[Jo-Sta07]

http://www.motortrend.com/news/repor...g-powerful-i8/

According to MT. God I hope. Think about our cars with 30%-50% more hp and over 500 lb-ft. It would feel like a rocket.

[AwesomeM3]

[stressdoc]

I would be happy with a 100kg weight reduction...

[NGR]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

I would be happy with a 100kg weight reduction...

That probably wouldn't be too hard - rip out the back seats, get rid of the electric seats, put in some carbon buckets and remove some trim panel (rear engine cover could go), lighter wheels etc...

You could do a lot with your own car now. It might not be the comfy GT you're used to though.

[Ravon]

An ex BMW engineer told me that there are factory development i8’s with a 300bhp triple ( which I was told was totally reliable ), and a 200bhp electric motor . That was what I was hoping BMW were going to launch with the Roadster .

[Taxdr1965]

How ya liking the Nat?

[Taxdr1965]

I meant nsx

[Jo-Sta07]

Haven't driven it for over a month!! But my first 300 miles were great.

[orion1977]

You guys do know the i8 has been recorded to be as low as 3.6s 0-60mph and most test yielded a 3.8s? https://www.0-60specs.com/bmw-i8-0-60-times/

[ChiTownM]

Originally Posted by orion1977

You guys do know the i8 has been recorded to be as low as 3.6s 0-60mph and most test yielded a 3.8s? https://www.0-60specs.com/bmw-i8-0-60-times/

I also am wondering why people keep bringing up performance concerns...paper performance and real life performance are 2 different things. Once you drive and own the car for some time there is really good performance on tap, would have loved more battery capacity only.

[Jo-Sta07]

I've owned the car over a year I'd love more performance.

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Jo-Sta07

I've owned the car over a year I'd love more performance.

Off-the-line performance is great as is instant torque for quick maneuvers, I notice something lacking when doing a sustained pull from say 50 to 130. More cubic inches would no doubt be an easy solution but go against the ethos of the car. Maybe higher RPM and higher pressures on the turbo could be the answer? Could we be looking at an extra turbo and a rebuilt top end of the mini engine pushing 8000rpm? Ooooh, yes please.

The e-motor has enough oomph for cornering with understeer coming into play but more power/torque on the motor could certainly help straight-line speed.

If BMW are serious about a 300hp inline 3, that could hint at the the lack of battery progress as I would expect them to be going all-electric as soon as possible, replacing the rear engine with electric motors and batteries.

[Jo-Sta07]

Higher red line would be a great idea. I notice the power drop when I'm on the high way doing 70-80 mph and I floor it to get up to 130+. My S class pulls harder. I recognize at that speed you're getting little electric boost and mostly ICE. So I want a greater output from the ICE!

Also, using manual mode the shifts feel fast and fun. There's a nice (could be artificial though) sound to them. In auto mode though they're much slower than the auto in my Camaro ZL1 and laughably slower than the DCT in the NSX and 458. Something else that could be addressed.

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Jo-Sta07

Higher red line would be a great idea. I notice the power drop when I'm on the high way doing 70-80 mph and I floor it to get up to 130+. My S class pulls harder. I recognize at that speed you're getting little electric boost and mostly ICE. So I want a greater output from the ICE!

Also, using manual mode the shifts feel fast and fun. There's a nice (could be artificial though) sound to them. In auto mode though they're much slower than the auto in my Camaro ZL1 and laughably slower than the DCT in the NSX and 458. Something else that could be addressed.

Definitely on the same page, and maybe could be changed with software. One thing to remember is there is a little motor at the back filling in for lag and gear changes so the shift speed isn't quite that important - mostly in the 'feeling' department
A bigger e-motor on the rear could make a noticeable difference and give some more forward shove - again though, it all comes down to the battery pack and not destroying it by quick discharges.

[vance]

I don’t think another weak electric motor would be the proper fix. It would be a TT v6 gas engine honestly

[jnkirk1974]

Could you imagine if they would at least place the M4 power unit into the i8? It would be incredible. Yes, weight would be added, but the power increase would be tremendous. Weight savings could be achieved in other areas (many named above in previous posts). I think this move would help close the gap with other cars in this price range.

That said......such a move would render this no longer an "i" Division car.

[ericsi]

Originally Posted by NGR

Definitely on the same page, and maybe could be changed with software. One thing to remember is there is a little motor at the back filling in for lag and gear changes so the shift speed isn't quite that important - mostly in the 'feeling' department
A bigger e-motor on the rear could make a noticeable difference and give some more forward shove - again though, it all comes down to the battery pack and not destroying it by quick discharges.

I am slightly frustrated that BMW did not evolve the software and offered improvements on existing models like McLaren did with the MP4-12c's for example.