My 2002 SE 6-speed feels slow .. I have 4000km on it and it just doesn't seem to have the power on tap that it should.

I had 4 ppl in the car, I don't know how much of a difference that makes. The BMW was zig-zagging through traffic to pull up at the line to me. Once the light turned green, he took off. I was caught a bit by surprise and took off a good 2 seconds after him. To my surprise, I could not catch up to him, he had a steady lead and maintained it all the way through 100-120km/hr til we reached the next light.

Ugh. A 740il ...

Anyone else notice the mid-top end on this car is not very impressive? It feels like my old 3.2 CL-S pulled a lot harder in the upper ranges, although it was limited by the crappy gear ratios in 4th and 5th.

Hmmm ..

 

I think the four "fat" people in the car probably had something to do with. The 2 second jump he had on you also didn't help.

Stereodude

 

Well, the ppl were not fat, I weight the most at 185lbs. There was one other guy and two women who weighed barely 100lbs.

The 2 second jump explains him being in front of me, but I don't understand why I was flooring and redlining each gear and couldn't CATCH UP.

Sigh.

 

Those cars run mid 14's stock and have monster torque (324 lbs.) + BMW excellent top end gearing. That car is an autobahn beast.

 

It depends on the year also. I ran one when I had a 97 Volvo V70 GLT and although he was in front, he couldn't lose me nor walk me. The Volvo in that matchup was impressive.

 

2 second lead to start?
And you had 3 other people in the car?

Don't race with 3 other people in your car! And if you do race do not give a guy a 2 second lead and expect to catch up especially with a 740!!!

 

As everyone mentioned.

To add,

Torque plays a big role once on the highway, though the max theoretically has more torque than advertized the 740il will be hard to beat unless you're a *very* good driver. They reach peak hp/tq lower in the powerband as well.

You were also carrying an additional 300+ lbs. of weight which will bog you down a good split second or so if you were on the track.

 

dude don't feel so bad.

a) how much do you think he paid for his car?
b) how much did you pay for your car?
c) you had three people in your car!!!!
d) 2 second head start?!?! what was the point of even trying at that point?

 

It's also nice to see though that even though you weren't able to catch up with all that weight you were still able to keep up.

Don't underestimate your Max btw. It's got a lot of pull. Just don't start comparing it to road beasts like the 740.

 

Well, point D) -- I thought i could CATCH UP .. shrug, I'm not all into racing and such, I just thought I should've been able to reel him in. It was such a weird feeling being powerless to catch up to such a heavy car, I didn't think they were fast at all.

 

BMW doesn't know how to make slow cars. Even the X5 4.6is does a 0-60 in 6.2 seconds.

 

You can say that again, their slogan says a lot about what they put out.

Btw, If we're talking about the newes X5 that just came out... it's already been reported to go as fast as 5.9s from 0-60. Nothing to laugh at given it is an SUV.

 

Yea, I am talking about the new X5 4.6is (2002). It's nothing to laugh about definitely. It's impressive. Then again, it's a BMW.

 

Those are some anorexic people. 3 people that weigh 100lbs? geez....i think there is something wrong with your car. i have a 100lbs worth of stereo equipment and im not that slow.

 

Eric was able to do 14.6 on the quarter mile his first time with a full set of sound equipment in his trunk.

And he's got an Auto.

Proof enough the 2k2 Max ain't a slouch. You could have done better with some practice and less weight.

 

You let go of the only chance you had, 0-60. After 100, that 740iL owns most anything out there. The 740iL moves in typical BMW fashion despite even it large weight.

DW

 

My dad had a 98 740iL and that thing was amazing for a car of such massive size. For a 4200 lb car it handled and stopped amazing. He just got a 2002 A8L and its no where near a 7 in handling in braking. 80 mph is the sweet spot on that car. It has 310/324 ft lbs of torque and great gearing .

 

Why even bother racing if you had 4 people in the car?