e36 328i vs e46 330i vs e90 330i

[veridico]

Ok, so i have been looking around and testing things with friends.

I have found that my stock e36 328i put out ~140kw on the fly, and ~118kw on the wheels. A friends stock e46 330i puts out 170kw on the fly, and on a dyno he put down 113kw (i have seen other 330i's with similar figures). Another friend has an e90 330i, which is 200kw on the fly, but only put down ~121kw to the dyno. I checked the Rob Green site and they have some dyno sheets there that correlate to these findings.

Can anyone explain why there is such a high loss of energy in the later BMWs?

 

[Muney]

:dropjaw: Are you serious? I feel robbed! :bawling:

 

[Veedub]

probably got to do with the drivetrain???

 

[St Lunatic]

DONT SAY THAT!

 

[freerider]

I think we need to organise a drag race topgear style

 

[Jandre]

I agree, but this must be a truly souff efrikan thing. What shall we call it? What about Gareboks?

 

[Muney]

Im in for the results! I have raced an e36 328I and gave the bloke carrots though so this has me wondering...if I really did give him carrots, or was I dreaming!:mmm:

 

[veridico]

I think the driver makes the biggest difference when it comes to racing in a manual car, also many other things to consider, a 328i is most likely 9 years old, suffering from compression loss and a slippery clutch, so you should beat him. I have raced a some 330i's and they never gave me carrots, either they beat me by half a car, it was equal, and even some I have beaten.

The dyno cant really lie about what power is being put to the ground.

Im just curious as to why there is such a big power loss?

 

[freerider]

different dyno's lie on different days :mmm:

 

[1lum1nat1]

Correct me if I'm wrong, which I am most of the time, but peak power don't mean anything. You want a flat power curves so that you have even power distribution over a larger powerband. Peak power don't win races, good average power do.

 

[Twinz]

What shall we call it? What about Gareboks?

:thumbsup::thumbsup: Perhaps Ali's daughter can be the presenter...

 

[Venom]

I have owned a 328i (E36) cab and now I own the 330i Cab (E46), and I swear that I always thought that the 328i was a much more brutal car in it's acceleration. I just assumed the 330i must be a more 'gentle' more comfortable ride in it's acceleration. Sounds like veridico just explained a lot. wow.

 

[veridico]

Correct me if I'm wrong, which I am most of the time, but peak power don't mean anything. You want a flat power curves so that you have even power distribution over a larger powerband. Peak power don't win races, good average power do.

True to a point, but having big power at low revs wont help you win a race, it will make daily driving more pleasant.

We used the same dyno on the same day, so the results should be fairly accurate.

 

[Pravin@crazydetailer]

I have a 325Ti and a E90 330i and the power difference between the two cars is HUGE. So either I have a super strong E90 or an absolute pap E46

I'm with 1lum1nat1, peak power doesn't mean much but a flater power curve at high rpm is what makes all the diff. What about gear ratios ?

 

[Muney]

I have a 325Ti and a E90 330i and the power difference between the two cars is HUGE. So either I have a super strong E90 or an absolute pap E46

I'm with 1lum1nat1, peak power doesn't mean much but a flater power curve at high rpm is what makes all the diff. What about gear ratios ?

Just a question...doesn't the 325TI have almost the same power figures as a the e36 328? I know they push out different amounts of torque. Have you ever dyno'ed the 325?

Having owned an E36 for 4 years - another for 3 months or so, and coming close to buying a 328i, I can safely say the e36 had a very light feel compared to the e46. Even a 318is felt very nippy with its 110kw motor. Also bare in mind that e36s are smaller, have less sound deadening, and harder suspensions. I drove a 323i and a 328i and both felt bloody nifty.... I then realized why. Its the "butt" dyno that makes you feel like you are going really fast, as compared to the e46 and now the e90 which are lil bit more numb. Gosh I miss the e36ers!

 

[veridico]

I havent dyno'd a 325ti, or 325i, I think the factory figures are something like 140kw and 250nm, which is great for a bit of speed.

I have raced a e90 325i with my car, and I left him standing, but then again, my car isnt standard anymore, so it would be an unfair comparison.

Does anyone have any dyno sheets of their car in stock mode?

Here is one of mine when I first got the car.

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I have a 325Ti and a E90 330i and the power difference between the two cars is HUGE. So either I have a super strong E90 or an absolute pap E46

I'm with 1lum1nat1, peak power doesn't mean much but a flater power curve at high rpm is what makes all the diff. What about gear ratios ?

Im also thinking that maybe the gear ratios are to blame for lower readings.

The feeling of acceleration can be deceptive, a friend of mine has a highly modded honda, its as fast as my car in a drag. but when i sit in his car, it feels fast, but not strong, where as my car feels stronger, and similar speed.

 

[Pravin@crazydetailer]

I haven't dyno'd either car. But I agree the feeling of acceleration is deceptive. The E46 is definately feeling VERY slouchy recently.

 

[E46M3]

Guys, I have the answer for you...

In the 90s the USA was very heavy on power and emission controls etc and they taxed cars more heavily over 141 kws so you'll noticed all similarly power BMWs, Audis, Mercs etc in the 90s all miraculously made exactly the same power of 141 kws.

So, an E36 328i actually makes more power than 141 kws on the flywheel, it's just that the entire world's marketing material all stated 141 kws.

A mate of mine in the club owns an E36 328i and has all the facts. I'll get all the accurate info and let you chaps know...

 

[freerider]

sounds like the same story with the golf gti then, because they all seem to dyno way higher than the stated figures

 

[hennie]

drive train loss is almost a constant 19% on rwd cars les on front wheel drive of motor power so a stronger motor will show a bigger loss
one thing to remember a dyno is just a tuning tool
its not only the driver that decides the outcome of a race weight is the biggest contributor
there is also not a lot of accurate dynos around they either under read or over read