Test report of Z4 M coupe by KMW.
I did this test as a blind test, sort of. I received the car and took it to the track. First in the test pipe was top speed test on Wangan, which was cut short at mere 240kph. This did lead me to thinking that this must be set up for tight courses where acceleration is more important than top speed.
So, off to Autumn ring, Trial Mountain and Deep Forest I went. Where as the gearing was more suited for these twisty, tighter tracks (still did occasionally find the limiter on 6th gear), the rest of the setup didn't quite work. I found stubborn understeer at high speeds and lack of traction in the rear at low speeds. after barrage of the tests and runs of various tracks, I finally took a look at the settings.
The suspension itself was fine-ish, and I could see that stability was the goal of the setup. It also worked well when the car got sideways, it was easy to keep under control when traction in the rear was lost.
However, when coupled with full rear downforce and with LSD that was essentially a locked differential, the origin of the stubborn understeer at high speeds was obvious. The goal of stability was gained, but at the cost of overall handling. Also, the weight of the engine in the front didn't help the matters, but that isn't something easy to cure.
My final conclusion is, that this car, while not suitable for high speed tracks, is good for beginners at smaller tracks where top speeds around 240kph/140mph are usual. The car is stabile and lends itself for easy drifts when provoked, and teaches one to slow down properly before entering a corner. Overall feeling for the Z4 M is that it continues in the footsteps of the Z3 M coupe, providing steady learning platform for new drivers, without killing them in the process.
Suggestions for improvement: Lower downforce and more open diff, as well as taller gearing would probably make this car suitable for faster tracks.
)
Figured it may have been part of it.
That's why I like him, not for speed but for fun:tup:
