Craig Blome wrote:
>
> ---Brian M Kennedy <kennedy@i2.com> wrote:
> >
> > But, competitively, the BMW 328 is dead meat. As has been pointed
> > out here before, the BMW is misclassed in BS
>
> Interestingly enough, AutoWeek tested a 328i Sport in the new issue
> and clocked a slalom speed of 46.4 mph...not too far behind the
> Boxster, and 1.1 mph _faster_ than the last Miata they tested (which
> was admittedly a leather package car, but on the same Michelin Pilot
> SX tires as the Sports, and comparable to the Beemer's Dunlop SP Sport
> 2000's). Skidpad was a little less at 0.84 vs. 0.86 for the Mazda.
> The editors wrote that it felt softer than the E36 but could make
> comparable numbers when flogged.
>
> It's probably still outgunned on course, but maybe not by the wide
> margin everyone believes. I'd be interested to see one of the class
> shoes compare them back to back. At any rate, you can probably kiss
> goodbye any chance of a move to G Stock...
Well, luckily our classes aren't determined by magazine slalom times.
In addition to setup issues mentioned by others, there's also the fact
that slalom is not particularly representative of autocross.
But, if you look at the Road & Track slalom numbers for BS and GS,
I think you'll see the 328 fits much better in GS....
BS: BMW Z3 4cyl 62.2
Mazda Miata 61.2
BMW 328i 60.3
GS: Mercury Eclipse 63.6
Subaru Impreza 62.6
Acura Integra GSR 62.3
VW GTI VR6 61.6
Ford Taurus SHO 61.0
Saab 900 Turbo 61.0
Honda Prelude 60.6
Lexus ES300 60.5
Or, I guess you could argue the Mercury Eclipse and the Subaru Impreza should be
taking on the Miata in BS. (LOL)
So, I wouldn't kiss the 328 in GS goodbye just yet, ;^)
Brian
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