stiletto

dozen times heading down the T.P in Southern FL this a.m. In the left lane (out of two) about half a carlength behind this person driving 65, waiting for them to pass the slower car on the right lane, when all of a sudden, a newer M3 (diaper suprise green) squeeeeezes in between the guy in front of me and my Acura emblem...

Not that I minded, after all I do watch nascar sometimes and have come to realize it is possible for a full size vehicle to split the difference of a half car length, However I did go into that extra alert mode thinking "if it ain't the moment of troof" I shifted into SS3 and proactively WOT as the space for him to squeeze out into the right lane approached and let me tell you it was like a rope was pulling us together. The stock TL-S just kicks ass. There I was 80-90-100-105ish and then I saw black smoke come out of the M3 exhaust (He was about 10 inches off my front bumper) and as I hit SS 4th he started pulling... and pulling... and oh my gawd he pulled some more... then my 5K ss4th jumped into the "other" vtec once again and there was no more pulling from the BMW. i can say that the farthest he got was about.... oh say, 7-8 car lengths in front, and by then i was passing 120 mph climbing fast but traffic was starting to get heavy so this persecution was not prolonged...

:wow: That is a fast car... but it should be for the money dished out. It is the only BMW that has showed me its license plate. I am very happy with my TL-S. :p

unionjack

If he stopped pulling on you, he eased off on the pedal. Even though Bimmers aren't known for their straight line performance (they are track cars), they have very flat torque curves and that M3 was nowhere near being torqued out. In fact he won't run out of juice until he's in the 170s. IMO beating a BMW in a line means nothing. Beat it on the track, then you have something to brag about.

It is pretty cool though seeing a fast car go fast.

What is the top speed of a TL Type-S? Anyone dyno theirs? I would be very interested in seeing this info.

Type S Lady

M3 aaawwww, my dream car.

r10apple

Sorry stiletto. That was me. I was in 5th the whole time and only slowed to count my money!
<just kidding>

stiletto

Well, if that IS the case, I think your car is fabulous except for that horrendous color and all the black smoke comming out of your exhaust when you floored it, which means it is an automatic M3?!?!?!? what a waste....

LOL...

njtls

the automatic m3 is the smg...which is even faster then the manual...even if its less of a drivers car...its the faster car...

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

The top speed of the TL-S is 147mph, electronically limited.

As for dynos, they are all over the place. Do a search here, or stop over to acura-cl.com and do a search there....

unionjack

actually, it is not. the stick is still faster. and it is not an automatic because it has no torque converter. It is a clutchless manual with automated shift modes. SMG = Sequential Manual Gearbox. It does shift quicker than a 6-speed but it is just a tad slower on acceleration. Even if it is just a less quick on acceleration, it is not anything that can't be made up by driver skill.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

The SMG-equipped M3 would be faster than one equipped with a conventional 6-speed stick with a decent driver rowing the gears.

You can't beat a computer.

Technically, it's an electrohydraulically actuated unit, with the computer backing off the throttle, disengaging clutch, switching gears, engaging clutch, then getting back on the gas. All within 50 milliseconds. I want to see a good stick driver switching a gear that fast.

Also, you can get the dealership to reprogram the SMG unit with a European version software, which comes with a launch program for better take-off.

unionjack

a. Have you driven one? I have driven both.

b. Have you spoken to any M3 6-speed and SMG owners? I know quite a few and have been a member of a BMW forum for quite awhile. I have asked them the question and they all respond that the 6-speed is quicker. Not by much, but it is nonetheless.

c. As I stated before, the SMG does shift quicker. In fact it shifts faster than is humanly possible. But it is still electronically controlled and electrohydraulically actuated. Just because it shifts quicker does not mean it is quicker. Generally speaking, SMG may be more consistent, but not quicker.

d. the dealer can reprogram the ECU with the software to give it the S6 mode which is Launch Control. After 19 launches (i believe) in this mode the factory warranty is voided on the transmission. There is actually a way of doing it without the software change, however it revs lower and does not launch as hard.

e. When any two cars race each other and have comparable hp, torque, handling characteristics, weight, etc... the outcome will be determined by the driver. Speed can be up by hp and torque, but driver skill cannot. If an 6-speed M3 and an SMG M3 raced each other under identical circumstances with equally skilled drivers. The 6-speed would win. Not by much, but it would. Accept it.

edit: clarification and correction

stiletto

regardless... when black smoke comes out of the exhaust, it indicates (at least to me) that there has been a sudden change in acceleration (pressing the pedal or downshifting gears). so when I see R10APPLE say: "was in 5th the whole time and only slowed to count my money!", i smell something not so nice...

r10apple

You oughtta know the answer, stiletto:

If I'm driving an M3 and counting money while doing it, when you see black smoke from my tailpipes, it's 'cuz I'm running too RICH!!!