That explains alot.

Firstly, your 19 inch wheels didn't help with performance on your Corvette. They hurt it, probably by quite a bit. A wider tire might have been a good choice, but a larger wheel/tire combo...no way.

Your larger wheel would have been heavier and also a larger diameter. That decreases your gear ratio...great for gas mileage and bad for performance. That's why drag racers have smaller wheel sizes. The math is really easy to do and can be found all over the web and in high school science books.

Why do you think the Z06 has 18 inch wheels and not 20 inch wheels?

Having 19 inch wheels in the front also made your C5 handle worse. The smaller front wheels are not just there for style. They have a purpose. Staggered wheels can be used to control oversteer and understeer. You messed with a critical part of the suspension and paid for it.

Let's talk about weight. Rotational weight is equal to static weight times 3. It's just a rule of thumb, based on simple physics. Your extra heavier wheels and tires would have felt like adding probably 50-70 lbs of static weight.

Secondly, you had an "4AT?". Sounds like you meant to say A4. That's an automatic and a good deal slower than the manual C5, especially if you were sporting 2.73:1 gears.

A tune (to rid yourself of torque management) and at least 3.15:1 gears (performance gears) really speeds up the autos. A Diablo Predator is pretty cheap mod (that you didn't do) and really pays off for our cars. These automatics are begging for tunes from the factory and do quite well with them.

The M3's are nice cars and I'm not bashing them. However, before you compare the two vehicles, you should know that your mods were not helping the performance of your C5.

 

i didnt sell the C5 to go buy an M3.. i sold it to get a CTS-V.. i was growing inpatient trying to find out, so I bought this.. i got it for such a low price that i can break even if i sell it a year from now.. so no worries


old guys..

 

yes A4, lol

i had 3.15 gears.. no tune, was about to get it.

i sold it to get a CTSV or a C6.. so ill be back soon

 

i hate the E36 M3.. never was appealing, even when new..

but i never anywhere in this thread said one of nicer than the other.. i love the way both look, each for their unique seperate reasons.. this is not apples to apples..

in my defense, plenty of threads made on this forum asking of "do you think the C5 looks dated?" .. i honestly i like the C5 better than the C6, but you can def. tell its "dated" compared to the 05+ models.

 

Sorry but,,,,,,,,,,,compared to the vette,,,,,,,,,

 

I have a BMW in the family as well as my C5,, no comparison. My C5 is still my #1 Vette is more reliable with much fewer repairs.



BUT THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER !

 

Me too; I've had a couple different Bimmers, including a M3, and there is NO WAY it handles/corners better than my C5.
To each his own; some people just aren't "corvette types" and should leave them to people that can truly appreciate (and handle) them

 

Im sure its a nice car, but it looks too regular, has no styling at all, i think its a trade in the wrong direction but then again i dont like bmws.

 

The M3 is a sweet car! Congrats on your purchase...although I'm sure you won't get as many looks as before, since about 99.9% of the population doesn't know what an M3 is and will just see it as another one of those BMW's. But I'm sure it drives like a dream...Have fun!!!! Indy

 

I dout it.


'98 C5 Convertible
Curb Weight 3246 lbs
345 bhp @ 5600 rpm
350 lb-ft torque @ 4400 rpm
Coefficient of drag: 0.32

'02 BMW M3
Curb Weight 3415 lbs
333 HP @ 7,900 rpm
262 ft lb torque @ 4,900 rpm


How can an M3 which has 12 HP less than the C5, 88 lb-ft torque less than the C5 and weighs 169 lbs more than the C5 possibly be faster?


Per Motor Trend:

2002 BMW M3 with SMG trans
Vehicle layout Front engine, RWD, 2-door, 5-pass
Engine DOHC I-6, aluminum block & head, 4-valves/cyl
Displacement, ci/cc 198.1/3246
Horsepower @ rpm 333 @ 7900
Torque @ rpm 262 @ 4900
Transmission 6-speed sequential manual gearbox
Curb weight, lb 3415
0-60 mph, sec 5.3
Quarter mile, sec/mph 13.8/105.7
Braking, 60-0 mph, ft 113
600-ft slalom, mph 67.7
EPA mpg, city/hwy 16/24
On sale in U.S. Currently

http://motortrend.automotive.com/344...s03/index.html

BTW your Vette was Torch Red.

Good luck with the BMW

 

your joking, right??

 

After sucks - it ain't a Corvette.

 

Good Luck with your new vehicle. I hope the new owner loves that vette as much as I love mine.

 

Here are some facts. I remember you saying that your Vette had been repainted Ferrari Red. Car must have been wrecked. If your new BMW handles better. They must not have fixed the bent frame. If the BMW is faster then your Vette. Then they must have also replaced the engine with mabey a old iron block 350.
My boss had a M3 and now has the new twin turbo vert hard top BMW. He can not hang with my stock A4 2:73 rear Vette. He has treid.

Enjoy your new ride. It is still a very nice car, just not a Vette.

 

 

 

Best of luck on your new ride. Just one word of advise, sell it before your warranty runs out. I had an 02 325ci and I traded it in for the Vette because the repair costs where killing me. Check on the front suspension, I don't know if the M series has the same upper and lower A pillars as the other 3 series but if it does watch out, if it goes bad it will cost about 1500 to replace. Hopefully yours will be more reliable than mine was.

 

 

Sorry for your loss but as you know C5 owners are very caring folks and well continue to pray that someday you'll figure out what is important in life, things like Corvette ownership. It's an honor and a previledge, one that requires a sense of artistic appreciation of timeless beauty along with the maturity to understand what you already have.

Your x Ferrari Red Vette AKA Torch Red is still a much better American feel good than any BMW could ever be.
Come on back when finally figure things out.

Proud Everything American

 

Love the vert. Enjoy your new ride

Chuck