From the factory, according to BMW, the N55 Inline-6, twin scroll single turbo motor produces 306 HP/ and 295Ft-Lbs. Like most BMW's, we expect these numbers to be underrated, and we set out to find just how much power it will make.
The N55 is the N54's successor in the BMW lineup. While it is known for not making quite as much power as the N54, it does have a reputation for being more reliable and easier to work on than the N54.
Our N55 vehicle is a 2014 335i equipped with BMW's AWD xDrive system. Keep in mind that the AWD platform will make a bit less power due to it's drivetrain loss compared to the RWD variant.
After throwing the F30 on the rollers, we were more than happy with the results. The car made 292 AWHP and 307 AWTQ. With the 27% drivetrain loss that Mustang Dyno calculates, this would make the crank numbers 370HP/389TQ, 64HP and 94TQ more than BMW claims.
HOW DO THESE NUMBER COMPARE?
Most F30's will dyno around 270WHP, so these numbers are bit more than expected. This means our N55 was roughly 23WHP stronger than the average. The torque curve showed normal as it came on early and held strong almost all the way to redline. The N55 has almost no turbo lag with the stock turbo, and put good torque numbers as low as 3,000RPM. We were ecstatic to see the car put down these types of numbers, bone stock. This leaves us hoping for great numbers when the car is FBO Stage 2+.
STOCK N55 0-60 and 1/4 MILE TESTING With these dyno numbers in hand we took to some Dragy testing to see what it is able to do on the street in the 0-60mph and 1/4 mile category. 0-60mph results were low 5's with the best being 5.1. While 1/4 mile ranged from 13.6 to 13.8, with a best of 13.6 @ 100mph. We hope to get it into mid 4's 0-60 and mid 12's after installing the ARM FBO kit and BM3 OTS Stage 2 tune.
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS FOR THE N55?
Our stage for this N55 is to install the ARM N55 FBO Kit, which includes the upgrades listed below:
For the software side of things, we will be using the Bootmod3 OTS maps and compare the differences between the different stages and fuels. Look out for the next ARM Blog featuring our Stage 2 N55!
WHAT BMW's HAVE THE N55 ENGINE?
The N55 is a staple in the BMW line up, and can be found in a wide range of vehicles in their fleet. Those vehicles include:
135i LCI
335i 2010+
435i 2013+
535i 2009+
X1 xDrive35i 2012+
X3 xDrive35i 2010+
X4 xDrive35i 2014+
X5 xDrive 35i 2011+
X6 xDrive 35i 2011+
If you need assistance with your N55 build, let us know! Check out our upgrades for your N55 HERE.
