m3 top speed

[thinker]

is the top speed of an m3 really limited to 155 mph? has anyone ever surpassed this speed in an m3?

[NAZCA C2]

Allthe reviews of the M3 that I have ever read said that the M3's top speed is electronically limited to 155. If you disabled the governor i'm sure it would go faster but probably not by much.

[fpv_gtho]

wheels magazine had an M3 doing 270km/h and an M5 doing 260km/h down the Stuart Highway in the Northern territory here.

[Egg Nog]

BMW is one of quite a few manufacturers (including Jaguar, Mercedes, etc) who has agreed to limit all of their cars to a maximum of 155mph.

From another thread, here's an objective analysis I did of the M3's comparitive top speed:


Well from what i heard is that with the limiter it does 250km/b but without it, the M3 being the sexy machine it is can do 300+k/h prodably top off at 305-310. But you can easily (if you have the money) get it to 450+ Hp and make it about 320-ish Km/h which is fast and prodably won't be driving that fast too often but is fun to think about :)

No, there's no way that an M3 could reach anywhere near as high as 305km/h or 310km/h. The M3, despite "being the sexy machine it is" is still governed by the same laws of physics as every other car on the road...


I'll do an objective analysis, using a standard C5 Chevy Corvette as a comparison:

M3 Final Gear Ratio: 0.828:1
M3 Drag Coefficient: 0.32
M3 Weight: 1570 kg
M3 Power/Torque: 333hp/269ft-lbs

C5 Final Gear Ratio: 0.50:1
C5 Drag Coefficient: .29
C5 Weight: 1457 kg
C5 Power/Torque: 350hp/375ft-lbs


Now, the C5 Vette essentially has every single factor that determines top speed in its favour, and its top speed is barely over 280km/h. This makes me doubt that the M3, without some heinously long gears, could even begin to approach the speeds that you claimed.

[DieterCabral]

According to the Aerodynamic coefficient and the top speed test of this car (without the 155 electronic limit). The M3 can achieve 303 km/h. (188.26 mi/h) this comes from a very reliable source. but there are faster M3s

Now… the M3 GTR (street version) is probably a bit faster.. I couldn’t find the exact top speed… but it is rumored to be close to 200 or 200+ mph. the price for The GTR is aprox 252,000 Euros.

[Egg Nog]

According to the Aerodynamic coefficient and the top speed test of this car (without the 155 electronic limit). The M3 can achieve 303 km/h. (188.26 mi/h) this comes from a very reliable source. but there are faster M3s

I'm interested to hear what this "very reliable source" is :)

[fpv_gtho]

well ive just read the wheels magazine where they took the X5 4.6is, M5, M3, K1200GT and K1200RS through the northern territory. top speed for both M cars was 258km/h as read on the digital screen whilst also showing around 270km/h on the needle.