|
There are so many unknown factors here. And there's no right or wrong answer. I would take both to the track and see what was more fun for you. You won't ruin either car with one or two track days. You'd probably trash the tires, but that's an easy fix.
A few things to consider:
-Do you already have track experience? If no, the BMW will be easier to start with---even with the supercharger. If yes, either will be fine, but the Porsche will always be more demanding when trying to go fast. On my first track day ever, I had a supercharger in my E90 M3. It was fine. But I also kept Traction Control on. And I took my time to build skill. I was slow slow slow at first. Nothing wrong with that. If DSC is off, just remember to be smooth with the throttle exiting corners because there's a lot of power, and those tires can break free before you know it---espeically street tires.
-How often do you plan on going to the track? If you are new to the track, and plan on less than an average of once per month, your skill will not grow very quickly. I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. I know the weather there. It sucks. And it's unpredictable. The winter is very sketchy---can have snow, be super cold.... And the summer can have yucky weather---if it's not storming crazy thunderstorms, it's nasty hot and humid. So, to average once a month can actually be quite challenging. Plus, finding tracks within a reasonable drive is also a challenge. My point is that if you are new to the track, and you can't go very often due to weather and the distance to tracks, the Porsche might be a long slow learning curve. The BMW might be better.
-If you foresee a day where you are fast enough that you want a set of dedicated race wheels with nice sticky race compound tires, but you don't want to drive to the track on them, the BMW will be MUCH easier to track. I used to drive my E90 M3 to the track before it was a dedicated, trailered track car, and I used to jam up to 6 wheels, two floor jacks, and a TON of gear in it. The Porsche cannot even begin to compete in that department. Off-track logistics are important.
-Engine Heat. Overheating the engine is a big issue in E9x M3's if you go fast. If you are new to tracking and run on street tires, it won't be much of an issue for quite awhile because you can't push as hard. But you do have a non-intercooled supercharger. If you are already an experienced track rat and plan on running slicks, heat in the BMW is going to be an issue. The Porsche guys that I've seen never really complain about overheating. So, I think the Porsche wins here.
-Mods. Modding a late-model BMW is expensive, but modding a Porsche is far MORE expensive. People in BMW-land complain about the BMW "tax" when doing mods. hehe it's NOTHING compared to the Porsche "tax". When a Porsche factory carbon wing is $12000, you know you're in for a wild, wallet-emptying ride. I don't care what stock parts are on either car-----as you track, you're going to want to start replacing parts with more track-oriented parts. I've been down the road in my E90 M3. I know. And I've watched my friends with Porsches.
-Time: Ultimately, the biggest question is---how much time do you have to dedicate to this stuff? Racing is MASSIVELY time consuming if you commit to a series. If you have a lot of time to spend on this and you really do want to race, I would skip over the street cars and just buy an already-built old race car like E30. Cheap to buy, cheap to drive and cheap to fix. (Of course, you'll need a trailer and a towing vehicle. The trailer presents many challenges like where do you park it, it needs regular maintenance, do you want an open or enclosed one? An enclosed trailer is heavy and needs a very solid towing vehicle. An open trailer is lighter and can be towed by something smaller but doesn't offer NEARLY the amount of convenience of an enclosed trailer.)
Anyway, hope that helps.
|