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M3 owner autocrosses RX-8, is smitten. (AKA RX-8 owns E46 M3) |
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Written by JST
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Monday, 30 August 2004 |
Autocrossed clyde's car today. What an eye-opening experience.
Off the line, as long as you rev it to 3500 RPM or so, the RX-8 pulls
relatively well. My first run, I "short-shifted" (at about 7K RPM!)
because I just wasn't ready for the long climb to 9K. The course had
essentially a slight kink and then a long straight blast up to a tight
180 (into a figure eight). The car pulled well, and I went to brake at
about the time I would in my car. I also began my turn in about the
same place...
Oops. The car bites *right now,* and I found myself having to actually
steer back the other way to get through the gate. Yikes. The RX-8
actually does what you tell it to.
That was really the story of my whole first run--I couldn't concentrate
on the course because I couldn't believe how well the car was handling,
and how much less slop there was in the handling than I was used to.
The great thing is that even driving like a moron, the RX-8 is direct
enough that you can operate in react mode and still post a decent time.
Unbelievable.
On my later runs, I started to get a better feel for the car, and got
closer to its limits. It's amazing what you can do with the gas pedal.
In the M3, steering with the throttle means booting it out of a slow
corner and "walking the dog." In the RX-8, you can actually lift off
the throttle mid-turn and steer the car that way--sweet. And it's
actually fairly forgiving, allowing you to dance up close to the limit
of adhesion and still reign it in.* I did one long sweeper in a nearly
constant 4 wheel drift, and as I told clyde, it may be the most fun 3
seconds I've ever had autocrossing.
This car kicks ****ing ass. Autocrossing clyde's RX-8 the day after
autocrossing my M3 is like the difference between typing with and
without welding gloves. The M3 feels big, sullen, heavy, slow to react,
undertired, prone to understeer, floaty, and numb compared to the RX-8.
Seriously. And the difference is profound enough that clyde's car on
street tires is *still* more satisfying to drive than Nick's car with a
swaybar, Hoosiers, and DA Konis.
Summary? I can't think of a reason to buy an M3 over this car. And
that's without even discussing price. If you want power, buy a Mustang
or a GTO. But if you even pretend that handling is your game, the RX-8
is it.**
EDIT: And, unlike the M3, the engine doesn't explode.
______
*clyde later pointed out that the DSC may not have been fully off,
perhaps lessening my heroics at keep the car in a balanced drift. If it
intervened, I didn't feel it, which is not something I'd ever say in
the M3.
**clyde's car, of course, has non-stock dampers. As I've said before,
these setting should be stock. I would be interested to see how well a
stock RX-8 would do.
Originally posted on bimmerfest.com and curmudgeons.com.
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JST's Cornered Test Drives 