[StevenX94]

Hello,

Not really sure whether this should be posted here or in the M2 Comp threads.
Anyways, i am about to buy an M2. I locked my thoughts first on the normal M2 becase the price range was decent for me. As I began searching and waiting for a good M2 to show up in some dealership, i began to see a lot of M2 Comps.
When asking, the dealers seem to say that everyone is shifting their likes to the Comps.

On paper, it really seems that the Comp is not worth the extra cash as it is only 0.2 seconds faster from 0-100km. Ofcourse 0-100 is not everything and i have not test driven them yet.

Is the Comp worth the bigger wallet blow?
1-is it remarkably faster than the older M2? If so, in early acceleration, in 0-100, in high speed overtaking, where exactly is it faster?

2-what will i feel different between the N55 and S55? Does S55 have like a much sharper take off? Is it more "scary" quick?

3- when overtaking, like from 80-120km, or 110-140km, does the M2 comp have much more surge of power?

Thanks for all advice! Appreciate everyone's answers. <3

[rcouchh]

I was in the same exact boat. Looking mostly for an OG M2 to save some money, get a still plenty capable car. Figured I didn't need the Comp, but once I test drove both back to back, there was no comparison.

The M2C is just a superior car, and the price bump is worth it. The brakes, seats, motor etc more than justify the cost. It is a good amount quicker stock for stock, but the real difference is how much power you can make easily. N55 with boltons you get maybe high 300's or 400whp. The M2C starts closer to 400 and just a tune will get you to nearly 500.

My best advice, drive both.

[6speed_M2]

If you're going to modify (catless downpipe, full exhaust, etc) I like the N55. It sounds like a 2JZ when done right. Pure ecstasy.

If you're going to keep it stock or relatively stock for that matter (muffler, tune) I'd go with the comp. Comp has more power stock, better cooling, and cool seats/bigger & heavier brakes. It also can make more power with less work.

IMO theres nothing like a N55 with no cats/res & an aftermarket muffler, but to each their own. If the car is remaining stock I'd get a comp no question. I like the N55 because of how unique it sounds when it's fully modded.

Either way I would go with a manual as well although the DCT is pretty much perfect. I personally find myself bored after a certain amount of time if the car is automatic.

[Al Bundy's Dodge]

The biggest difference I noticed when test driving both back to back was the N55 being better suited for driving around the city. The low end torque was more noticeable to me. The S55 shines in the upper RPM range, which is hard to consistently take advantage of when just driving around town.

So my personal thoughts are, if you are going to track the car, get the Comp. if you won't be then get the N55 because you'll be wasting money on an engine you can't really take advantage of.

Also the N55 exhaust sounded way better to my ears, but sound is subjective.

In the end, for me, the extra $10k for a comp didn't really make sense. Not that I'd be unhappy owning one, they are both fantastic cars. You can't go wrong with either one!

[StevenX94]

Great ideas guys thanks for the replies so far!
I am almost sure i will not ever track the car. It will mainly be used for normal driving.
I slso plan to leave it stock, as i dont have so much knowledge in tuning and dont want to risk shortening the engines lifespan.

With this in mind, will the comp still be more fun anyways, or the OG M2 is the definite choice here?

[///MPhatic]

I was in this spot too, having fell in love with the OG M2, but waited long enough that the M2C was on the showroom floors.

Here's my take on it.

Pro's for the OG M2:
- less expensive
- more of a classic BMW front end
- better looking wheels (437M vs 788M)
- standard brakes that don't get rocks trapped in between the caliper and wheel barrel
- sounds much better
- more low-end torque feel
- less maintenance, especially as the car ages
- no crank-hub failures
- stock exhaust looks and sounds amazing, no need to change like on the M2C



Pro's for the M2C:
- I like the way the seats look, but they aren't any more comfortable [to me]
- I like the extra power

So, for me it was an easy choice. Now, if I had a bunch of extra money burning a hole in my pocket and also wanted to track the car here and there it would have been a different story.

[Nicname]

Originally Posted by VisualEchos

I was in this spot too, having fell in love with the OG M2, but waited long enough that the M2C was on the showroom floors.

Here's my take on it.

[COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]Pro's for the OG M2:[/COLOR]
- less expensive
- more of a classic BMW front end
- better looking wheels (437M vs 788M)
- standard brakes that don't get rocks trapped in between the caliper and wheel barrel
- sounds much better
- more low-end torque feel
- less maintenance, especially as the car ages
- no crank-hub failures
- stock exhaust looks and sounds amazing, no need to change like on the M2C



[COLOR="Red"]Pro's for the M2C:[/COLOR]
- I like the way the seats look, but they aren't any more comfortable [to me]
- I like the extra power

So, for me it was an easy choice. Now, if I had a bunch of extra money burning a hole in my pocket and also wanted to track the car here and there it would have been a different story.

Is the rocks between the brakes a big issue? Haven't followed the M2C forums since I have an OG but was planning to upgrade.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by Nicname

Is the rocks between the brakes a big issue? Haven't followed the M2C forums since I have an OG but was planning to upgrade.

I'm not sure I'd call it a big issue, but it's a common one for sure (with the OEM 2NH BBK). It just produces scratches on the barrels of your wheels, or some noise here and there. If you're using inexpensive wheels, or 20's, then there shouldn't be any real problem with it. But if you're using some very high-end wheels, like the BBS FI-R, the barrels are so thin that they can't tolerate the scratches and need to be replaced...at $2100...each.

Here's an old thread on the scratches.

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1618796

[AlpsRider]

The M2C does cost more but for the people that own them it's a good thing. My M2C has only dropped around 5k dollars value in 2 1/2 years.

[StevenX94]

When you guys say more low-end torque with the OG M2, what do you exactly mean? Is it the low-end accelerations that is quicker with the OG m2?

Does that even mean that if you launch both cars the exact same launch, thr OG M2 will be ahead at the beginning?
Or have i understood it completly wrong (:

[GoneIn4Secs]

Yes if you do stop light to stop light racing, og will beat the m2c

[RAM_F30_F87]

FYI on the dust shields...
https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...5&postcount=10

[StevenX94]

Originally Posted by GoneIn4Secs

Yes if you do stop light to stop light racing, og will beat the m2c

Is that so?....interesting....that changes a whole lot of ideas now.....
I thought S55 would be faster in every single situation as it it has twin turbos...guess i was wrong

[bmwv]

i have m2. The seats and the breaks are the only thing i like better in the competition.

[GoneIn4Secs]

Originally Posted by StevenX94

Is that so?....interesting....that changes a whole lot of ideas now.....
I thought S55 would be faster in every single situation as it it has twin turbos...guess i was wrong

However if you are on the hwy and you are both past 100km/h, 62mph, you will get beat if you are stock OG

[Moflow]

Originally Posted by GoneIn4Secs

Yes if you do stop light to stop light racing, og will beat the m2c

I don’t know if I believe that. Both cars are traction limited below about 40 mph anyway, so both cars are really only putting down exactly as much power as the tires can handle in a “stoplight drag” situation. The S55 has more torque above about 3k RPM. If you’re trying to actually go fast, how often are you below 3k rpm? Which is not to say that extra torque down low from the N55 doesn’t matter! It will be there for you in everyday driving, I just don’t buy that it would actually make any kind of a difference in a race unless both drivers agreed to shift at 2500rpm...

OP, you’re specifically in the non-comp section of the forum. People here are mostly non-comp owners. Everyone (including me) is biased towards their own vehicle as we’d all like to justify our decisions.

Here are my justifications for the Comp:

1. I like the higher redline, 7600 rpm from a modern turbo motor is pretty exceptional.
2. I like the seats more
3. Those brakes (edit: these are not standard in Sweden. I like the comp brakes but I’m not sure id pay extra for them when aftermarket stuff works as well and allows for 18 inch wheels)
4. The extra power
5. Under hood prettiness.
6. Programmable M1/M2 buttons

That said, those talking about the N55 sound are absolutely correct. Stock, modded, it doesn’t matter. The S55 is just not a very good sounding engine. Plus the comp exhaust is ugly.

Also money concerns are legit, that’s really up to the individual but for some people, financially the OG makes a lot more sense and that’s fine.

Again though, like everyone here, I am biased.

[JustAWhisper]

I think spelling out the total expected use of the car will help you make your decision.

If you plan to keep the car stock-ish and just drive it on the street, the M2C is probably a better car, but you'll just have to decide if the extra money is worth it to you. I felt an 2018 M2 was a good compromise and I'm happy with my purchase.

A few notes here that haven't been brought up if you plan to autocross or track your car:

1. The stock brakes on the M2C are unnecessarily large and prevent fitting common 18 inch track wheels. While the stock 19 inch wheels are fine for a daily driver and are even decently light, they have less tire options than 18 inch wheels for autocross/track days, and the tires that are available are significantly more expensive. You'll save thousands over the life of the car if you autocross or track with any frequency. You can fix the problem by fitting an aftermarket BBK (most of which are actually smaller than the stock brakes), but installing smaller stock brakes is illegal in almost all autocross and time trial rulesets that I know of. HPDE's you can do what you want, though.

2. The M2C has less front fender clearance, which makes fitting wider front wheels and tires more difficult on a car that's already difficult to fit wider front wheels and tires. I haven't test fit myself, but I believe the M2C is effectively limited to 265 width tires, whereas the OG M2 can do 285 with some fenagling.

3. Finally, weight. On the street, you won't notice the M2C's substantial weight penalty, but it will definitely show up in autocross and on smaller tracks. I've seen comparison tests that show OG M2's beating F80 M3's on smaller tracks, and the M2C is slightly heavier than an F80 M3. You can take some of the weight gain out if you start modifying the car, but the OG M2 will always be a bit lighter and have a bit better weight distribution.

Hope that helps.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by GoneIn4Secs

Yes if you do stop light to stop light racing, og will beat the m2c

I can't imagine this is true. Do you have some tests showing it?

The way I've seen it stated was that the N55 feels like a motor with a turbo added, and the S55 feels like turbo's with a motor added. The N55 just feels gruntier down low, if that's even a word, but it doesn't (that I've ever seen) translate to a faster 0-60 or low-speed corner exit.

If you want to stoplight race, and must get an M2/M2C, get the DCT, as it's just a better launching car.

[rcouchh]

Originally Posted by JustAWhisper

I think spelling out the total expected use of the car will help you make your decision.

If you plan to keep the car stock-ish and just drive it on the street, the M2C is probably a better car, but you'll just have to decide if the extra money is worth it to you. I felt an 2018 M2 was a good compromise and I'm happy with my purchase.

A few notes here that haven't been brought up if you plan to autocross or track your car:

1. The stock brakes on the M2C are unnecessarily large and prevent fitting common 18 inch track wheels. While the stock 19 inch wheels are fine for a daily driver and are even decently light, they have less tire options than 18 inch wheels for autocross/track days, and the tires that are available are significantly more expensive. You'll save thousands over the life of the car if you autocross or track with any frequency. You can fix the problem by fitting an aftermarket BBK (most of which are actually smaller than the stock brakes), but installing smaller stock brakes is illegal in almost all autocross and time trial rulesets that I know of. HPDE's you can do what you want, though.

2. The M2C has less front fender clearance, which makes fitting wider front wheels and tires more difficult on a car that's already difficult to fit wider front wheels and tires. I haven't test fit myself, but I believe the M2C is effectively limited to 265 width tires, whereas the OG M2 can do 285 with some fenagling.

3. Finally, weight. On the street, you won't notice the M2C's substantial weight penalty, but it will definitely show up in autocross and on smaller tracks. I've seen comparison tests that show OG M2's beating F80 M3's on smaller tracks, and the M2C is slightly heavier than an F80 M3. You can take some of the weight gain out if you start modifying the car, but the OG M2 will always be a bit lighter and have a bit better weight distribution.

Hope that helps.

Arguing that the OG M2 is a better track/autocross car than the M2C

These posts are literally just owners justifying their own personal choices. The M2C is undeniably the better car, the question is whether the $8-10k is extra is worth it to you.

OP needs to just drive both.

[doug_999]

Lots of good stuff in these posts. The OG will feel "faster" around town. The seats, while not as pretty, are just as comfortable (to me).

But the ride, nobody is taking about the ride. The M2C is reported to have a much more compliant ride.

I personally gave up on the OG after a year. I just couldn't take it as a daily on Chicago roads.

I sure do miss everthing else about the OG. What a car.

[KevinC]

Lots of good input here, but as you can see, we all have our own reasons for preferring one over the other. Suggestion: spend some time on YouTube watching the various reviews of each car. There are a bunch of guys who have owned both and do a good job explaining the differences between the cars and their thoughts on them. Check out Joe Achilles, he's had both (as well as a bunch of other nice BMWs) and he produces some nice content. Good luck! No bad choice here, it's a win/win whichever way you wind up going.

[StevenX94]

Great input from all wow! Thankfull to everyone who took time to advice.

With all this info, i think am leaning mostly towards OG M2. Feels quicker at normal driving, almost same times if drag raced stoplight to stoplight. Better sound as you guys said.
As i will probably never track the car, i guess i wont need the stronger brakes on the Comp?

The seats, yes better on the comp, but what about whole driving comfortability, anyone has a word on this maybe?
A guy here said M2C is a more compliant ride, maybe any more details?

I do alot of long trips at times, any remarkable diffs between the two cars at comfort when just wanting to have a comfortable drive?

*Ofcourse i will try to test drive both, but better to have some knowledge before too.