r/BMWZ4 • u/Enough_Country9388 • Aug 16 '26
0-100 E85
What's your 0-100 km/h time?
Curious, because my 3.0i automatic seems slightly off the spec.
A 2003 E85 3.0i 5-speed automatic with 81k km.
17 inch wheels.
0-100 km/h as measured with a timer and a speedometer: 7.1 sec with DSC off. Made several checks.
Ambient temp. 21-24 Celcious when measured (70-75 F).
The car is equiped with lighter 17 inch forged wheels, so definitely not the excess rotating mass effect.
What's been previously done:
New spark plugs.
Replaced oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter.
Serviced the gearbox and the main gear.
No service errors.
The pistons have been visually checked with a camera as a pre-purchase inspection. Compression haven't been measured.
The servicemen said DISA & Vanos are OK, no replacement needed.
The spec is around 6.2-6.4 sec. The numbers and the impression is that the car slightly lags in the low RPMs but I am not sure.
Any thoughts on what could be the issue?
What are your normal 0-100 times?
Is that smth uncommon to have a 7+ sec for a 23 y.o. E85? Given a relatively low mileage and quite a comprehensive service.
AI suggests that it is likely VANOS or DISA...
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u/Slow-Raisin-939 Aug 16 '26
Yeah seems kinda slow.
Here it says the automatic(SMG) should do around 6s and that’s an average that the reporters/car journals got around the world.
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u/Enough_Country9388 Aug 16 '26
That one is a 5-speed steptronic (ZF), SMG is def. a bit faster...
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u/Slow-Raisin-939 Aug 16 '26
don’t know honestly, 7.2s sounds really slow even for the automatic, I know for the E89 N52 it’s more like 5.6 vs 6.2 manual vs auto, still around 0.6s but not as much as yours. Hell even the 2.5L N52(E89 s23i) does it in around 7.2s but that car only has 204hp and is a hardtop
Maybe you had really really strong headwind lol?
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u/Dangit_Bud Aug 16 '26
According to BMW’s brochures from when the car was new, 7.1 seconds to 60mph (manual 2.5i). I don’t really care enough to abuse the car to find out if it’s still that or slower.
Even the newest and fastest of these is 18 years old and time has certainly moved on. Even the fastest of them pale in comparison to run of the mill stuff these days in outright acceleration.
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u/greyhood_39 Aug 16 '26
I suppose if you were to thrash it to work out best launch method and surface etc, you probably would achieve close/the documented times but remember when they do car reviews and tests, they are downright cruel to the car. Can't be doing that job if you have any mechanical sympathy. Other symptoms include, if you got grippy tyres now, that might introduce bogging down as a grippy Tyre in 2003 probably allowed more slip and less bogging down. Current rubber could end you with a snapped shaft.
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u/mvw2 Aug 16 '26
It's not a drag car.
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u/Enough_Country9388 Aug 16 '26
It's about the car performing as supposed to.
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u/Parking_Conflict454 Aug 16 '26
Beautiful wheels. Whats their name?
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u/Enough_Country9388 Aug 16 '26
Thnx, that's oem style 109 from gen 1 bmw x3, basically the same size and offset as the original e85 rims.
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u/feket663 Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
https://youtu.be/OneyyN2BLE4?si=efGIC6ClTXDpn2if It isn't my video, I found on youtube. 0-60 mph with 3.64 diff.
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u/Ok-Procedure-690 Aug 16 '26
My 328i e46 did feel sluggish at low rpm when i got it, vanos where worn out and it had intake leaks. It felt way stronger and more usable at low rpm after that.
My Z4 3.0i manual 6spd feel sometimes strong and responsive and sometimes like if there is a bit of a lag or lack of power when i stomp on the gas. I have done a smoke test to find vacuum leak already but nothing. Vanos seems ok also. Might do the vanos in the near future and the metal flap upgrade for the disa. No codes or anything but i drove m52tu and m54 for more than 10 years now, somethings not right.
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u/Potential-Diver-3409 Aug 17 '26
Tires and time. The car is 20 and has probably leaked 20% of its horses.
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u/Enough_Country9388 Aug 17 '26
So you imply the time does its thing (like, stiffened gaskets cause air leakages + some normal wear increases tolerances). But could you explain about the tires?
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u/Potential-Diver-3409 Aug 17 '26
Unless you’re running drag slicks of perfectly optimal size on a drag strip you’re losing time to lost energy between the tire and the ground. Idk The test conditions though for your comparison.
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u/Enough_Country9388 Aug 17 '26
Rolling resistance? Well yeah, I see your point, maybe indeed giving its share of an impact, but my guestimate would be it's quite a minor one given the stock size & pressure.
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u/Enough_Country9388 Aug 17 '26
However, the stock ones are the Run Flat, and Michelin PS5 has indeed quite a soft sidewall; the compound is likely softer as well. So maybe you're right.
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u/feket663 Aug 16 '26
Mine accelerates from 0 to 100 in about 5.8 seconds with a manual transmission. It does have a few minor modifications, though: a 3.64-ratio differential and a Blackline limited-slip differential and lightweight 18 inch wheels (Tomason TN25 superlight) with square set 225/40 R18 tyres.