Why is does ferrari f430 have higher acceleration than the bmw m5 e60?

An oil tanker also has more horsepower than a Ferrari F430. Does it accelerate faster? No. It's the same concept here. A better power-to-weight ratio = better acceleration. And even if the limiter was removed from the M5, I don't think it'd make too much of a difference. It would probably top out higher without the limiter, but not considerably, because it's less aerodynamic and has a lot more weight to pull.

ya exactly what he said ^^ the main thing is the power to weight ratio cause if its lighter and alot of power its faster + its made for aerodynamics

Also, torque must be taken into consideration-- torque is more of a factor than horsepower when it comes to off-the-line acceleration.

Gearing and traction are the two things that spring right to mind. Without knowing the specifics weight could also affect acceleration.

The weight has a tremendous part to play in this. The M5 is not a light car even for a 4 door. Unfortunately BMW like all other German brands can't get ever seem to design a new car which is more powerful and lighter than its previous version, so with every new generation of BMW they release the car is inherently heavier than the last. Take the M3 for example, I was speaking to a BMW gear head the other day and he told me that the new M3 E90 weighs 4000LB while the E46 weighs around 3600, the E36 was around 3200, and his 1993 E30 weighs 2800LB. It just poor designing really. BMW likw all new manufacturers has to keep putting monstrous BHP under the hood because they weigh the cars down with a substantial amount of electronics, sound deadening material, and way too computers and sensors. Also the Ferrari has a faster shift time, superior aerodynamics, has less weight, and has less inhabiting the BHP getting to the wheels.

awesome stuff, bro. u iz the man. thx.

Glad I could help. Those aren't the only reasons but are all major factors. Don't get me wrong I love and respect both BMW and Ferrari but they are both getting a bit ridiculous with their designs, and are also losing their edge a bit. They have both become too user friendly, in the past if you looked inside a Ferrari there was no super luxurious interior, or traction control, ABS, power steering power brakes, or even LSD, an F1 transmission, hell some of the Ferraris such as the F40 had no interior except for 2 seats, a steering wheel, and a shifter knob, (no they don't even come with door handles, instead their is a metal cord you have to pull in order to open up the door.) The cars were real brutes (unlike today).

that's right man...that's why i love muscle cars so much. my dream car is a bmw m5, but yea, i do agree to the fact that it's full of computers n gizmos n crap. it just takes away all the driving senstation. on the other hand, talkin about muscle cars, it's all about raw power, no computers to hold u back...just a v8, a steering wheel, and if ur lucky, some seats :D. gotta love'em. seriously, what's the idea of havin a v10 that car practically drive itself? nice talk, man.

I agree my favorite muscle car is a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. Only 6 or 7 exist but that won't stopl my dream of owning one, I used to work at a BMW dealership for me the last body style M5 was so amazing, sure it only had a V8 pushing out 400 BHP lol but it was pretty much the only car besides the M3 and Z series that I wanted drive. Good talk man.

I also absolutely love muscle cars, rat rods, street rods and hot rods. My new favorite "muscle car" is the http://www.arielatom.com/specs/atom-500-v8

it has lighter and shorter rods and longer crank arms which result in a longer stroke which results in higher rpms and horsepower......the compression ratio is reasonably higher because of a small displacement and smaller combustion chamber which helps in top end power and high revs....the lower the C.R. the more low end power u have because of takin time for the cylinder to fill and cylinder scavenging.