Where is the N55 ? N54 won yet another Engine of The Year award ! :)

cstavaru · 06-13-2012, 11:20 AM

Sorry guys, but the N54 won yet another Engine of The Year award...

(while N55 came in the 5th place)

Together with the N20 from the 328i, N18 from the Mini Cooper S (1.6l/184hp), and the S65 from the BMW M3.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=704954

http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/25_3.php#2

bryce · 06-13-2012, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cstavaru

Sorry guys, but the N54 won yet another Engine of The Year award...

(while N55 came in the 5th place)

Together with the N20 from the 328i, N18 from the Mini Cooper S (1.6l/184hp), and the S65 from the BMW M3.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=704954

http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/25_3.php#2

lol the n54 is only in like 1 or 2 exclusive car models now (335iS and 1///m)

way to go, n54

Pete Schweaty · 06-13-2012, 11:40 AM

Im sure it is covered elsewhere, but why did they switch to the N55? Was it the turbo and waste gate lawsuits?

themyst · 06-13-2012, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete Schweaty

Im sure it is covered elsewhere, but why did they switch to the N55? Was it the turbo and waste gate lawsuits?

1 turbo costs less than 2

And BMW knows they overengineered the N54.

benzy89 · 06-13-2012, 12:03 PM

Haha I love the scoring difference

N54: 257
N55: 163

Lulz_M3 · 06-13-2012, 12:43 PM

In the N55's defense, if it was putting out 340 bhp, i think it would be on the list

CPWINCH · 06-13-2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lulz_M3

In the N55's defense, if it was putting out 340 bhp, i think it would be on the list

fair point. Although i do hate the N55 haha

E90Company · 06-13-2012, 05:36 PM

N55 FTL

jpsimon · 06-13-2012, 05:41 PM

dlbrooks18 · 06-13-2012, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themyst

1 turbo costs less than 2

And BMW knows they overengineered the N54.

+1

and I remember reading somewhere that the N54 was orig being developed for the E9X M3 platform and plans changed when rivals Audi and Mercedes released V8's in the C63 and S5..

enrita · 06-13-2012, 05:47 PM

N54 is a pearl of an engine. probably the ground of all turbo engines for BMW . the best. N55 sucks big time....
just look at the gains you get on N54... amazing

TMR · 06-13-2012, 06:45 PM

I think the N55 will surprise alot of people when a proper turbo gets slapped on it.

richpike · 06-13-2012, 06:54 PM

One of the reasons when I was buying my new E90, I specifically looked for a 2010 vs a 2011. If only they made the E90 in an "is"!

-Rich

CarleeSWE · 06-13-2012, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete Schweaty

Im sure it is covered elsewhere, but why did they switch to the N55? Was it the turbo and waste gate lawsuits?

+ improve fuel consumption and reduce turbolag is what I've heard.

dlbrooks18 · 06-14-2012, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarleeSWE

+ improve fuel consumption and reduce turbolag is what I've heard.

Lag only introduced due to later software updates...

cstavaru · 06-14-2012, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lulz_M3

In the N55's defense, if it was putting out 340 bhp, i think it would be on the list

Well, it doesnt...for good reasons

Also, the Porsche Boxter engine (2.7l/265hp) has less hp per liter and it's still ahead the N55 in the chart.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMR

I think the N55 will surprise alot of people when a proper turbo gets slapped on it.

For $8000 (plus labor probably) you can make any engine surprise a lot of people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarleeSWE

+ improve fuel consumption and reduce turbolag is what I've heard.

Valvetronic made it possible to get the same engine response with a single turbo as they got before with two turbos, even though a single turbo has more lag (however the single turbo from the N55 is smaller than the combined turbos on the N54).

Alpina_B3_Lux · 06-14-2012, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bryce

lol the n54 is only in like 1 or 2 exclusive car models now (335iS and 1///m)

It's in the Z4 3,5is as well, and in the Alpina B3 Biturbo. But all rather low-volume models for sure.

Alpina_B3_Lux

benzy89 · 06-14-2012, 11:07 AM

Once the N55 tuning "software nut" (Valvetronic) is cracked, the N55 is going to be a drag monster. If you want an engine that shines on a truck, during AutoX & everyday driving, the N54 is still gonna be the better option.

MilehighM3 · 06-14-2012, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by enrita

N54 is a pearl of an engine. probably the ground of all turbo engines for BMW . the best. N55 sucks big time....
just look at the gains you get on N54... amazing

I think a lot of people have forgotten or simply didn't experience all of the growing pains the N54 presented. Aside from the wastegate wear, which is an inherent trait of nearly all manufacturers, how about the other issues? Misfires due to software, hardware, manufacturing issues etc. Injectors, vanos, hpfp, sensors etc. Many of which are still issues today that people have yet to experience ue to a lack of mileage. Not to mention carbon build up. The N55 has been much more reliable from a consumer stand point. Which is why 90% of people buy a car, not to tune it.

hemi to e90 · 06-14-2012, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMR

I think the N55 will surprise alot of people when a proper turbo gets slapped on it.

i think people will never stop making excuses for the n55.

Rob1796 · 06-14-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benzy89

Once the N55 tuning "software nut" (Valvetronic) is cracked, the N55 is going to be a drag monster. If you want an engine that shines on a truck, during AutoX & everyday driving, the N54 is still gonna be the better option.

The valvetronic system scares the hell outa me though. It's the one thing pushing me back towards used N54 powered E9xes... We just had to replace the Valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor in my wife's X3, and according to the dealership and a few indy's we've talked to, its a part that has been known to go bad. When it goes bad, it can be almost as bad as the VANOS tab breaking on the E46 Ms.

cstavaru · 06-14-2012, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmw135er

I think a lot of people have forgotten or simply didn't experience all of the growing pains the N54 presented. Aside from the wastegate wear, which is an inherent trait of nearly all manufacturers, how about the other issues? Misfires due to software, hardware, manufacturing issues etc. Injectors, vanos, hpfp, sensors etc. Many of which are still issues today that people have yet to experience ue to a lack of mileage. Not to mention carbon build up. The N55 has been much more reliable from a consumer stand point. Which is why 90% of people buy a car, not to tune it.

And yet, it still got that award while the N55 came out fifth (while every reviewer was aware of the N54 HPFP and injector recall...It must have a lot of qualities to offset all those flaws, right ?

Or (luckily) people realized that only a small part of those issues were BMW's fault (HPFP, some injector and wastegate issues). The N54 HPFP is identical to the N55 HPFP, the only difference is that the N55 came out 5 years later so less of a chance to break (but you can find 2-3 threads about HPFP failures on N55 on this forum) or to suffer from carbon buildup. The wastegate rattle is only an annoyance and was fixed some long time ago.

Misfires only appeared on the N54 after a certain tuning solution entered the market. It was almost unheard of until that time.

Aside from one HPFP replacement, I didn't have any issue with the N54 engine and I have 50.000 miles on the car.

06-13-2012, 11:20 AM	#1
cstavaru Brigadier General 313 Rep 3,262 Posts Drives: 2009 335i M Sport Sedan 6MT Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bucharest, Romania iTrader: (0)	Where is the N55 ? N54 won yet another Engine of The Year award ! :) Sorry guys, but the N54 won yet another Engine of The Year award... (while N55 came in the 5th place) Together with the N20 from the 328i, N18 from the Mini Cooper S (1.6l/184hp), and the S65 from the BMW M3. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=704954 http://www.ukipme.com/engineoftheyear/25_3.php#2 __________________ Mods(click): Cobb + RB Turbos \| Aquamist HFS-4 Meth \| Drexler LSD \| Bilstein B12 Pro-Kit \| Custom K&N Apollo Intake \| Wagner Intercooler \| Macht Schnell Downpipes \| BMW Performance Power Kit \| BMW Performance Exhaust \| BMW Performance Short Shifter \| M3 Subframe Bushings \|
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06-13-2012, 11:40 AM	#3
Pete Schweaty Captain 39 Rep 639 Posts Drives: 2014 750li Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: MD iTrader: (0)	Im sure it is covered elsewhere, but why did they switch to the N55? Was it the turbo and waste gate lawsuits?
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06-13-2012, 12:03 PM	#5
benzy89 Banned 79 Rep 2,396 Posts Drives: '08 E90 335i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Northern NJ iTrader: (3) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [7.50]	Haha I love the scoring difference N54: 257 N55: 163
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06-13-2012, 12:43 PM	#6
Lulz_M3 Banned 33 Rep 1,029 Posts Drives: AW 335i 6MT Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Jax, Fl iTrader: (0)	In the N55's defense, if it was putting out 340 bhp, i think it would be on the list
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06-13-2012, 05:36 PM	#8
E90Company Major General 194 Rep 6,136 Posts Drives: Car Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: FL iTrader: (2)	N55 FTL
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06-13-2012, 05:47 PM	#11
enrita Major General 161 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: 335i - Big turbos Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Italian in Sweden iTrader: (0)	N54 is a pearl of an engine. probably the ground of all turbo engines for BMW . the best. N55 sucks big time.... just look at the gains you get on N54... amazing __________________ 07 335i AT - MOTIV 750 - MHD E85 BMS flash - BMS PI - JB4G5 - Okada Coils - NGK 5992 Plugs - Helix IC - Snow Stg. 3 - Stett CP - Custom midpipes with 100 HJS Cats - Bastuck Quad - PSS10 - QUAIFE LSD - BMS OCC - Forge DVs - AR OC - ALCON BBK - M3 Chassi - Dinan CP - Velocity M rear Toe arms - Advan RZ-DF - LUX H8 - Level 10 AT upgrade
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06-13-2012, 06:45 PM	#12
TMR Brigadier General 394 Rep 3,161 Posts Drives: M3 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Torrance iTrader: (12)	I think the N55 will surprise alot of people when a proper turbo gets slapped on it. __________________ 2015 M3 BPM Tuned, Eibach, Magnaflow and more www.tmrmzine.com/m3/f80 SOLD E92 Slēk Carbon Fiber Widebody M3 www.tmrmzine.com/m3/slek/ SOLD E92 335i Stage 3+ with all the toys www.tmrmzine.com/335/ SOLD E39 M5 Modded, What a great car! www.tmrmzine.com/m5/
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06-13-2012, 06:54 PM	#13
richpike Captain 28 Rep 713 Posts Drives: MDX, LR4 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: CO - 6500ft ASL iTrader: (1)	One of the reasons when I was buying my new E90, I specifically looked for a 2010 vs a 2011. If only they made the E90 in an "is"! -Rich
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06-14-2012, 11:07 AM	#18
benzy89 Banned 79 Rep 2,396 Posts Drives: '08 E90 335i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Northern NJ iTrader: (3) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [7.50]	Once the N55 tuning "software nut" (Valvetronic) is cracked, the N55 is going to be a drag monster. If you want an engine that shines on a truck, during AutoX & everyday driving, the N54 is still gonna be the better option.
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