Introduction When the F87 M2 launched back in 2015 it was touted as BMW’s last small RWD M car, following on from the benchmark laid out by M3’s of old. Despite undoubtedly looking the part, the original M2 N55 has gained a reputation for being a little lukewarm, especially compared to the M2 Competition that followed in succession. The driving point for this being the N55 engine is virtually unchanged from the ‘M-lite’ 235i resulting in a conservative quoted 365-370BHP and 465Nm. Our testing found M2’s typically create a lot more torque than advertised, but barely make the quoted power, resulting in an engine that feels spikey at low RPM, but very flat and docile when revved out. Because of this, we’ve worked on a simple hardware and software solution taking the N55 M2 up to 420BHP 610Nm rivalling its S55-powered stablemates for both performance and character. Development After a lot of R&D working on the N55 M2 platform, we found that the conventional STG1/STG2 packages didn't apply to the M2. The key limiting factor we found on the N55 M2 was that the stock intercooler is completely unchanged from the 235i, the result of this was incredibly high intake temperatures. Running a completely standard car on the dyno we observed 63-degree intake temperatures. When tested on the road the results were even worse! Road/track data logs showed a sustained 68-degree intake temperature over a 3rd, 4th and 5th gear acceleration despite the car having high-speed airflow.
Not only is the is detrimental for making power, but when used hard on track, the engine protection systems would limit power further due to the temperatures being too high. Our only option for managing these extreme temperatures was to explore intercooler options, we wanted some that offered an easy installation and OEM fitment, meaning a clean install, no body modifications, and the ability to revert the car fully back to standard with ease, should there be a need. After conducting exhaustive research with both the AIRTEC and DO88, they both fitted the bill of what we were looking for perfectly, both lowered intake temperatures massively, and both offered easy fitment and OEM-like installation. With an intercooler only, intake temperatures were more than halved compared to the stock cooler, with a peak of 28.5 degrees on the dyno and a staggeringly low 26 degrees on the road during the same sustained acceleration 3rd, 4th, 5th gear pull.
With the engine cool we were able to get to work with our custom tuning. We’ve been tuning BMW engines for nearly 10 years now, and it’s no surprise we’ve become rather good at it. Everything is created completely in-house and custom tailored to the car and driver's requirements. Our goal when tuning the N55 M2 was to give the N55 that much-needed performance and excitement of a true M engine, without sacrificing any drivability or reliability you’d expect from a BMW M car. Whether you’re enjoying a B-Road blast on completing lap after lap of your favourite circuit your car is going to perform. Results The results are 420BHP and 608NM ( Peak torque dependent on owners wishes) with only an intercooler and our TRS tuning, the most impressive aspect is not just the peak numbers but the way the car drives, torque is progressively fed in to help get the power down and get away from the spikey feeling. Peak power climbs to a new peak promoting you to hold onto the RPM long after the stock car plateaued and fizzled out. This is the most effective way to transform the driving experience of your N55 M2 into something you’d expect from a full-fat M car.
Pricing
We’re offering 2 intercooler options available, both with great results, design and build.
AIRTEC MOTORSPORT INTERCOOLER UPGRADE FOR BMW N55 M2 RRP £520
BMW M2 F87 20152018 DO88 Performance Aluminium Intercooler RRP £620
Fitting for either intercooler is charged at 1 hours labour £75 + VAT (£90 total)
The tuning cost for TRS custom tuning is charged at £570 for all tuning created custom to your requirements and running on our In house hub dyno. Meaning the total package costs are as follows:
£1180 With AIRTEC Intercooler
£1280 With DO88 Intercooler