It seems like driver technology changes and improves almost as quickly as microchip technology.
Almost every year, one of the big driver companies comes out with “the next big thing” in the world of drivers and more often than not, it is TaylorMade who designs.
The TaylorMade SIM series of drivers, including the SIM Max, SIM Max D, and SIM has replaced the “M” series that concluded with the M5 and M6 drivers.
You will see a lot of M6 DNA and technology in the SIM series of drivers, but these new drivers are really good. The following is a comparison and contrast of the TaylorMade M6 vs SIM and which one performs better for your game and your swing.
TaylorMade M6
The TaylorMade M6 Driver is easy to hit, very forgiving, and one of the longest drivers on the market right now.
(check out this article here for an in depth review of the M6)
The biggest new feature is TaylorMade’s “Speed Injection” technology. What that means is that behind the 2 tiny red screws on the bottom of the driver, TaylorMade injects up to 2g of resin.
That may seem insignificant, but it is not. In the past, manufacturers had to leave a certain margin for error in both face thickness and polishing to stay within the legal speed limits.
With the M6, TaylorMade measures each face individually and uses a computer algorithm to inject the exact right amount of resin behind the screws so that the club continuously toes the line between legal and illegal distance.
That is the key advantage to this club, it produces the highest amount of ball speed and distance possible in a driver.
It is an extremely forgiving driver with Twist Face technology and a 46 gram inertia generator very low and in the back of the driver head.
This inertia generator is simply a weight that increases the MOI of the club and helps to make every shot as straight and as long as possible.
With all of those changes, however, the M6 sacrificed some customization and movable weights for the extra speed and forgiveness.
TaylorMade saw the writing on the wall, that speed and distance is king, and they produced their M6 driver to make themselves one of the industry leaders in both.
Pros
- The Speed Injection technology ensures that each M6 is as long as possible under PGA rules.
- A very forgiving driver. The Twist Face technology keeps the ball going straight and long even on mishits.
- The inertia generator is a weight located in the bottom and back of the driver head that produces a high MOI and fewer mishits.
- A mid spin, mid launch driver that is easy to hit straight and high but also can produce enough spin to work the ball around the course at higher swing speeds.
Cons
- Not for players who like to work the ball around the course who like to play a little spin on their drive.
- No adjustable weighting.
TaylorMade SIM
The SIM driver is one of TaylorMade’s most technologically advanced drivers. The SIM is a clear step up from clubs with similar performance features such as the M5.
(check out this article for an in depth review of the SIM driver)
It features the same Twist Face technology, Hammerhead 2.0, Speed Injection, Speed Bridge, and adjustability that you find in many of TaylorMade’s offerings, but with a sleeker and more aerodynamic head.
The SIM is much more of a players club than the M6 but it also has quite a few game improvement features as well.
The SIM is made for low handicappers even though it is a very long and consistent club. The main difference in terms of features between the SIM and M6 is the Sliding Weight Technology.
When coupled with the adjustable loft sleeve, it contains adjustability and personalization to optimize the club for each golfer’s trajectory, face angle and flight bias preferences, up to +/-2° loft change and up to +/-20 yards of draw-fade bias.
While it is not magic, it does allow players who like to tinker with their swings the flexibility to shape their shots in a lot of different ways.
Pros
- A players club that adds a lot of distance and club head speed to your game.
- A lot of adjustability, similar to the M5 driver.
- Designed specifically for lower handicappers.
- Very easy to adjust the club for fade, draw, and launch angle even in the middle of a round.
Cons
- Has a smaller head and smaller sweet spot.
- Not made for lower handicappers.
TaylorMade M6 vs SIM Driver Features Face to Face
Construction
Head
The head of the SIM is clearly smaller than the average driver head today and many beginners and higher handicappers will not like the reduced size.
On the other hand, more seasoned golfers with lower handicaps will love the size of the head even if it is a little smaller.
The features of the M6 were completely focused on forgiveness, launch, and ease.
The inertia generator moves the center of gravity low enough to get the ball off the ground in a hurry, and the huge sweet spot (Hammerhead 2.0) and Twist Face technology means it will go straight and long as well.
On the other hand, the TaylorMade SIM is made more for lower handicappers. The SIM driver was created to optimize the “mass properties” of the club, like MOI and center of gravity, while not losing the aerodynamics that give you that extra speed and distance.
The inertia generator, that was previously used specifically in game improvement clubs, is now found in the SIM driver, a players club.
Shaft
The stock shaft options are similar in quality while different in name. The M6 features Fujikura shafts with different flexes and launch options.
The SIM features the Mitsubishi Diamana for the mid/low launch offering and the popular Project X HZDRUS Smoke Green 70 for the low launch offering.
The slight edge goes to the SIM, but you cannot go wrong with Fujikura shafts either.
Looks
The M6 is a great looking driver. The head is big and looks big at address.
It features a small silver line at the leading edge with a red ribbon lining the back. The matte black carbon fibre looks great at address.
The SIM driver, features blue accent colors rather than the traditional TaylorMade red and orange, and it is amazing how much difference that makes.
Not good or bad, just different. You still get the carbon fibre look on the top with a white leading edge, but the blue accent on the back is less of a contrast than the red and changes the look of the club.
Not to mention that the SIM driver is considerably and noticeably smaller with a shorter face.
Performance
Distance
No golfer in the world goes to purchase a driver and wants it to feature “less distance” than their competitors.
No matter what features club manufacturers add to their drivers, the one thing that everyone wants is more distance.
Added distance can be accomplished in a lot of ways, but the primary areas of speed include swing speed, energy transfer from club to ball, face technology, and ball speed.
Both clubs feature high end features that accomplish each of these things (as described above) but the most important feature that TaylorMade has added to these drivers to increase distance is the Speed Injection Technology.
This new technology means that each driver produces the highest amount of ball speed and distance without being considered an illegal driver.
Launch
Both clubs feature the inertia generator which gives you a lower and deeper center of gravity and higher MOI. The SIM driver is more of a mid launch driver while the M6 creeps closer to a high launch driver. The size of the head, shaft options, and lack of adjustability all contribute to the higher launch. The golfers that the M6 target, on average, are looking for a higher launching club while the opposite is true for the target audience of the SIM driver.
Spin
The SIM driver is one of TaylorMade’s lowest spinning models.
The adjustability of the club allows you to set your club up for draws and fades, but in general you can expect a lower spin rate than any other TaylorMade driver out there.
The M6 is not far behind. The purpose of the M6 was to add distance and launch and take away spin for players who are looking to hit the ball farther and straighter.
The small amount of spin that you do get with the M6 is the backspin associated with a higher launch and more carry.
Sound/Feel
The sound of the drivers is fairly similar. They are both pretty low-pitched and quiet, but the M6 is definitely louder with a slightly more metallic sound than the SIM.
TaylorMade has always done a great job with producing tour quality sound in their tour quality drivers.
The feel of the SIM driver is quite a bit softer and better than the M6. The M6 was created to be a stable and forgiving club at the expense of feel.
With the SIM, on the other hand, you get good feedback in your hands and ears when you make a good shot or a not so great shot.
Cost
The SIM driver is a more expensive driver than the M6, and it is also considerably easier to find an M6 on sale. The bottom line is that you have to decide if the new technology and specs found in the SIM driver is worth the extra cost.
Standout Features in the TaylorMade M6 Vs SIM Driver
Adjustability
While the SIM driver has less adjustability than the M5 because it takes away the “Y” weight track that moves weight from front to back, it has adjustability where it is needed.
The vast majority of golfers kept the weight in the back of the club even when the adjustability was there, so TaylorMade saved the extra weight of that track and used it to keep the center of gravity deep and low.
The result is a players driver with a little extra forgiveness while maintaining playability.
Both clubs feature the ability to adjust loft on the hosel by 2-degrees, but that is the only adjustable aspect of the M6.
The M6 is focused on one type of swing and one type of player those looking for distance and forgiveness.
The SIM driver, on the other hand, offers the best players the ability to adjust their club to their game.
Spin/Launch
In the past, spin and launch have been inexorably tied together. If you want a higher launch, in general, you lower the center of gravity and raise the MOI.
You do those same things if you want to take away spin. Almost across the board, when you lower the center of gravity and raise MOI, high handicappers and beginners are the beneficiaries.
The SIM driver is different. With the inertia generator, you can actually lower the center of gravity, raise the MOI, and maintain the spin and shot shaping capability that lower handicappers need.
In short, you have a players club that gives you quite a few game improvement characteristics.
The M6, on the other hand, targets golfers who want to hit the ball long and straight.
These golfers want a driver that is easy to get up in the air and that provides some effortless distance and high end accuracy.
The M6 is slightly draw biased to start with, but the majority of the spin produced by this driver is back spin that helps add carry and keeps the ball as straight as possible.
Golfers who carry the M6 are not as concerned with shaping their shots, but they want a long, straight driver that is easy to hit and that is what you get with the spin and launch features of the M6.
Final Thoughts on The TaylorMade M6 vs SIM Driver Matchup
The SIM line of drivers have replaced the “M” series for TaylorMade, and there is a lot to like about these new clubs.
When combining the M6 and TaylorMade SIM, you can see a lot of the DNA and technology has remained.
The Twist Face technology, Hammerhead 2.0, and inertia generator are just some of the examples of these similarities.
The major difference is that the SIM driver takes all of those features and those technological advancements and adds adjustability and playability to them.
These adjustments allow lower handicappers to see the benefits of extra forgiveness and distance while allowing them to do the other things off the tee.
The M6 focuses on what most golfers want in a driver: distance, ease, and forgiveness.
The SIM driver, on the other hand, focuses more on golfers who need a little more out of their driver and are concerned as much about shaping their shot as they are getting the ball a long way out there.
