M-Power: The All New M3 & M4 - Part 2

Take the letter M for example, which BMW claims is the most powerful letter in the world. Put it together with 4, and you have the all new BMW M4....

80 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, the all new BMW M4 coupe is the new BMW M3 coupe... Aside all commercial and marketing value in its name, The M4 is an M3 in a coupe body... But commercialism and marketing is not what were here to discuss... The M-division of BMW has gone down a rather different path this time...

Coupe Bodied M3?

Words of TopGear Magazine UK

Well yes... Obviously. Aside from the drop in weight of 23 kilograms as compared to the new M3. The M4 is largely similar to its sedan sibling. Gone is the beautiful high-revving V8 and in with an all new twin-turbocharged straight-six. Though smaller in displacement as compared to the V8, engine response is immediate. As stated in my previous article on the M3, when poor engineering is used to bind engine and turbochargers together it doesn't deliver a happy couple.... But the new M4 has a party trick up its sleeve... In sport plus mode, the ECU keeps those twin-turbos spooling by controlling airflow whilst still injecting petrol into the cylinders, the result is lag-free response. The moment you get on the throttle, the response is without hesitation. It's immediate, it's quick, its brutal and it's utterly magnificent... Going 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, it's faster than it's bigger brother, the M6. As compared to the previous V8 this all new engine delivers 150 more newton metres of torque, while being 10 kilograms lighter. 

Aside powertrain engineering, M-division has also put a lot of work in to the chassis. The whole car comes in 80 kilograms lighter as compared to the previous generation. The suspension is completely bespoke, and is an adaptive system. It's direct, precise and accurate... It responds to every angle of the steering wheel. There's almost no understeer, step on the gas and with the instant wave of torque, you'll be drifting and sliding through corners and that's where the clever M-differential really comes in to place. The balance is perfect and that clever electronic differential as mentioned, really knows its business. Switch of traction control, and you'll be doing fast laps, drifting sideways with some opposite lock...


Then we come to stopping power, which comes from either M-compound steel brakes or M-compound carbon ceramic brakes. Sensational, is the only word... There's no fade in braking performance, especially if you've optioned the carbon ceramic brakes. The whole car from 100km/h comes to a standstill in 99 feet. This amazing stopping power will help drivers to brake late through a corner, and maintain a higher speed through a bend. 

Conclusion.... Turbocharged M3 & M4?

Both are superb cars.... It's a slight let down that BMW has decided to step away from natural aspiration, though I understand the reasons they had to. The result however, is much better than expected. Despite new technologies incorporated into the car, the new BMW M3 & M4 remains as one of the best handling cars out there....
BMW: Sheer Driving Pleasure

Powered By M: The All New BMW M3 & M4 - Part One

Near identical... Well obviously apart from the doors. The all new BMW M3 and M4 is reborn rather differently than purists & enthusiasts might expect. 

Lets start with their similarities... Mainly Turbocharging... For the M division of BMW, turbo's are not common and are unusual amongst their nearly perfect sports cars and super cars. With the new twin-turbocharged straight-six engine's lower redline at 7300 rpm as compared to the rpm of previous car's 4 litre V8 at 8300rpm, this new car does bring up a lot of new worries. The previous M3, M5 and M6 all had superb naturally aspirated engines. The previous M3 (E90) had an amazing V8 that revs to 8300 rpm and the engine from the M5 (E60) and M6 (E63) had a superb V10 that revs to 8250 rpm, so turbos? Hmmm... not so music to your ears when you're an M Power enthusiast because when a poorly engineered engine with turbo's are developed, it kills engine response and causes turbo lag. But we'll get back to this topic in a moment...

The Twins?

There are some common similarities amongst the M3 and M4 as you can expect which includes the suspension setting and system which only differs fractionally but only to take into account the M3's additional 23kg due to the additional doors and so on. Available still is a 6-speed manual gearbox, although 90 percent will opt for the 7-speed dual clutch DCT transmission. Power is delivered via a carbon propshaft through a very sophisticated differential to the rear wheels. M compound steel brakes (with blue calipers) come standard with 18 inch rims whereas carbon ceramic brakes (with gold calipers) are optional with 19 inch rims.

Launch Control Procedure - With Double Clutch M-DCT

1. Turn off stability control & traction control.
2. Engage manual mode on the shifter.
3. Make sure the DCT transmission is in the most ferocious setting.
4. Hold brake.
5. Floor the throttle (while still holding brake)
6. Release brake.

And so... The M3

First, the driving experience. The basics, which will start with the seats which are beautifully sculpted to your body, holding you in while you corner hard. There's even a conventional handbrake, which is great! The knob for the 7-speed double clutch DCT gearbox is a bit of a hassle to operate at low speed cruising but does the job brilliantly. Beside the transmission knob are the buttons for controlling the steering response, engine response, suspension damping, gearbox ferocity and stability control. Traction control does cut in slightly early however, but hey turn it off and you'll be having the time of your life....

Pushing it to its limits, the M3 doesn't seem to be putting in much effort. Its difficult to criticise, even when placed aside its rivals. A comparable C63 AMG would be too ghastly due to its twitchy character and really an over-torqued powertrain. An Audi? The RS4  would might be just as fast but might be less involving and less fun due to its Quattro 4-wheel drive set up. All great cars, but my pick would be the M3. The drivetrain does exactly as told, steering, pin sharp and accurate, suspension, smoothing out bumps and isolating body roll, gearbox, utterly smooth and crisp. So far so good, you'd be getting exactly what you'd expect of an M-Powered vehicle. 

This generation of the M3 differs in character as compared to the previous M3 with a 4 litre V8. The previous M3 had an engine so crisp, so responsive, so pure that it had a certain 'on the edge' character. You had to adapt to the drivetrain. The new generation however, is more of an all rounder. The broad torque curve delivers a great driving experience. Though the redline of this new engine is lower by 1000 rpm as compared to the previous M3's V8, the response is amazing. Torque comes in at an early 1850 rpm. As stated earlier, it's not a very happy couple when poor engineering is used to bind engine and turbocharagers together, but this new M3 is different, it responds to every blip of the throttle, with every millimetre of pedal travel it responds immediately. No lag, no hessitation in the powertrain. By far this could be the most well engineered turbocharged engine out there. It's amazing how two teeny turbo's the size of a bottle cap is kept spinning at 120,000 rpm and maxes out at 190,000 rpm, so when you need the power and jab at the throttle, all you need is already there. 

Conclusion... Hmmmm... A baby or junior M5? That's rather inaccurate but there are undoubtedly some similiarities such as the 7-speed dual clutch DCT transmission and so on, but the M3 is so much more agile and entertaining. It's an amazing car: Quick, Brutal, Unstrained, Utterly Superb and Amazing...
So, turbocharged M3? Yes, please....

Read part two of my review @ http://automobilesatitsbest.blogspot.com/2014/07/m-power-all-new-m3-m4-part-2.html

Drive Smart: The World Of Brakes & How They Work...

Comparison Between Disc Brakes and Drum Brakes

Before one can understand the benefits or disadvantages of drum brakes or disc brakes, one has to understand how they function.

Drum brakes function when the brake pedal is pressed which exerts pressure on the brake fluid. The pressure is then transmitted uniformly from the master cylinder, through a pipe, to the slave cylinders near the wheels. This will then move the slave pistons forward, forcing the brake pads against the drums attached to the wheels to slow down the vehicle.

Disc brakes function by the brake callipers applying pressure to the brake discs, thus creating friction which then slows the vehicle down to a stop. This brake system functions somewhat similarly as compared to the drum brakes. Pressure is applied to the brake pedal which then transmits a uniform pressure via the brake fluid which is transmitted from the master cylinder to the slave cylinders located near the wheels.

The Causes of Brake Failure

1. It is important to note that this system works only because of the fact that the brake fluid is incompressible, any contamination within the fluid will effect the braking efficiency of the vehicle. 
2. If an air bubble is detected within the system, the effectiveness of the system will be affected. The pressure applied in the master cylinder will not be effectively transferred to the slave cylinders as the air bubble is incompressible. This will affect the motion of the pistons in the slave cylinder and as a result the braking efficiency of the vehicle is affected.

Composite Materials in Brake Systems

On high performance and exotic vehicles, composite materials for the brake systems are offered as an option or as standard. For example the Ferrari 458 Italia offers Carbon Ceramic Brakes as standard whereas, the Porsche 911 Carrera S offers it as an option for US$8520 in the American market. 

Porsche's PCCB System
(Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes)

The advantages of using composite materials such as ceramic or carbon are their high heat tolerance, mechanical strength and their reduction in weight as compared to standard iron discs. As an example, Porsche's PCCB system achieves a 50% weight reduction and a higher temperature tolerance with a significant reduction in generation of brake dust as compared to the standard steel discs.