So despite the fact that the engine DID fail, you do not see this as that particular engine was unreliable? So if all of their engines had this problem they would still be a reliable engine, just poorly assembled? Do you work for the BMW delaership???

 

BMW USA does quote a 4.8 second 0-60 time, as per their website.

The below is quoted from a European Car magazine test of the SMG E46 M3 vs. a manual transmission E46 M3.

As you can see, the M3 is posting mid-low 13 second quarter mile times. However, the 0-60 is consistently in the mid 5 second range. The M3 and S54 really shines in its top end; over 100MPH, it has stunning power.

Here's the article: http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/0212ec_bmwtech/

 

3L - 4L class...

 

whoops, my bad.

 

I want to know how they get all that horsepower and 33 mpg.

 

Who said the M3 can get 33mpg?....

 

M3 gets MPG similar to our VQ35.

 

the s54 engine was a brand new engine. it's not uncommon for newly developed engines to have a few problems. the vq35 has been tried and tested over and over again, therefore their reliability. if you compare the number of failures to the number of engines that work, it probably would not be that significant. the defect of the engine was due to one single isolated problem, and has been fixed.

 

sweet news.

 

Go buy a 95 maxima with a VQ30DE motor (first year of the VQ) and that thing will run until the frame rusts apart....the VQ series of motors has NEVER had problems...not even in the beginning.

 

The article did:

"this performance engine can also deliver impressive fuel economy of 8.5L/100km (33.6mpg)."

 

A friend of mine has a 2003 M3. Last spring we were out racing. I was racing him in My 97 eclipse GST not the Z. I bet him twice that night but that's not the issue. And bothe races were close. But he wanted to try one more time on the way back to out friends shop. As the race started it was close like before but I had the edge and all of sudden I noticed that I was pulling away from him. I assumed that because I was winning he just gave up so I kept going. After a few miles and I could no longer see him in my mirror I pulled over to the shoulder of the exit we were taking and waited for him.When he approached the exit you could see all this smoke and something pouring from the bottom of his car. It was oil and coolant running back down the exit. We got the car towed back to the shop and drop the plastic cover from under the engine and and the ENTIRE PISTON and ROD FELL ON THE FLOOR. We were shocked. I made fun of him all night. The reason I made fun of him all night was because earlier in the week he was talking trash about my eclipse calling it Japinese crap and his car was top notch German Engineering. His car was down for a month because the engine had to come from Germany. You know the place where they make those top notch cars. This was last year not 2000. We did a search and found out that there were other M3s that had the same problem. So, I think that Most M3 owners are paying for the name not the reliability of the car.

 

A couple points:

1. To get a high specific HP in a naturally aspirated motor, you need to spin to high RPM's.

2. This is why the S2000 and M3 engines have high RPMs.

3. This is why the M3 engine is more likely to have problems.

4. Since the VQ35 is not nearly as stressed as those other engines, it probably will not have as many problems.

5. To get the VQ to have high HP is N/A form, the best bet is to figure out how to raise the redline and how to allow the engine to breathe at those higher RPM's. Both the M3 and S2000 engines have the ability to vary the valve lift, while the Z can only vary timing. The ability to vary lift is (IMO) very important in order to get a high reving engine that can also have a smooth low ROM idle and good low RPM torque.

6. The VQ35 already has excellent specific torque, which is really the best indication of efficiency. Therefore, we don't have very many options other than increasing the redline (and I think we've seen that from the limited gains from most aftermarket mods).

OK, that was more than a couple

-D'oh!

 

Let say we lift the redline 500rpms and we add an intake and headers could that make some hp way up there?

 

It not only depends on external bolt on parts. I'm not very familiar with the internal structure of the intake manifold, but if there are sharp bends or any unsmooth areas such as casting flash etc., then these small imperfections can cost you a lot of flow at higher engine speeds. Porting and polishing the heads, intake runners, and perhaps a valve regrind (ie three angle), can do wonders for engine breathing.
Aside from that, to safely and reliable raise engine RPM to the point where it matters, you have to upgrade the valvetrain. You must have stronger valves and valve springs to prevent valve float then you start reaching the silly regions of the RPM range.

 

I find it funny that a car built to rev to 8000rpm cant take it.
But my 96 vq30de with about 200,000 miles goes there everyday with stock valvetrain and internals