First of all I have to appoligise , it was never my intention to make this review so long . I started my testing with R3 tires fitted
, so I had to redo this and include both sets of tires .
The Thrustmaster
BMW M3 GTR '03
Preview :
In February 2001 BMW presented a pure-bred sportscar for road use , however the production did not start till 2002 .
Unlike all other M3's this model was fitted with a 90degrees V8 simular to engine they used in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
The street version had to do with only 350hp (345bhp / 396hp on my GT5 car don't know why ) compared to the 450hp (443bhp) racing version
due to emissions and noise levels .
Still at 1350kilo this two seater M3 GTR is a motoring purist dream .
So when browsing these tuning forums I saw yet another M3 GTR tune , nothing special in all fairness but this one was given the cocky nickname
"the trusthmaster"
, now if you post a tune with such a name you better be sure of yourself .
So the question is , does it deserve the name ?....
Review :
Upon installing the tune on one of my spare M3 GTR's some numbers crossed my eye .
472 bhp (478hp) at 1178kg sound fast that is for sure , but with sport soft tires ....
Hopefully can the rearspoiler the size of a boeing 747's wing keep this car on track
.
To be honuest I don't like the M3 , NSX's , LFA's to much in the 550pp bracket seeing not many people even bother trying different cars ,
but in a review one must set personal dislikings or likings aside and keep an open mind .
Now for this review I will visit 4 different tracks , with different styles to see how the car handles .
Going from Spa Francorchamps to Deep Forest to Cote d'Azur and finally Trail Mountain .
Sport Soft
Spa francorchamps
Taking this car to Spa , wich despite a lot of people think is a very technical track , I could not stop thinking how this car would go up Eau Rouge / Radillion .
This very fast corner combo can be a killer for the long straight behind it . To my surprise the M3 GTR went up at 210km/h (130mph) wich would put it in an exellent position for the long straight . The rest of the track this car keeps an exellent pace and tons of grip , you will have to be carefull seeing there is always a little chance of oversteer but this is easely corrected . It is very fun to drive this car on this track and running a
2.24.472 as a best of 5 hotlaps on sport soft it is defenatly a fast car .
Deep Forest :
Very intresting to see how good this car reacts to the height differences , bumps and bankings on this track . At no time did it feel unsafe or on / over the edge . Presonal best
1.29.417
Cote d'Azur :
Amazing how sharp this car steers in the small streets of Monaco , the car eats every conrner one by one always on the hunt for more . My best time on this course was a
1.35.974
Trail Mountain :
Pretty much the same as on all other tracks , personal best
1.29.417
Racing Soft
Because of the high amounts of grip I decided to get rid of the spoiler when using racing softs , basicly it gives me more power and the car looks way better
Spa francorchamps
Even without the spoiler at the back the car was rock solid .
Minimun of throttle controle is needed to keep this car in bay , i senced almost no understeer ( exept when overshooting my breaking point )
but even then it was easy to controle and get it back in line .
Oversteer well i searched for it but apperantly it was hiding for me .
Only when i wanted it and put some effort to it the rear would slide a little .
Just enough for a good replay but nothing uncontrolable .
All in all for Spa i would consider this an superb beginners car with rocksolid handling and exellent to get to know a track .
For the more Experienced driver this is a steady ride able to keep posting the same laptimes lap after lap .
While not pushing the car past maybe 80% of its abilaty i was able to set nice 2.18.1xx's lap after lap , with an easy
2.17.358 as a best time .
Deep Forest :
This track is tricky with the height difference , bumps in the first and second sector . Still no flawes could be found in the setup exept for some driver errors it was a fun ride .
1.11.967 was my best lap but numerous of steady 1.12.xxx we're achieved .
The car was adapting exellent towards the bumps and sharper turns .
Cote d'Azur :
This twisty track is one of the most beuatifull tracks in the world , pure driving sensation . while the combination of driver and car needs to be at there top to post a good time .
On this track the GTR dived into every corner like it wanted more and more ( greedy bastard
) still driving the same gearbox from Spa and deep Forest i was able to post a nice
1.31.842 .
It was a fun and safe drive with just a little oversteer when flooring it in the twisty part of the track .
Trail Mountain :
1.23.754 , i would consider this a very sharp time . Not to many random online lobbies run faster times to my knowledge . It was smooth just in the first sector you needed to be sharp , little mistakes could have big consequences . but other then that is was a very good drive as well
End conclusion :
When using this car it doesn't matter what kind of tires you will use , you will always be fast . This tune will work for both Racing and Sort soft and is a pleasure to drive . It does not matter if you are a novice on the track or a more experienced driver this car will suit all . And with that said the amounts of convidence this car will give his driver I can only say it defenatly deserves the name
"The Trusthmaster" 👍
Keep in mind all testing was done Online , with only ABS set to 1 , everything was turned off . And that better testtimes should be easely manageble by more skilled drivers . I only did 1 warmup lap followed by 5 hotlaps on every track .
( i might still edit some stuff incase of typo's , oh and i didn't take the car to the nurburgring seeing i consider that track more of a challange towards the driver then a car , besides i hate that track but i am certain it could post good laptimes there as well )
