[leoloo]

Originally Posted by dharo1

n55 > s55 ??

I love my n55!!!

me too

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by rr006rbc

This is exactly why I didn't get the 335is. N55 ftw.

Um... You must not have driven an is cause it beats an N55 any day. Not to shoot you down N55 is great but come on.

[7smurfs]

N54 has a better top end than the N55.

[ahmad_1290]

I'm very surprised, especially with the fact that now they are recalling a bunch of them with vanos bolt crap. I had to pay out of pocket to fix mine and it caused plenty of other damage, and bmw tells me it was a different vanos bolt that broke. Bunch of bs

[TDN3DOC]

Congrats to the N55!

What will BMW do to upgrade the N20?

It lost out the MB....Last year that was first place also.

Personally, I think they need to quiet the 4Cyl clatter. Quiet noisy...

I know.

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by jphughan

The N54 won its category for 6 straight years....

In 2013, Porsche's 2.7 finally knocked the N54 down to 2nd. That year was also the only one in which the N54 and N55 competed -- and the N55 came in 5th. Although I admit I'm a bit puzzled as to how it has now jumped to the top of the list this year, even over Porsche's 2.7.

The N55 might be a great engine, but as others said, you don't know what you're missing just with the N54, never mind the 335is over the 335i. BMW made a conscious decision to spec the 335is, Z4 35is, and 1M all with the N54.

QFT

[plien69]

Originally Posted by 7smurfs

N54 has a better top end than the N55.

This has not been my experience. I feel the M235i/N55 pulls harder to redline, while my old 135i/N54 started to fade after around 5500/6000.

[WhyGeeGee]

WoW that Ferrari 4.5 V8 is such a beast, no wonder it took 1st place for the performance engine.

[671rover]

Originally Posted by Asbjorn

The N54 is still in production.

They're still using left over inventory

[Miller335]

Originally Posted by 671rover

They're still using left over inventory

Business 101.

[yoelev]

The n54 in my e60 535i had the dreaded HPFP issue but boy did I love that engine. The sound of those turbos scrolling up along with that syrupy smooth flat 6 was leagues ahead of everything else. It was the truly special motor. The n55 is fine. But the n54 was the one that stirred the soul.

[Asbjorn]

Originally Posted by Redadair

My 1M has the N54, same as the Z4is, fabulous engine. Not surprised the N55 is still in the top of the engines, however I am quite surprised the S55 in the M3/4 didn't do much better??

Neither my 07 335i or 1M both of which have the N54 have never had an HPFP or Wastegate issue..

Actually the N54 engine in the 2015 Z4is is the same used in the Z4 35i but with an ECU tune. The N54 used in the 1M has race cats (in the downpipes) and an upgraded water cooling system which you wont find in a stock Z4 35is or Z4 35i.

When the S55 ranks below the N55, and the magazine pretends that the N54 is no longer in production I find it very hard to take their results seriously. And it is not the first year they make this mistake.

The N55 is possible lighter, more fuel efficient and more responsive due to less turbo boost compared to the S55. This would also explain why the tri-turbo diesel scores lower than the twin-turbo one. But why would the new Porsche 2.7L beat the N55 last year and then suddenly not this year? It makes very little sense...

[itf joegun]

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

You have no idea what you actually missed.

+1

The N54 is the engine of the 1M.

[JR956678]

Originally Posted by yoelev

The n55 is fine. But the n54 was the one that stirred the soul.

Which is exactly what the N54 was designed for; it was always intended for low-volume sport models (which is likely how it found its way into the Z4 and 1M) but not for the wide range of duties that the N55 is used for. A couple of things in the N54 design make it less suitable (too expensive to make) as a high-volume engine used across many different platforms, including a forged crank (stronger but more expensive), piezo fuel injectors (fast and precise but much more expensive than solenoid type fuel injectors) and two turbos (with all the associated plumbing as well as the cost of the second turbo).

The N55 is a brilliant engine but I don't think it's appropriate to view it as a replacement for the N54 because for one thing it hasn't replaced the N54 - which is still being made.

Those who feel that the N54 is still being used in certain vehicles because BMW is using up inventory don't appear to really understand how the automotive industry works; they simply don't build something as expensive as an engine and put it into inventory hoping to someday find a car to put it into. If an engine exists at all it's because there's a vehicle scheduled for production that takes that engine and the engine will go into that vehicle - probably in much less than 30 days. But perhaps more important is that certifying a car (for emissions and safety) is a BIG undertaking and changing the engine requires re-certifying the car with the new engine - and that's not something a manufacturer is likely to do unless there's a significant cost savings. If the vehicle was certified with an N54 it will continue to use an N54, and N54s will continue to be built for that vehicle.

Originally Posted by 7smurfs

N54 has a better top end than the N55.

And while the difference is not huge, the dyno tests I've seen support that statement. This may be a design tradeoff to get lower turbo lag; a smaller turbo will spool up faster but flow less air at its maximum. Given the intended use of each engine this makes all the sense in the world to me; the driver of a 1M is more likely to rev higher than the driver of a 5 series sedan.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

Actually when I went to the 4 series event last year hosted by AutoWeek the BMW engineer said to my face that the N54 made more power, but the N55 now has the ability to make just as much. The change was made for efficiency. (I am a former N54 owner)

That's weird, since the dyno's of stock N54's vs N55's tell a different story. I know an N54 is easier to tune (possibly due to the fact it's been around longer and it has two turbos) thus would theoretically make more power easier than an N55 would.

[fecurtis]

So I did some research and I think I found an answer thanks to @Scott26.

Turns out the 1M was originally going to use the N55:

I see cars in the earlist stage but I have other projects to work on that I cannot afford to be distracted as I have many projects not only for cars but I also conceive stuff for BMWTV.de The German only BMW TV channel which in some cases do not involve cars. With each project now we have started to do Pre-visualisation on the computer because we can show it to the director and production crew and explain this is the angles we want to get the perfect shot.

The time window for this car is extremely tight and originally enthusiasm was not apparent until Dr. Kay Segler came to the M Division.
We had initially toyed with the idea of an 1M when we were conceiving the Coupe and did work with evaluation models then using the engine from the E46 and the upgraded E46 CSL engine but it proved to be too heavy for the car.

Originally in the early days of marketing the standard 135i was originally meant to be an M model.

The 1M that stands before you now has had possibly the most progressive stage from thought-production turnaround for a BMW. There had to be a lot of arm-twisting in the BMW Board because of the tight window between generation 1 and generation 2 of the Coupe. The proposal was greenlighted when BMW decided to use the Coupe model for the BMW eDrive evaluation. Therefore slightly extending it's life cycle.

When I first saw the car it was in a design studio as a full scale claymodel but since then some designers ideas have to make way for aerodynamics and engineering. The initial engine proposal was the N55 but they were having issues that cannot be solved within the time window. BMW Greenlit this car in July 09, now over a year later we see it as it intended , although testing still commences until the launch. Valvetronic was the main cause of the time delay but BMW have spent some time on this and are using the N55 as a basis for the next M3.

The best way to describe the engine of the 1M is a "Hybrid" but in the original form of Hybrid, nothing to do with "alternatives", but it is not a straightforward transplant.

There is a lot of this car that will carry over for the next generation 1M in which that car will switch to four cylinders to which the M Division engineers are already working on the basics without time constraints or restrictions. 1M (E82) is showing what is possible in a small timeframe 1M (F22) will show what is possible once you do not have restrictions.

[Blubaron79]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

That's weird, since the dyno's of stock N54's vs N55's tell a different story. I know an N54 is easier to tune (possibly due to the fact it's been around longer and it has two turbos) thus would theoretically make more power easier than an N55 would.

What's weird? The N54 making more power, or the N55 making just as much? He truly admitted that the N54 was capable of more but the switch was for fuel economy. Then stated the N55 was able now to make as much as the N54. (Probably after the tu that happened to get the new PPK to 335hp) This was a true German engineer who you could tell English was not his first language that they flew in for the 4 series release. I even asked him in September of last year what engine would be in the new M3/4, and he just smiled at me..

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by Blubaron79

What's weird? The N54 making more power, or the N55 making just as much? He truly admitted that the N54 was capable of more but the switch was for fuel economy. Then stated the N55 was able now to make as much as the N54. (Probably after the tu that happened to get the new PPK to 335hp) This was a true German engineer who you could tell English was not his first language that they flew in for the 4 series release. I even asked him in September of last year what engine would be in the new M3/4, and he just smiled at me..

Ahh I misread, I thought he said that the N54 made more power even though they're pretty identical. The N54 is definitely more CAPABLE than the N55 is of making more power.

I thought he said the N54 out of the box made more power than the N55.

[pimp4cheddar]

Originally Posted by rr006rbc

This is exactly why I didn't get the 335is. N55 ftw.

Worst move ever lol

[quick99si]

Has anyone done head flow comparisons between the N54 and N55?

[Blubaron79]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

Ahh I misread, I thought he said that the N54 made more power even though they're pretty identical. The N54 is definitely more CAPABLE than the N55 is of making more power.

I thought he said the N54 out of the box made more power than the N55.

10-4 I love how this turned into an N54 v N55 discussion. Both great engines. The N55 is clearly newer, and better due to fuel consumption, and reliability. It also revs better. The N54 might be slightly more powerful in some aspects, but it's time to move on. Bring on the B58!
end-thread

[FrankiE90]

can u turn a n55 to an s55 -
that's the question / internals- turbo - tuning - more boost -?
linear power without drop'n off up top.

congrats n55
and hopefully better tuning days coming soon / 2nd wave of more extracted power like n54.