I'm not 100% sure what the difference is but I can tell you that failures with SMG were more common on the earlier models (pre '04) - a total of 5 ///M's (3 '02s and 2 '03s) that have ended up replacing entire transmission assemblies here and haven't seen 1 require the replacement that was a '04-'06 .... On 4 of those 5 cars, it was shifting up from 3rd to 4th - the display would flash and the car would not engage 4th gear. You could shift down from 5th to 4th but not from 3rd to 4th.
As far as the drag race - I'd think the '03 would win as it should weigh less. I wouldn't recommend using launch control on either though
How about you stop being chancey and go race and tell us what happens. I'm just saying no need for imagination unless your scarred. You can catch a driver slipping anytime.
Summary:
1. Street Racing Thread (Not on the street though).
2. Coupe Vs Vert - Which is faster?
-Everyone argues about weight. Few good jokes
-No one mentions maintenance.
3. SMGII Speed/Reliability
-Despite all e46 M3's having the SMGII system, reliability issues plagued early models. I would tend to agree, but have seen enough misdiagnosed SMGII issues that end in a needless system replacement. The GPS, Compression Spring, Hydraulic Temp Sensor, and Salmon relay fixes are all fairly recent discoveries (now that the cars are coming out of warranty and people want to save money).
- Not mentioned - The early SMGII's actually shifted more aggresively. BMW later released programming to slow down the shifts slightly to preserve the synchros. So technically, the older system, assuming it has not had updated programming and is working properly, should shift almost unnoticeably faster.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
E46 Fanatics Forum
17.9M posts
592.5K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to BMW E46, E90, and F30 owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about M performance, turbo kits, engine swaps, builds, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!