Question about my BMW 330 cic ZHP vert...

[postitpad]

I am curious if anyone has compared the performance of the convertible to the coupe or sedan? My vert is one of the best handling cars I has ever driven (even with the snow tires installed), I love it. I wonder if the performance hit I take for having the 'unlimited headroom' option would be noticeable by the seat of my pants.

[BCS_ZHP]

Postitpad,
Have both a coupe and a vert, nothing noticeable "seat of the pants". If you really push it hard in some twisties, the coupe will be stronger than the vert but its rare that you can push it that hard on the street. At the track you'd probably notice some slight time differences but they could be negligible due to driver differences.
Bruce

[gr330zhp]

Postitpad,
Have both a coupe and a vert, nothing noticeable "seat of the pants". If you really push it hard in some twisties, the coupe will be stronger than the vert but its rare that you can push it that hard on the street. At the track you'd probably notice some slight time differences but they could be negligible due to driver differences.
Bruce

Good post!

I will also add that BMW engineers their chassis extremely well, especially the E46. It would be very difficult for them to produce a car that would show signs of weakness compared to the like coupe or sedan

[az3579]

The vert technically is heavier so it's minutely slower, but you'll never notice it if you use the butt-dyno.
On the 0-60 timed run, however, it's a little bit more patient to reach that speed. No biggie.

[johnrando]

And a front strut brace may help you feel better about the twisties. Gotta figure a vert would benefit from that more than a sedan or coupe. John

[Jon D]

And a front strut brace may help you feel better about the twisties. Gotta figure a vert would benefit from that more than a sedan or coupe. John

I did notice immediately that my vert felt stiffer with a front strut brace. I was surprised that it was that noticeable. I also noticed less body noise of things moving around.

[postitpad]

Thanks guys, I have been thinking about getting a strut brace, now I definitely will!

[danewilson77]

Thanks guys, I have been thinking about getting a strut brace, now I definitely will!

Be advised that it is mainly for aesthetic purposes, and to prevent strut tower mushrooming. You may notice a slight change during aggressive driving/track events.

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[johnrando]

Be advised that it is mainly for aesthetic purposes, and to prevent strut tower mushrooming. You may notice a slight change during aggressive driving/track events.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

+1, like mine, but haven't really exercised it yet, but still glad it's there.

[jvr826]

Be advised that it is mainly for aesthetic purposes, and to prevent strut tower mushrooming. You may notice a slight change during aggressive driving/track events.

I added the M3 brace to my coupe quite some time ago. I noticed immediately that turn-in was greatly improved, even on mountain twisties around where I live. I had to adjust my known line so I wasn't early to the apexes. I was pretty surprised at the difference it made in how my car handles.

I purchased mine used for what I'd still call a premium price. Why that OE brace is so costly I really don't know. Perhaps the mounting points are billet aluminum, they are very light. Or maybe it was the ///M center caps I had to leave off because of my adjustable struts.