BMW 745

9

95MARK8LSC

Registered
Not really a race, but this place is getting pretty lame and I never get to post any racing stories, so I'm going to have to bore you guys. Sorry. :)

Today I was driving my friend to the airport when I saw a nice BMW in the distance behind me and he was gaining....looked like a new 745. There was a some traffic, but there was an opening so I zipped up ahead a little bit to show him that I wanted to play. I was quickly caught behind traffic. He also sped up and was behind me driving somewaht aggressively. There was traffic mind you so we weren't racing. However, I was driving with the O/D off at like 75-80 mph and it reminded me once again how torquey these babies are in the upper RPM range. I love it. So anyway, we were in the fast lane. It opened up for a second and I merged into the middle, behind another car and then into the right lane, no car in front of me. He also had no one in front of him in the fast lane and we both zipped up to about 95 or so. It was pretty cool. We quickly caught up to traffic so I had no chance to see how badly he would beat me.....it did turn out to be a 745. I'm sure he was impressed with the little bit I showed him of the Mark VIII even though he would definately take it in his car.

Good times in the Lincoln.
 
RE: BMW 745

I ran a brand new 745IL in my '98 a couple months back from 70 and we were neck and neck till 110. Maybe it was just your slow 1st Gen that was the problem here. LOL. If you have a base Mark with 3.07's and you dropped it into 2nd, you should have pulled pretty hard all the way to 95 before catching 3rd. I would think that would hold off a 4200lb Bimmer.

Bryan
MonsterMark
 
RE: BMW 745

My thoughts exactly Bryan. My neighbors have 2 of the 745's. A his and hers. Been dyeing to race them but probablly never will.
 
RE: BMW 745

Remember, these things have adaptive transmissions, I think that’s says a lot.... if you dont know what I’m talking about, I’m referring to those trannys that adapt to your driving style.... so lets say you drive nice and easy, and one day u decide to floor it, it wont down shift and get going like one in the sports mode will. And by the way, there’s a difference in weight between a 740i/745i and 740iL/745Li.
 
RE: BMW 745

I can't believe Moe is dissing me. What is this world coming to?

This story is from Cal's board. A TRUE story I might add that I posted.

"The '98 Mark got its first taste of a real fight the other day. Let me start by saying Kudo's to the Bimmer driver who was courteous and played fair. It was a pleasure to give you a run.
Got on the interstate and immediately make a nice looking black Bimmer cruising briskly in the left lane. Caught up to get a good look. 2003 BMW 745I with nice 18's. Man that car is wide.

We took turns passing each other with an occasional ramp up in speed just to show the other guy what he had. No real opportunities so we stayed very civil. Just the passsing to change positions.

Finally there is a break in the action. 3/4 - 1 mile of straight-away with no cars and a slight uphill run to a crest. Even though the Bimmer had a Fuzzbuster looking for trouble, he never got out of line. I think he knew as well as I, that the crest in the hill meant no lazer was going to grab us. We had been cruising for about 40 miles together so the patience finally paid off. The moon and stars are now in alignment.

I was in the lead with about a 4 car length spead between the two of us. He started to catch up and I figure he was just going to do a pass. I finally saw the spread decreasing too rapidly and the game was on.

He had a good 3 car head start so by the time I dropped off the O.D. and got on it, his rear wheels were at my front bumper. Were off at 80 and he pulls to where his rear end is now at my bumper. Damn, should I throw out the passengers and jettison some cargo? No fear, the Mark has now entered never-never-land and the motor starts to shine. I slowly creep up as the speeds gain; 90, 100, 110. At this point I notice his trans shift, probably the 4-5 shift, and I make up the whole length plus a little more. I'm a half a car ahead now but the shrill of the Mrs. is getting unbearble so I let off at around 122. He does the same, I am sure experiencing the same shrill in his car. We slow rapidly down, give the thumbs up to each other and relax the rest of the way.

It was good to go stock heads up with a $70,000 325hp, 8 cylinder/4 valver and come out as I did. I won't call it a win. It was a TIE. It was clean and it was fun.

All I can say is, the 6 year old 2nd Gen "Pristine" held up her end of the bargain, so a nice wax and porter job is in the works as her reward today."

I can tell you that the Mark is alot more aerodynamic at the higher speeds. Have you ever seen how "fat" those 745's are? A lot of wind resistance evens up the odds. IMHO

Bryan
MonsterMark
 
RE: BMW 745

2003 BMW 745: 4464 lbs, 325 hp, 330 ft*lb torque

1997 Mark VIII: 3778 lbs, 280 hp, 285 ft*lb torque

3778/280 = 13.5 lb per hp

4464/325 = 13.7 lb per hp

So, the Mark VIII shold be faster.
 
RE: BMW 745

Im Dissing?? Are you serious or kidding?
I didn’t mean anything to you, I meant "you wouldn’t be able too" to any one, not toward you, or anyone in particular. Sorry if it sounded like that.

I'm saying this from past experience, I had a 745i for a trip down to Miami a little while ago, and that sucker has more punch. Its in the mid to low 14’s stock.

Mark, I don’t diss you or anyone like that :)
 
RE: BMW 745

that 14.6 is because it has more gears in the transmission, and can put the power to the ground better. Once you get up on the highway, like in Bryans case, that advantage disappears. The power-to-weight ratio is very close, but it's better on the Mark.

And there are stock marks out there that run 14.6's.

The two cars are close enough that you can't really call BS on a kill story either way. They're close enough that it's down to the driver.
 
RE: BMW 745

Wow, I didn't expect to find so many responses already. Bryan, I never said that I had a "problem" hanging witht he 745 as you put it. Matter of fact, it seemeed pretty close the little bit we could mess with each other, but it definately wasn't a "race". The reason I put that he would probably take me was because I know the numbers. I looked on car-stats too and saw what they can do. Now, seeing Dave's numbers, I wouldn't be surprised if I could whoop him on the highway. Oh well, maybe another day there will be an actual race. Till then, it's speculation. :)
 
RE: BMW 745

Moe, first off, come on, you know I am kidding with you. I guess I should have put up a smiley. See how things can become a problem without syntax. Moe, just providing a little levity to the prior post in an attempt to get back in your good graces, not as a mod, but as a friend. Especially after our previous encounter, which by the way, you never have resonded to via PM. Maybe you are mad at me, but I can assure you, in my case, its water off the duck's back.

Steve, I didn't say you would have a problem either. We agree on that. My take on the 745 is that it would be faster off the line, but then again, what isn't vs a Mark, but on the freeway we can run with a lot of cars that usually run out of gear or get winded.

By the way Sleeper, you should plug into your equation the fact that the LSC model has 10 more ponies, upping it to 290, with that nice free breathing semi-true dual exhaust.

I just factor in the cross section of the Bimmer. It is wider and taller than the Mark so it is pushing more air. Our car is aerodynamically superior which makes a big difference at the higher speeds, especially at the ones I ran this guy at. 80-120.

I would say these cars are very evenly matched from a high speed roll. From a 30 mile roll I would say we would also be very competitive with 745. Off the line I think we would lose everytime. I try not to race much off the line. I try to pick the spots where my car will perform the best. I prefer 30 and 70 mph rolls where I can catch 1st gear or 2nd gear in the power bands. I prefer the Stock Mark gearing of the 3.07's vs the LSC models 3.27's. I like the fact that the 3.07's hold 2nd thru the 1/4 mile stock. In fact, I think I am going to step down into the 2.xx's for the Monster, because the torque will be there and there is no sense over-powering the wheels just to leave black marks all over the place.

So, in conclusion, weight of the bimmer, the size (18's) and weight of the rims, coupled with the cross section of the front end divided by the HP the bimmer makes, evens up the match for the Mark. Without the 5 passengers, full tank and packed trunk, I would have owned the guy. Not killed him, but pulled on him and would have kept on pulling.

I called my race a tie. But against a $75,000 car, it was a psychological victory in my book. Because of that race, I am adding nitrous kit to the '98 just so I can have the extra edge when it comes time to take these kind of guys down.

Bryan
MonsterMark
 
RE: BMW 745

Sorry I have been getting at least 15PM's a day, other then the actual modding. I have been out of the house the last 2 days getting a few things done. Not the type to hold stuff about people, but your two public threads bashing me didn’t help either... but since you my bro, I let it go this time ;)

Guys, don’t forget many other factors the BMW has, first off, the engine is packed with so much technology, that it squeezes every ounce of power it has. (VANOS?) is this new system they have, and it seems to be doing it for them. Also, their trannys are light years ahead of these 4-speed piece of trash 50 year old tranny’s (STUPID FORD!!!). The BMW’s shift much faster, and 6 gears to top it off. Of course, this type of technology is why those cars are $75,000+. I can go on and on about BMW testing and devolvement research, some amazing stuff they have down there.
 
RE: BMW 745

So is it, "but since you my bro, I let it go this time" ;) wink, or "but since you my bro, I let it go this time" wink,:) wink.:)

Bryan
MonsterMark
 
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