Real world difference between an M3 and a CSL...
 

Evening all, I wonder if you could share your opinions and experiences with me.

I have an M3 SMG at the moment and have been hankering after a CSL for the last year. I haven't yet driven a CSL, nor come across one on track to make the comparison so here's where you lucky CSL owners come in.

Looks aside (as I don't want to make mine look like something it's not) what would you say would be the difference between the car's below round a track like Silverstone, and the ring?

A) M3 SMG with a few choice mod's - Ap's all round, Intrax coilovers, limiter kit, remap and the all important 18's

B)Standard CSL

C)CSL with the same modifications as A)

The CSL is roughly £15k ontop of my M3 and whilst it's also going to hold it's money better and is no doubt the better car all round, I'm just trying to establish how much difference there actually is in the real world when compared to an M3 with £4-5k's worth of proper modifications...

Munich Legends are currently looking for a CSL for me so as soon as they find a nice one i'll have the chance to experience the difference but until then i'm just weighing up the options.

Thanks, James

The csl will make you feel like a god at silverstone taking the trickiest corner at about 2 mph faster than your tin top m3,:thumbs:Oh and the brakes are slightly larger so disipitate heat slightly better,and they hate getting dirty the car i mean.

The CSL feels very different and comparing stock for stock they work very differently on track BUT if you are prepared to modify your M3 you can improve it quite alot more than we can improve the CSL making them much closer in performance BUT not many will add the all important airbox, cams or suspension components that make it work so well.

The sound is hard to replicate for sure.

:hahaha: I wondered if you would surface, that's where your wrong though - you should treat yours like a filthy whore when it comes out the garage. Polish is for girls :gayfight: 2mph around the whole track would be a reasonable difference though :)

Yes that's what I was thinking, I can close the gap as such. I know you say replicate but I don't want to achieve the sound as I know I can't, I just want to see how close I can come to the real world performance round a track as the CSL. However I don't want to spend anywhere near the difference between the two cars getting there. Hence the small list of proper modifications.

Keep them coming :)

You proved your m3 was quicker than a 500 hp m5 with worn tyres and mega slippery track, I think buy csl for great looks rarity value nice carbon bits sound of course the sound is what keeps me hooked the nice duck tail spoiler feels nice when polishing:gayfight: the thin glass back window special suspension changes spring and damper rates set perfectly for the ring the whole package really, it wont be night and day difference to yours but believe me you wont regret it just keep it clean to treat it mean.:thumbs:

An M3 remaped alpha n and gearbox software, air box with properly sorted Intrax and sticky rubber with a light exhaust system will be quicker then a standard csl

I've had both the M3 smg and the csl. I dont think you can compare them. Yes you can mod the M3, as I did, but the driving experience is totally different. They handle differently, sound differently they are so different. Until you actually drive one you wont understand or believe the difference. I DIDN'T :)

How come alpha mapping, airbox csl has cup tyres csl has sorted suspension csl has csl is lighter has uprated cams ect you would need to do more to make standard m3 quicker me thinks.:smokin:

this is soooo dependant on the driver IMHO

Very true :supz: