BMW N54 vs N55: Performance, Reliability, and Price!

[@carcrazyguysa4059]

Looks like your cat wants to help with the BMW😅 It was difficult to focus on what you were saying because I was so intrigued by what the cat was up to🤣

[@8020Media]

CarGuys - Yes he was the star of the show in this video. We hope the information helped however!

[@moe3645]

Been waiting for this to drop!

[@8020Media]

Moe - We always appreciate your continued support!

[@丁诚-o6s]

@@8020Media😊

[@LoopBooost]

Do you see the n54 become somewhat reliable if you replace the intake charge pipe with aliminum, index 12 injector, after market fuelpump,waterpump,thermostat,bigger radiator, etc. it seems like the engine itself is bulletproof its just everything around it fails

[@ghostcraft4818]

Been thinking same shit

[@8020Media]

Cosmos - We’ve got two N54s ourselves and love them, currently turning one into a single turbo. But with the things you listed, it would be very reliable, especially because the internals are stout. It’s just at stock, those components listed are not the most reliable which yields an engine that isn’t very reliable. To enthusiasts like us that don’t mind doing our own repairs or upgrades, we don’t see it as unreliable, but to the masses of the car community, that’s how they view it. What are you driving?

[@LoopBooost]

@@8020Media i have a bmw 335i e92 2007 with 20k miles on the way from Japan to Norway. Im trying to make it reliable as possible lol. Can you list up the things to make it reliable or make a video with the things you recommend?

[@8020Media]

Have you watched our N54 Common Problems video? That would be a good place to start since we cover the things that may not be the most reliable, but we also have plenty of N54 content on our website: bmwtuning.co/?s=n54

[@LoopBooost]

@@8020Media Watched the video and read everything on the website. Now i’m questioning myself if i should sell my bmw before the issues happen or replace all the faulty stuff with aftermarket stuff.

[@sekouchill]

Since when did the n55 have forged rods 🥴 it’s the n55s biggest weak point.. am I missing something here 👀

[@8020Media]

The N55 has always had forged rods, but they're nothing special. Regardless, it's a moot point since the N55 limits are pretty well known and understood at this point. The fact that they're forged isn't going to magically increase the limits. You're correct in that rods (despite the fact that they are indeed forged) - along with rod bearings and pistons - are the main weak point internally. Still, the N55 is capable of handling ~550-600whp pretty reliably with a proper turbo setup, E85, and good tuning.

[@Osamabeenleanin210]

All the plastic, cheap rubber, and how expensive they are to fix/replace in 2023 is the main issue I see owning a N54. If you take care of the maintenance before the performance it's like owning any other car...just a little more expensive. If you go to the dealership of course will charge you a kidney and liver to repair vs a shop that knows how to work on these cars usually take care of you. Firestone try to charge me $3000 to replace the front and rear subframes...not including the labor. I ordered both online for about $650 together and Auto Pro's charged me $400 to install. There's another shop here in San Antonio that tried to ask for $1,400 to replace a lower radiator hose and automatic transmission cooler😒 that was just parts not labor. Online the cooler was $80 and the hose was only $35 both brand new

[@8020Media]

Osama - Thanks for sharing this valuable insight! We couldn’t agree more.

[@LuckyArmory]

I moved to SATX at the beginning of the year, and I have barely seen the presence of European cars around town, especially BMWs around town which may lead to outrageous prices like that? Not sure. There is a BMW shop near me on Broadway but I am not sure of their pricing.

[@Amabar]

Was seriously considering a 135i but the HP made would be similar to my current car and less reliable.

[@8020Media]

Amabar - We're currently building a single turbo 135i. We love it. What car do you have currently?

[@last0titan]

came here for engine info, stayed for the cat

[@8020Media]

L - Glad we could fulfill both. lol

[@josejavierizquierdo2276]

N54💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪

[@8020Media]

Jose - We love a good N54, we've got two of them.

[@peterjohnson4006]

A like just for the cat

[@8020Media]

Peter - thanks for the support!

[@dionzarco7596]

N55 was a family machine

[@8020Media]

D - True!

[@rashadthegohd2447]

What do you think of the n52 vs the n55? I’m gonna buy a bmw 128i but I see they can’t handle boost, atleast not as good as the n55. This is going to be my daily driver however so that’s why I looked into the n52.

[@8020Media]

R - Both engines are great. We have a video for N52 mods that may be helpful for your research: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaurg4CgdpibgZY

[@asianrice7442]

so question, i have a 2010 E93 335i no Idrive. I have index 7 injectors, downpipes and intakes. I was thinking of adding motiv plus port injection and an intercooler to take some load off of the larger direct injectors. Do you think this is viable? thanks

[@8020Media]

It's viable but I wouldn't spend the money unless you really need the additional fuel flow. Injector flow/load isn't what causes N54 injector failures, so adding PI won't make those index 7 injectors any more or less likely to fail. The main purpose of adding PI is simply to supply additional fuel above and beyond the limit of the stock DI system.

[@durin23]

@@8020Media is it true n54 index 1 injectors were just as good as index 12?

[@8020Media]

Durin - Index 1 might be the best of the rest, but Index 12 injectors are truly the best option. That's especially true since most Index 1 injectors will be used and haven't been manufactured in a long time.

[@1997spyderGst]

Wait…. The n54 had vvti on both the exhaust and intake lobes of the cams. The n55 only had the valvtronic on the intake cam. Your information is wrong.

[@8020Media]

I think you're mixing up Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and Variable Valve Lift (VVL). BMW's term for VVT is VANOS and when it's found on both the intake and exhaust cams it's considered "Dual VANOS". Valvetronic is BMW's term for variable valve lift. Both the N54 and N55 utilize dual VANOS. The N54 does not use Valvetronic while the N55 does.

[@durin23]

m2 n55,m235i,m135 for sure have forged crank do your reseach

[@8020Media]

Durin - Indeed the N55B30O0 and N55B30T0 were the only variants to come with forged crankshafts out of the factory. This makes up such a small portion of N55s on the road, which is why we used a blanket statement in the video.

[@m15t3rboost3]

All N55 EWG 2014 and up 135 235 435 ect has forged crank & rods with same rod bearings as S55 many have proven to hold over 700+ whp

[@durin23]

@@m15t3rboost3 no thats not correct,only ones with forged crank n55 are m2,m235,m135. none else

[@m15t3rboost3]

@@durin23 Ooh really interesting I thought the later EWG PPK Variants of the 335/435 were also included in the N55B30O0 update

[@durin23]

@@m15t3rboost3 unfortunatly the no,i have taken both engines apart and conpared cranks,the m235i forged crank was actualy 6lbs heavier then the 2015 435i crank,the m235 crank was exact copy of m2 n55 crank,in fact bmw now only sells m2 crank for m235i

[@nickpapadelias912]

Take out the vanos and the turbos and you got the ultimate reliable engine

[@8020Media]

Nick - Do you personally own, or have owned, either engine? Curious to hear your experience!

[@bimmerboi01]

Fix that poor e30s bumper😢

[@8020Media]

Bimmer - I’m assuming you’re referring to the intro? Luckily it was filmed a good 6 months ago and has been fixed since then.

[@exiteternium]

"the engines aren't reliable" proceeds to list issues with items bolted to the engine "the internals on either engine never really see any problems" ... yeah the engine itself is reliable, it's everything bolted to it that sucks. minus the N55 tighter rod clearances leading to premature bearing failure when using BMW service guidelines, and poop oil.

[@8020Media]

That's correct, when we say engines in that sense we're more so talking about all of the ancillary components and systems the engine requires to run. It wouldn't necessarily make sense to say that these are reliable engines and leave it at that - you can't buy an N54 without also getting the water pump, fuel pump, injectors, yada yada and all the problematic parts with it.

[@exiteternium]

@@8020Media maybe but injectors moved to index 12, aluminum mickey mouse flange, turner aluminum coolant overflow tank, and aftermarket charge pipes ( that are cheaper then the factory plastic i might add) takes care of almost every issue minus the water pump, which even the aluminum snout one dies in about 80K and almost every N54 out now has had the HPFP replaced under recall to the final iteration ( i believe there was somewhere around 3-5 HPFP iterations) as for the turbo's i will give N55 slight edge here, as you have the expense of just one versus two, but the PURE stage 1's are also cheaper then factory replacement, don't have the wastegate rattle issue, have stock boost characteristics and support 500-600HP. other then that, the radiator has same failure rate as every modern car made post 2005 with plastic end tanks and i recommend anyone with a plastic end tank radiator factory replace it with an all aluminum one post failure. ( usually the neoprene seals fail after the plastic degrades between the end tank and the core, CTS sells an all aluminum radiator for a few hundred more, but lasts 3x longer minimum) so in closing, when doing necessary repair/maintenance, just replace some components with aftermarket, and remove the failure points you can, when you get down to pretty much just water pump, and the plastic valve cover "( they have aluminum replacement for the VC too, and if the intake cracks, there' Pheonix racing for half the price of the BMW genuine or 300 less than aftermarket OEM plastic replacement...) you're left with just the thermostat housing, gaskets, plastic hose end quick connects, and water pump as failure points. ( unless someone removed the Index 12's without using a proper tool and wore out the bore, which case there is an insert for that already too, but not sure on the steel inserts impact on knock since it introduces a hot point) and those aren't horrendous expenses, and are general maintenance items anyway, as for the OFHG gasket failign and causing belt failure, cheap insurance is the crank seal guard from VTT, Turner, or Kies motorsports. i went with Turner for the guard.

[@exiteternium]

@@8020Media also closing thought, the N series, does have one advantage over other manufacturers when it comes the high pressure fuel pump, shoudl the HPFP seals on the input shaft fail, fuel loss won't contaminate the oil because it is driven from the vacuum pump shaft, unlike other manufactuers who drive it off the camsahfts, which allows fuel contamination into the oil, drastically reducing viscosity and causing catastrophic engine failure/wear due to reduced lubrication between the crank and mains/rods from fuel contamination.

[@8020Media]

E - Thanks for taking the time to share all of this insight.

[@8020Media]

E - Thanks for taking the time to share all of this insight.