range.

Overall I love my RX8 and am very happy I traded the Bimmer in for it. While the Bimmer was an awesome car, the RX8 just felt like it gave more feedback (compared to the E46) though it might be similiar in the feedback as the E36 M3. Plus one other thing, the RX8 to me felt like a sports car where the E46 felt like a sporty car with some compromise to keep it practical (well it is a sedan after all )

The G35 Coupe has the torquey feel in abundance but I didn't have that conneted feel the RX8 has which is why I didn't go with it. It felt too luxurious and big where the RX8 felt nimble.

Overall you are going to have a problem and have to accept some changes since the E36 M3 is a hard car to replace being that it gives you practicallity while also giving excellent performance. If I were you I would think deeply on what characteristics you want in a car and write them down, then go and test drive each and see how it compares to your list of traits.

 

What I find most interesting is that in Top Gear, the show, the RX8 had the same course time as the E46 M3. Pretty impressive.

 

I switched from a BMW 79 635csi Euro model...the big difference handling-wise was the bimmer had a lot of oversteer and loved to fishtail while the RX-8 understeers like its on rails through the corners. I had to get used to that at first. Both are fun in their own way, though.

 

When I was 16 I picked up an old '78 530i (which I restored) and the difference between that car and my current cars is....ooooh....25 years of technological advancement!? lol

The e36 M3 (240hp, ~3100lbs) is a completely different animal than an e24 635 (~200hp, ~3500lbs)...and both are very different from an RX8. In fact, driving any newish BMW vs. an RX8 will offer a very different driving experience...neither better nor worse, but it's like comparing the driving dynamics of a Z4 3.0i with an S2000. Both are great sports cars but the way they go about reaching their goals is completely different. Each car approaches power delivery differently and tackles curves in a distinct manner.

Whether an RX8 is a suitable replacement for an M3 is really a question for the potential owner to answer based on what they're looking for from a car. Is low end torque important? The RX8 will never deliver power like a big block American V8 or even an M3. What's important to the buyer will dictate whether it's the right car. The RX8 will certainly turn heads, but a Bimmer will have more curb appeal at the country club.

M3Bruh, what's important to you in a new car? I was considering a CooperS Works but removed it from my short list for practicality reasons (if I didn't need to put someone in the back it would still be there). The S2K is a completely different animal. It's low torque, high hp engine dynamics most closely resemble the 8 but it's also a roadster...whereas the G35 has a back seat and its engine delivers low end torque? So, what is it that you want/need from a new car?

-Eric

 

Heh the M3 "runs out of steam" and the 8 "keeps on going to 9000 RPM". Maybe that's because the M3 has wacky things like "torque" and a "broad powerband"

They are in the same Solo2 class, it will be interesting to see if the 8 can overcome either the S2K or the E36 M3.

Ultimately tho, you might find yourself wishing you had bought another BMW...

john

 

How much suspension modification is allowed in Solo2? The reason I ask is I believe the RX-8 will be unstopable against those two with some simple suspension mods. Stock is still pretty good--and competitive against both--but I think the RX-8 will have the upper hand against those two because of the chassis potential.

 

In B Stock (RX8, Boxster, S2K, E36 M3): you get to change the shocks and the front bar, and you get to run race tires. The S2K has dominated this class for the last couple years.

Next step up is STU, which isn't a real class yet. Suspension is a lot more open: any shocks, springs, sways, whatever. But everyone else gets these mods too. And the 8 would be competing against cars like the STi and the Evo both of which handle well AND have more torque and traction AND will get more power from STU-legal mods than the 8 will.

Then you go to street prepared and street modified, who knows what happens then.

john

 

Thanks for the input guys...It seems that I won't give up much handling, but might have to learn to live without the torque ( the G35 is a little too hefty for me) Looks like an extending test drive is order this weekend to break the deadlock! I will update...

 

If I could afford it I probably would have got the M3. It's a more complete car. But value for money, the RX8 is unbeatable.

 

I thought - from reading the yamaguchi book , that the 8 was firmly targeted at the e36 BMW for chassi feel and probably at the m3 e36 as target performance (not said but implied).

They seem to think they met and exceeded all their targets - the e46 was seen as too heavy and a poorer drivers car (tho a quicker motor overall).

 

Yeah those are wacky things for a car to have :D

I should have elaborated a little bit anyway . . . I didn't mean the actual E36 M3 engine all of a sudden goes down in power after a certain RPM, I was trying to say the redline comes VERY fast since the gears are on the short side where as the RX8 seems to be longer in the legs sorta sdpeak since the gears are longer . . . know what I mean ?

 

E36 M3:
1st: 4.20
2nd: 2.49
3rd: 1.66
4th: 1.24
Top: 1.00
Final drive: 3.23

RX8:
1st 3.76:1
2nd 2.27:1
3rd 1.65:1
4th 1.19:1
5th 1.00:1
6th 0.84:1
Final drive 4.44:1

3.23 vs 4.44? Plus the 8 has closer ratios. It doesn't make any sense that the RX8's gears are "longer"

john

 

my parents have a 2003 m3 and while i havent driven it (havent had the time to really lear the smg) ive been in it while its really been driven. the handling on the 8 is about on par, but there is a noticible power difference. we used to have a 92 m5 which i have driven a lot and the 8 is about on par with that, but again noticibly less power. basically, the cars going to feel as good hitting the corners, but it wont be nearly as quick to get out of them.

 

ok, before I answer that, can I ask if you own or have driven either the RX8 or the E36 M3 because if you didn't then I can understand where you are coming from since I am assuming the gear ratio's above are correct.

Then go drive both cars and go to redline with both and you'll see exactly what I am talking about . . . also since you know where to find the data, can you put the data for the top mph in each gear so we can see if in fact the RX8's gears are longer ... I would venture to say yes because I know my second gear in the RX8 hits 64 mph (or maybe it was 66 I don't quite remember) and if I recall the M3 in 2nd hits somewhere between 58-60 mph.

 

I just sold a 1994 e36 M3 & purchased Winning Blue RX8 with Leather pack ( in Australia). The performance of both is very similar. Both are quick enough. The M3 has a little more grunt off the line than the RX8 (marginally) but the RX8 appears to have longer legs. Very hard to tell though as you are up over 200kph & both cars are fast. The RX8 handling is streets ahead of my 94 M3. But, I guess with 10yrs of technology, you would expect that.

Go for the 8 mate. You wont be sorry.

Dave
SmilingWhileRacing.

 

Wow Dave...you thought the '8 out handled the E36? Thats saying a lot because the M is (was) one of the best handlers around. Thanks for the input though.

 

I thought the E36 M3 started with the 95's?

john

 

no way

 

I'm not positive but I am pretty sure that in 95 we got the M3 here in the USA but other countries had it earlier.

 

Yeah, '95 was the first year we got the E36 M3. It came with a 3.0 liter I6 that still made 240hp, but had a peakier powerband. The euro spec of this engine made 280 hp! It was in '96 that BMW put in the 3.2 liter I6. The euro version of that made 321 hp.

I've had the pleasure of driving my friend's '99 coupe down the NJ shore the past few summers and putting a few hundered miles on it. I've only test driven an '8, but I have to be honest, the M3 is a hard package to beat, and I don't think the '8 can quite compare. For the money, undoubtedly it is a great car, but the refinement of the M puts it on top for me.

 

I've had a good deal of seat time in a 99 M3. I liked the torque of the M3 and it made very nice sounds near redline. The ability to pull in 5th gear is just crazy, but then again the 8 also pulls at that gear, just not to the same extent. I felt the gearbox with its short direct throws in a couple notches above the M3s. The clutch on the M3 was more 'communicative' but at the expense of being much harder. Not an option in downtown atlanta traffic. The 8 clutch is easier to use while giving a good amount of feedback. I think the handling of the two is quite similar with any differences coming from tires. (The M3 I drove was on Pilot Sports) I think the ride of the 8 is more comfortable while not giving up anything in the way of handling. Seating on the M3 was very hard (vaders..) and any drive over 30 minutes is a major pain in the butt. I like the 8 seats alot more for their comfort and decent job of keeping me in my seat. The M3 has more storage space out back which makes it a little more practical..
Interior is much better in the 8 from the dash to the dial cluster, you know you are in a sports car and not in highly tuned coupe. And I still don't think BMW has figured out that you can have a cd changer in dash..


I really don't think anyone can go wrong with either, it's just a matter of taste and what you're into.

 

hmm, interestin thread. how much is a "normally equipped" m3? i was at bmwusa.com and the price of a fully loaded one is around 60K. will u spend 60K on a loaded M3 or spend it on modding a RX8(like turbo, exhaust, chips, body kit, rims, tires etc)?
i have seen plenty of M3 here at SoCal, especially at the Chinese places like Diamond Bar Plaza; i think there are too much BMWs out there that it makes BMW lacks of "unique" factor. anyway, they make good cars :D