Recommendation for tuned BMW N55?

Originally Posted by RIPGermanCastrol
I take your point, and I am just a filthy casual so don't expect a good response from me. I took the advice posted here and assumed it's fine based on the manual's allowance of 5w40. However, because it really is on the thicker side of the 40w spectrum, perhaps I will swap it out for RL 5w30 or PPE 5w40 when it gets cooler out. I assume this should be a fine summer oil, no?

I would run 5W30 RL in a heartbeat. Again, RL 5W30 has HTHS 3.7. That HTHS is probably higher than PPE 5W40 has.
 
Perhaps you're right. I did send Redline a message, and the rep said that, because it is a performance oil, it will run a little bit on the thick side. While it is fine for my application, he said their recommended weight for my engine is the 5w-30, but BMW's choice of thinner 30w's is influenced by a need to meet CAFE standards (as evidenced by BMW's recommendation for 0w-30 in 2016 compared to 5w-30 in 2014 and 2015 despite no mechanical differences). Now I just have to decide if return shipping or driving to the store is worth it.
 
If your tracking it I would use Redline 5w-40. Thinking your significantly above stock torque levels, the oil is getting really hot due to track driving. Personally I like to use Redline for cars that I track. Used to have a FBO tracked E90 N54 and more recently a daily driver E92 N54.

If your just doing autocross or aggressive street driving, and BMW LL-01 oil will be just fine. I use Castrol 5w-40 in my N55 because it's cheap at Walmart.
 
Originally Posted by RIPGermanCastrol
Perhaps you're right. I did send Redline a message, and the rep said that, because it is a performance oil, it will run a little bit on the thick side. While it is fine for my application, he said their recommended weight for my engine is the 5w-30, but BMW's choice of thinner 30w's is influenced by a need to meet CAFE standards (as evidenced by BMW's recommendation for 0w-30 in 2016 compared to 5w-30 in 2014 and 2015 despite no mechanical differences). Now I just have to decide if return shipping or driving to the store is worth it.

5W30 LL01 does not have anything to do with CAFE. Minimum HTHS of LL01 is 3.5. There are no any energy savings there.
0W30 TPT is LL01FE. HTHS there is around 3.1. That is where CAFE plays role. But take into consideration that 0W30 Edge is minimum HTHS of 3.5.
Also, all BMW gas engines are still specified for LL01. Even those that run on 0W20.
For example I decided to run PPE 5W40 bcs. it is on light side of W40. HTHS is probably around 3.6. There is that saying: as thick as necessary, as thin as possible.
 
Do you have the noack and hths for PPE 5w-40? I'm guessing not because you guessed the hths, but it seems odd that shell is so secretive.
 
The M235i is one car I'd love to have as a second car (to replace the Civic that is) and if it were me I'd run Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 in it.
 
Originally Posted by Patman
The M235i is one car I'd love to have as a second car (to replace the Civic that is) and if it were me I'd run Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 in it.


It's a great car. It's my daily, but I don't drive a ton. It's practical, the gas mileage is okay, but on a more fun note, it's fun as [censored]. Mine's a 6 speed with wider PSS tires and wheels, full bolt ons + tune, with only 30k miles. I really enjoy it.

On an oil related note, I took the advice of the forum and the Redline rep and exchanged the 5w-40 with 5w-30. I will report back with an oil analysis when it comes time to change.
 
What bolt-ons do you have? Do you know what the car is making for HP? A friend has a stage 1 tune on his N55 powered F30 335xi with bolt-ons. It's somewhere in the 450hp range. He runs Castrol 0w40 but the car also doesn't see any track time, just street shenanigans.

The car runs great but he did notice after the tune the car is a bit harder on spark plugs. They get swapped every 25k now, so just something to keep in mind.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
What bolt-ons do you have? Do you know what the car is making for HP? A friend has a stage 1 tune on his N55 powered F30 335xi with bolt-ons. It's somewhere in the 450hp range. He runs Castrol 0w40 but the car also doesn't see any track time, just street shenanigans.

The car runs great but he did notice after the tune the car is a bit harder on spark plugs. They get swapped every 25k now, so just something to keep in mind.


Catless downpipe, AFE intake with full heat shielding, VRSF 5" high density intercooler (have yet to install it). The tune is the Bootmod3 flash tune. It also has the M performance LSD, so it doesn't kill all power at the mere thought of hard acceleration like my 135i did. I also replaced the muffler with the m performance muffler.

It's probably around 450hp, and yes, I've heard about it being hard on plugs. I swapped the plugs when I got it for one step cooler NGKs.
 
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Originally Posted by RIPGermanCastrol
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
What bolt-ons do you have? Do you know what the car is making for HP? A friend has a stage 1 tune on his N55 powered F30 335xi with bolt-ons. It's somewhere in the 450hp range. He runs Castrol 0w40 but the car also doesn't see any track time, just street shenanigans.

The car runs great but he did notice after the tune the car is a bit harder on spark plugs. They get swapped every 25k now, so just something to keep in mind.


Catless downpipe, AFE intake with full heat shielding, VRSF 5" high density intercooler (have yet to install it). The tune is the Bootmod3 flash tune. It also has the M performance LSD, so it doesn't kill all power at the mere thought of hard acceleration like my 135i did. I also replaced the muffler with the m performance muffler.

It's probably around 450hp, and yes, I've heard about it being hard on plugs. I swapped the plugs when I got it for one step cooler NGKs.


Nice! Yeah my friend's car is an XDrive model (lowered with Dinan springs) so it hooks up pretty well. The first thing he replaced after doing that same Bootmod tune was the plastic charge pipe. It blew off on his first full throttle pull.
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He has a tune for the ZF 8 speed as well but I forget what that one is. The car has been very reliable so far. Do you still have a resonator? We deleted his resonator and with the stock muffler and the bootmod tune it has some nice burbles on deceleration and in between shifts. I wish we had a track close by.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
What bolt-ons do you have? Do you know what the car is making for HP? A friend has a stage 1 tune on his N55 powered F30 335xi with bolt-ons. It's somewhere in the 450hp range. He runs Castrol 0w40 but the car also doesn't see any track time, just street shenanigans.

The car runs great but he did notice after the tune the car is a bit harder on spark plugs. They get swapped every 25k now, so just something to keep in mind.

I would never, ever run 450hp in N55. It is stupid, period!
 
Originally Posted by RIPGermanCastrol
Do you have the noack and hths for PPE 5w-40? I'm guessing not because you guessed the hths, but it seems odd that shell is so secretive.

No, but based on KV100 and trend in thinning W40's close to W30's, I would say 3.6.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
I would never, ever run 450hp in N55. It is stupid, period!


ok boomer

Seriously, it's fine. I forgot the 450hp range is actually based on the stage 2 dyno provided by pro tuning freaks, and I stay on stage 1 for peace of mind, and frankly, stage 1 with FBO is more than enough. It's probably just around 400hp peak, but the bootmod3 really shines in low end power and torque.

If you are buying a BMW that will inevitably kill itself with VANOS failure, every oil gasket leaking, water pump failure, thermostat failure, etc., you shouldn't be worried about a turbo replacement, and much less complete engine failure, due to a stage 1 tune and full bolt ons. The former I mentioned are much more likely to happen than the latter. I see you chose the "conservative" engine in your E90 (everything I listed will still fail, N52, N54, or N55), but us turbo owners know the failure points on the N55, and a tune and bolt ons won't accelerate those much. Someone who buys a turbo BMW and worries that a tune will cause one of the failure points to fail bought the wrong car.
 
Originally Posted by RIPGermanCastrol
Originally Posted by edyvw
I would never, ever run 450hp in N55. It is stupid, period!


ok boomer

Seriously, it's fine. I forgot the 450hp range is actually based on the stage 2 dyno provided by pro tuning freaks, and I stay on stage 1 for peace of mind, and frankly, stage 1 with FBO is more than enough. It's probably just around 400hp peak, but the bootmod3 really shines in low end power and torque.

If you are buying a BMW that will inevitably kill itself with VANOS failure, every oil gasket leaking, water pump failure, thermostat failure, etc., you shouldn't be worried about a turbo replacement, and much less complete engine failure, due to a stage 1 tune and full bolt ons. The former I mentioned are much more likely to happen than the latter. I see you chose the "conservative" engine in your E90 (everything I listed will still fail, N52, N54, or N55), but us turbo owners know the failure points on the N55, and a tune and bolt ons won't accelerate those much. Someone who buys a turbo BMW and worries that a tune will cause one of the failure points to fail bought the wrong car.

The platform is not conducive to such power. Do you really think BMW in M3 would go to such lengths in order to squeeze 435hp? N54 yes, N55 no. Open deck architecture of that engine is not friendly for such tune.
I drive BMW's all my life, from E30 318, 320i, E34 520 etc. I had turbo diesel BMW's, twin turbo diesel BMW's, I made on BMW's as much as 485k km with turbo before selling, not bcs. they died. They do not just die bcs. they are BMW. They usually die bcs. of negligence.
Running such power on N55 is not stupid bcs. turbo will fail. Running such power on that engine is stupid bcs. engine is not designed for that. There is a reason why N54 is darling in tuning community and not N55, regardless that I personally would take N55 over N54.
Wy I chose N52? Bcs. 3 series is much more than HP.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
The platform is not conducive to such power. Do you really think BMW in M3 would go to such lengths in order to squeeze 435hp? N54 yes, N55 no. Open deck architecture of that engine is not friendly for such tune.
I drive BMW's all my life, from E30 318, 320i, E34 520 etc. I had turbo diesel BMW's, twin turbo diesel BMW's, I made on BMW's as much as 485k km with turbo before selling, not bcs. they died. They do not just die bcs. they are BMW. They usually die bcs. of negligence.
Running such power on N55 is not stupid bcs. turbo will fail. Running such power on that engine is stupid bcs. engine is not designed for that. There is a reason why N54 is darling in tuning community and not N55, regardless that I personally would take N55 over N54.


The M235i's version of the N55 has the same forged crank, forged rods, and rod bearings as the M2 and S55. I have an upgraded intercooler to keep temps at stock levels, or maybe even cooler, and I ponied up for a (hopefully) healthy oil analysis. The N55 isn't going to explode at 400 crank horsepower just because it has an open deck. In fact, I'd say the obvious weak point is the transmission, which is rather weak in a stock application anyway. I'm not hard on the transmission or clutch, so I think it should last a long time.

Originally Posted by edyvw
Wy I chose N52? Bcs. 3 series is much more than HP.


Sure, the N52 is a fine motor. I just like the pep of the N55, the noise it makes with a catless downpipe, and knowing I can take a Honda minivan at a stoplight.
 
450 hp is perfectly fine on an N55, especially if the car is not beat on or tracked constantly. I don't really see the issue here.
 
Originally Posted by RIPGermanCastrol
Originally Posted by edyvw
The platform is not conducive to such power. Do you really think BMW in M3 would go to such lengths in order to squeeze 435hp? N54 yes, N55 no. Open deck architecture of that engine is not friendly for such tune.
I drive BMW's all my life, from E30 318, 320i, E34 520 etc. I had turbo diesel BMW's, twin turbo diesel BMW's, I made on BMW's as much as 485k km with turbo before selling, not bcs. they died. They do not just die bcs. they are BMW. They usually die bcs. of negligence.
Running such power on N55 is not stupid bcs. turbo will fail. Running such power on that engine is stupid bcs. engine is not designed for that. There is a reason why N54 is darling in tuning community and not N55, regardless that I personally would take N55 over N54.


The M235i's version of the N55 has the same forged crank, forged rods, and rod bearings as the M2 and S55. I have an upgraded intercooler to keep temps at stock levels, or maybe even cooler, and I ponied up for a (hopefully) healthy oil analysis. The N55 isn't going to explode at 400 crank horsepower just because it has an open deck. In fact, I'd say the obvious weak point is the transmission, which is rather weak in a stock application anyway. I'm not hard on the transmission or clutch, so I think it should last a long time.

Originally Posted by edyvw
Wy I chose N52? Bcs. 3 series is much more than HP.


Sure, the N52 is a fine motor. I just like the pep of the N55, the noise it makes with a catless downpipe, and knowing I can take a Honda minivan at a stoplight.

N55 or any turbo will never have noise BMW inline naturally aspirated engine has. BMW inline sound was always coming from induction noise not exhaust. I personally could not care less what is happening below me or behind me.
If 0-60 is your primary concern there are much better cars for that than BMW. I personally could not care less about Honda minivans (I actually do have a minivan), but I know one thing, much stronger cars cannot keep up with me on mountain roads in the Rockies. That is where 200lbs less in front matters more than 70-100hp.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
450 hp is perfectly fine on an N55, especially if the car is not beat on or tracked constantly. I don't really see the issue here.

I just staid if I had N55 and was thinking about tune, 350hp for me personally would be maximum limit.
 
One of my friends has a BMW with turbos and a V8 it does 0to 60 pretty good. I called him a while ago an he said let me turn up the volume I am going 125 mph. I asked is he was in one of his planes? He said no I am in my car.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
N55 or any turbo will never have noise BMW inline naturally aspirated engine has. BMW inline sound was always coming from induction noise not exhaust. I personally could not care less what is happening below me or behind me.

I disagree. I get plenty of nice intake noise and subtle turbo whistle from my AFE intake, and the catless downpipe right below the passenger seat along with the less restrictive muffler are a treat. Maybe it isn't your cup of tea, but for me, all of the noisy bits come together to form a symphony of inhaling, whistles, rumbles, and pops.
Originally Posted by edyvw
If 0-60 is your primary concern there are much better cars for that than BMW.

No need to straw man. If I wanted a quick 0-60 time for the money, I'd have bought American or at least European with AWD and an auto. From second gear onward, I appreciate the passing power on country roads, acceleration for random pulls for fun, and I'm a firm believer that power is a safety feature. There are times in my 135i where I was very appreciative of it's ability to get me away from dangerous drivers.
Originally Posted by edyvw
I personally could not care less about Honda minivans (I actually do have a minivan), but I know one thing, much stronger cars cannot keep up with me on mountain roads in the Rockies. That is where 200lbs less in front matters more than 70-100hp.

Fair, but my car with pilot super sports, the adaptive suspension, and the limited slip diff does just fine in the twisties. Perhaps if you are looking to save 200 pounds upfront, you would be well served to take a look at that front differential of yours.
Originally Posted by edyvw
I just staid if I had N55 and was thinking about tune, 350hp for me personally would be maximum limit.

Well, considering 350hp is just about what they make stock (BMW underrates turbo engines), there really isn't a tune to do that. And by the way, you mention the changes they made to the S55 to allow it to handle 435hp, and that is completely wrong too. For one, the S55 is produces closer to 500 stock than 435hp. Two, it is engineered for track use, which I don't do. Three, even if they were only shooting for 435hp and decided to use the N55 with a bigger turbo, forged pistons, and added cooling (like the M2), it would've drawn criticism for not being special enough, even if it worked just fine. Four, buyers would expect to buy an engine with more untapped potential, which an S55 offers and a hopped up N55 doesn't. No matter the power produced or reliability, a hotter N55 was never an option for the M3/M4.

At this point, this is well beyond the scope of oil, and I think it has devolved into a [censored] contest. I think you are misinformed about the dangers of a tune and bolt ons on the N55, but if your criteria is no extra wear at all so you can have another BMW with 435,000km, any BMW with an N55 isn't going to do that for you for reasonable cost anyway. It seems like my car isn't your cup of tea, and yours isn't mine. That's why we get to choose where our dollars go
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