2018 BMW M550I: DME Stage 2 Tune - POV Drive

The (now sold) 2018 BMW M550I fitted with VRSF downpipes, "1-step colder" NGK spark plugs and a hot sauce stage 2 flash tune from the one and only DME Tuning. Enjoy. tHaNks fOr wAtChiNg.

[@Doki740]

I went for the M550i over the f90 M5. Tried both and the M550i seemed a smarter move than the M5. In daily usage, Maintenance cost, insurance, tires. At least 30k between the two cars. If you maintain it it’s bulletproof.

[@thex2thaz]

Hey thanks for really going in depth and answering all the questions. Really appriciate it. Sorry the car didn't work out for you but I can understand wanting to go for the "Real deal" M5. I personally think it's super cool to have a sleeper BMW. I personally would have put the badges as a 530i and maybe changed the exhuast tips so it looked like the 4 cylder. Then smoke everyone that doesn't know any better. :D

[@varuns3569]

i’ve been waiting for this video for a while and it’s finally out. fantastic video man i love how this car sounds with the downpipes and tune. i’ve been wanting to delete the resonators on my 2018 m550i, get downpipes and hopefully a tune. it looks like this setup has everything i’m looking for. it’s a bit of a bummer that you let this car go but i can understand why. have you had the chance to do any 0-60 runs? i’m really curious to see how this compares to an M5 0-60. i even saw an instagram video that you posted showing how you were actually even if not faster with an M5 competition that you raced up to 150+ mph. awesome video man keep up the good work!

[@teamspeeddemon]

In it's absolute prime it was keeping up perfectly fine with a stock M5 on the road... and that was really cool.. BUT... eventually it got to the point where the non-bucketed seats, the "so-so" braking system, the really sloppy.. gooey-like suspension became saddening to me and I just had to get out... So, now, I sit and wait to either be stocked up enough to go put a hefty down payment on a one-owner M5 with great records OR wait a little longer and spec out my dream model, then order it straight from the factory.. not a good time to be a car guy with current prices and all, though.

[@ClaudBando]

Was the car reliable?

[@higheroctane]

@@teamspeeddemon I always wondered this exact thing. Sure it can pack a punch but will the rest of the car keep up? Nonethless great video and I'm sure it was fun while it lasted

[@josephmiranda852]

Yo Fam beautiful whip. Have a quick question on the remote start, is that stock or did you do a update. Just got the 2019 m550i 🦾🙏🏼

[@xxkissit609]

Nice plates 👍 that non m5 is going to smoke a lot of people

[@teamspeeddemon]

😂🤣

[@drew5955]

Kept the resonators and stock muffler? Sounds amazing!🎉

[@s.c.1972]

Did you ever time it / draggy to see what your stock 1/4 mile or 100-200 was and what it was after mods? What did you get after you sold it?

[@JournalismRS]

Awesome video- currently waiting to get my car back but I’ve only done a resonator delete so far (have catless DPs waiting to go on) and I just ordered a catback exhaust. Did you have your resonator deleted too? Also I was curious - your windshield is tinted what percentage? I’ve never had a car with HUD but always tint the windshield. It works fine?

[@teamspeeddemon]

I did not have a resonator delete, I only did the VRSF catless downpipes and that was MORE than enough for me in sport+ mode!

[@penguinbrucelee]

Sweet ride

[@ronburgundy4375]

These are sexy I was going to pull the trigger on a 43k mile 550i but I just might wait and get an m550i

[@teamspeeddemon]

i would say hold off and get the m550 over the regular 550 for sure

[@aryapradhanad186]

is it a stock exhaust with catless dp only? damn it sounds so good, not too raspy. i have an X5 M50i and im considering to do the same but with the gpower tune instead of dme for approx 670 hp though.

[@teamspeeddemon]

keep in mind 2020+ makes almost 700hp with a dme flash (not sure what year yours is) - i love the way it sounds. it really was the perfect pitch. no drone. only loud when you wanted it to be!

[@xxkissit609]

DME is where it’s at I’m running stage 1 on my m5 bootmod3 feels stock

[@proxifies7068]

Was thinking of buying an M550i, I know it's like a baby f90 M5 but I'm a broke 21 year old student and can't afford the real one yet(still dreaming). With my budget ($35-45k), I was looking at either getting a 2014-2016 f10 m5 or a 2018 m550i. I could use the x-drive living in Michigan but I also have my current car that would do just fine in the snow if I were to get the f10. What do you think? If I were to get the M550i I'd probably run downpipes, and a dme s2 tune along with some aesthetic changes like quad exhausts, new diffuser/splitter. Sick plate btw

[@teamspeeddemon]

If you’re that set on it, my dealership has it listed as is with all the work done to it. I’m 24 and I work really hard every day to make the money, for me personally I had to swap out of my hellcat and this was all I could find at the time in my area that also gave me a great trade in price on my hellcat. www.bmwramsey.com/used/BMW/2018-BMW-M550i-4264eacd0a0e097164e50defc5862843.htm here’s the link to my car for sale. If you’re interested ask for Andrew and tell them I sent you.

[@RizwanJaved26]

If you have a car budget of 35-45k as a 21 year old, you are not broke at all. And if you really are broke, then you might want to reconsider your car loan. You can’t look at it from the POV that well I make 2k and live with my parents so no rent. If I pay 1k a month towards car I still have 1k left for other expenses. Don’t ever confuse being able to make the payment with being able to afford the car. These are two different things. Especially on a out of warranty modified BMW. Repairs are going to tear you a new one and considering that you already stretched your budget, you are going to be in a world of trouble when unexpected expenses come up. Don’t take this the wrong way. I dont know what you make and I dont know what your financial position is like. I am giving you a generic advice that’s applicable to majority of 21 year old students. I myself drive a DME tuned 750i xDrive with every option (besides v12 of course). But I’m a 27 year old with years of professional work experience. At your age I was driving a Nissan Altima.

[@proxifies7068]

@@RizwanJaved26 Gotcha, thanks for the advice! I work construction(concrete polishing) around 24-32 hours a week when I'm in school and 48+ when I'm on breaks/summer vacation(atm). I've been working since I was a senior in highschool. Just this summer i've saved up over $15k within the last 3 months. I have around $30k saved up so far (I work on and off whenever I feel like it, so nothing crazy for 5+ years). I'm in need of a new car since my 2019 ram laramie lease ends soon. Was looking for something sporty with AWD since I live in Michigan. Seen the price on some m550i's and thought about putting some $$ down and financing the rest with a monthly bill of around $350-400. Called insurance and got it quoted at $93/month. $500 on a car payment a month max doesn't seem too bad as my ram atm is around $400 just for the lease payment and then $80 on insurance. And yeah, running into a major issue on it would definitely suck but I guess that's just the risk most bmw owners take!

[@RizwanJaved26]

@@proxifies7068 lmfao you’re not broke bro. Good for you. Your hustle is paying off. Keep it up.

[@proxifies7068]

@@RizwanJaved26 Thanks brotha, I appreciate it and hopefully one day!

[@MD-zv9xg]

How many HP and NM do u have now? And do u sugest to change to ngk spark plugs? Did u do anything to the gearbox? Alpina flash maybe? I really need some help here.

[@teamspeeddemon]

All I did for preparation was changed the spark plugs to ngk. Yes, I suggest doing that first. Nothing to the gearbox. Just the DME Tuning stage 2 flash tune along with my VRSF Downpipes. DME rated it at 580 horsepower and 640 torque but I never got it on a dyno before selling.

[@juice4156]

So once you tuned it the check engine light went away ??

[@teamspeeddemon]

Yes sir! That’s written into the tuning code, usually it’s just for inefficient catalyst readings.

[@2ndAmendProtector]

That exhaust popping sound is about as cheesy as it gets. Any way to turn that off in the ECU or tune?

[@teamspeeddemon]

It's a personally preference. Yes, you can request less burble when the ECU is being flashed however due to the nature of boost.. catless.. bmw-pew-pews happen sometimes.

[@2ndAmendProtector]

@@teamspeeddemon ....I haver a couple friends with M5's....they don't do that at all. Is it because they still have their cats? I'm planning on putting the upgraded M5 turbos from RKAutowerks on a 2019 M550i so I hope the tuner can keep that burble out of the set up. Tuner is Utku..... We expect it to make 750-780 WHP, maybe the highest HP M550i out there.

[@teamspeeddemon]

@@2ndAmendProtector if they still have their cats then it’s likely there’s little to no backfire because of that, very restrictive. you can request less/no burble at the time of tuning.

[@2ndAmendProtector]

@@teamspeeddemon Ok good to hear. I want to go catless DPs. Thanks.

[@teamspeeddemon]

@@2ndAmendProtector I highly suggest 🙏

[@romanrivera1407]

That's 100% German v8 muscle. Are you in Santa Clarita?

[@teamspeeddemon]

I wish! I’m in New Jersey lol

[@romanrivera1407]

@@teamspeeddemon it's all good.

[@enakup]

I see your hp meter goes only to 560hp. Strange I have only xpipe from remus, sport bmc filters in stock intakes and remap. I have 560hp and 780nm. With DP changed I figured you should push 600hp easily, maybe wanna recheck that tune.

[@teamspeeddemon]

It’s just what comes from DME 😹 I sold the car already a while ago

[@enakup]

@@teamspeeddemon pitty :) I am thinking of getting DP :O

[@neeksgarage9474]

I recently purchased a 2018 M550i how did you get auto start??

[@teamspeeddemon]

EuroStart kit added by EMSAutoNJ in Paramus, New Jersey.

[@neeksgarage9474]

@@teamspeeddemon thank you!

[@teamspeeddemon]

@@neeksgarage9474 Got you! Let me know how it goes if you get it installed.

[@RichyyFam]

How much for the stage 2 tuning

[@teamspeeddemon]

not sure as this was over a year ago now, take a quick look on their website dme tuning .com for pricing now

[@jayswankkk1730]

It’s better than the f10 m5 , the 2021 m550 is better than the f90 . At this point it’s all preference

[@teamspeeddemon]

i suggest 2019+ for the m550 - mine was a 2018 and with downpipes and a tune it was only good for about 580-600hp (depending on fuel) whereas the 2019+ makes a whopping 700 HP with just a flash and downpipes! i would 10/10 daily drive a 2019+ m550 with bulky wheels because the ones i had were an absolute nightmare.

[@RizwanJaved26]

I have a stage 1 DME G11 750i xDrive. My sport display still maxes out at the stock hp and torque. How did you raise the max limit so you can see what the actual output is? Also, what does the 1-step colder NGK spark plug do for the car, and finally, do you think the difference will be noticeable if I get downpipes and go DME stage 2?

[@teamspeeddemon]

Ask Moe from DME to do it for you. It may just be that you can’t do the change with the 7-series but I’m not sure. He just plugged his rig into it, and 20 minutes later - hot sauce. The 1-step colder spark plugs allow a better spark thus eliminating the chances significantly of getting a misfire randomly because the output is so high in comparison to the stock output. Definitely worth doing and DME suggested it before I brought it in for the flash. The car also had 20kish miles on it at the time and those stock ones were already a little worn down. It felt a “tad” smoother once installed because they were probably already on their way out anyway.

[@enakup]

DP is actually the bigest upgrade you can do. If you go Catless DP thats the real deal then. Stage 2 is all about changing DP, everything else is much less significant like intakes, filters, exhaust etc... But also if you change DP you should go with x pipe to delete mid ress. Its all about also increasing diameter of complete pipe where you can get better exhaust gas flow...

[@alexmorgan4080]

How come you don’t have the ambient lighting??

[@teamspeeddemon]

Idk

[@Posit1ve7]

I have an m550 2019, how much the whole setup is gonna cost to me ?

[@teamspeeddemon]

prob $4k

[@hyejynx5729]

How did you feel the car handled the tune did you feel like it was gonna break?

[@teamspeeddemon]

Nah! Not at all! The car felt totally balanced. I really enjoyed the tune. Actually, it’s what made me keep it a lot longer then I had originally intended to. If you decide to tune it go for DME!

[@abdulahkhan8424]

U ever had a chance to record its 0 to 60!?

[@teamspeeddemon]

I never had a chance to officially film it but I was landing somewhere in the mid 3’s around 3.4, 3.5, & 3.6 depending on conditions!

[@Jaytothe_air]

Yup im gettin the m550

[@teamspeeddemon]

For the cost it’s a great car!🤛

[@Jaytothe_air]

@@teamspeeddemon you only had the vrsf downpipes and dme tune on here right nothing else?

[@teamspeeddemon]

@@Jaytothe_air just the spark plugs upgrade from FCS that's it though.

[@Jaytothe_air]

@@teamspeeddemon thank you so much this was a mean car 🔥

[@teamspeeddemon]

@@Jaytothe_air thank you! i hope to have something even crazier for the channel real soon! waiting for winter to approach and the market to cool off just a little...!

[@nawaralaa3560]

How do you have a remote start ?

[@teamspeeddemon]

Custom installation by @emsautonj

[@nigels6786]

Why u sell it. How was the reliability?

[@Pvtdre]

He said it felt like a baby M5 so he’s saving up to get a real one

[@jeremychen9282]

Why’d you sell the car?

[@teamspeeddemon]

It just felt like a fake M5 and I really didn’t like feeling like that so I am saving up and getting a real one

[@jeremychen9282]

@@teamspeeddemon I’m having the same feeling right now. Like do I really want to build this up or just get an m5. Definitely leaning towards getting a real M car.

[@teamspeeddemon]

@@jeremychen9282 I had to get rid of my hellcat and I have a friend that works at bmw, I got the m4 and hated not having a v8, sold it, got this because it was what I could comfortably afford for a while but after about ooooooooooooooooh 2 months of being “bolt on / tuned” I was like yeahhhhhhhh… this ain’t it… the suspension and seats alone make such a big difference.. etc.. just all feels fake.. it’s good for a daddio that wants to take the kids to practice, have a (little) fun, and not break the bank all at the same time

[@jeremychen9282]

@@teamspeeddemon yeah for me it’s really even just the conversation part that gets annoying. Them: What kind of car you got? Me: An M550 Them: Oh you got an M5?! That’s sick! Me: No it’s an M550. Like a grade below an M5 or an M5 Lite as some people would call it. Them: Oh…. that’s cool Idk why I hate that conversation so much. I feel I feel like I bought a fake car.

[@teamspeeddemon]

@@jeremychen9282 MAN! You hit the nail right on the head with that one! Within 30 days of owning it I became overwhelmingly disappointed with that factoid. It's almost like BMW would've been better of just keeping labeled "550xi" and just calling it a day... but no.. NO. They had to go and throw an "M5" in front of it to make everyone feel like a winner.. lol. Everyone.. except actual car guys who would become rapidly uninterested or confused if they were not familiar with the BMW brand. Yup, I know all about it. Took a serious toll on my mental health and just made me feel awful every time I drove it. Sure, it sounded cool, but aside from the noises it made everything about it became... "fake" or... "ehhh, yeah but--" and well, SOLD.

[@locominyana8916]

Sounds like the c63s