[MayanRosales]

I currently drive a 2011 335i m sport with the n55 engine(currently 152k miles). While i love the car i am just ready for a new car/engine as i want to be able to tune a car that has more potential then the n55, aswell as i kinda rushed into this car and didnt get the engine/spec that i fully wanted. aswell as so much has gone wrong with this car that putting more money into it is not something i want to do. I have been looking at f8x m3/m4, f10 m5, or 540i as my next car(leaning towards the Ms) but these are currently out of my budget and would only be a viable option within the next year to year and half. I love the e92 generation cars and have the budget to sell my car and get a somewhat low mileage(80k) 335is in the spec i orginally wanted. Is the 335is worth it? how bad is the n54 really? should i just wait for a car?

[335i54n]

nope, its a shame it never came with an lsd. no lsd, injector pricing and price premium it commands imo is too much. i would look at a m240i (add lsd or xdrive) or save up for an f8x

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by MayanRosales

I currently drive a 2011 335i m sport with the n55 engine(currently 152k miles). While i love the car i am just ready for a new car/engine as i want to be able to tune a car that has more potential then the n55, aswell as i kinda rushed into this car and didnt get the engine/spec that i fully wanted.

N54 is not bad at all, nothing scary.

N55 has plenty of tuning potential... I would not get rid of a well sorted N55 powered car just for the "tuning potential" of a N54.

[MayanRosales]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

N54 is not bad at all, nothing scary.

N55 has plenty of tuning potential... I would not get rid of a well sorted N55 powered car just for the "tuning potential" of a N54.

im aware of the n55s tuning capablities as currently im FBO with MHD stage 2+ e30 tune, but am not getting the numbers i want, aswell as do not want to go upgraded turbo as i have already had to deal with a spun rod bearing and countless other issues that make this car specifically just seem pointless to keep dumping money into. love the n55 espcially its sound, but was mostly wondering if the n54 + DCT combo warrent the possible "upgrade". thanks for the reply!

[tcphoto]

A PPI is essential for that car, the mileage is a little high for the year and the downside is scary for maintenance and potential repairs.

[MayanRosales]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

A PPI is essential for that car, the mileage is a little high for the year and the downside is scary for maintenance and potential repairs.

Yea def not jumping onto any cars without a PPI and other background checks. did that for my current car and paid the price heavily, main reason for why i am in the position that i am in rn, but i was younger and dumber and eager for a car. thanks for the reply!

[tcphoto]

I bought my first BMW without a PPI and did a lot of maintenance and replacing broken parts and trim work. After more than six years, I replaced it with my E92. I knew what to look for, test drove it and reinspected all those troubles spots. As a result, I’ve spent $100 a month over the past eight years including an M Sport retrofit and I love it more now than the day I bought it.

[whyzee125]

Worth it. N54 is 15x more fun and nothing to be afraid of. If you've been in the e90 game for a while, an N54 won't scare you

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by MayanRosales

but was mostly wondering if the n54 + DCT combo warrent the possible "upgrade".!

I don't see how a N54 is going to be any different for a Stage 2+ E30 setup. If you're going for a big single setup with port injection then yeah maybe the N54 is a better platform, otherwise I don't see why it would be worth upgrading cars, unless you find something that's cosmetically and mechanically better than what you have now.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

I don't see how a N54 is going to be any different for a Stage 2+ E30 setup. If you're going for a big single setup with port injection then yeah maybe the N54 is a better platform, otherwise I don't see why it would be worth upgrading cars, unless you find something that's cosmetically and mechanically better than what you have now.

X2 on this opinion, I expect N54 might make like 10-20hp more over an N55 on stock snails on similar "OTS Stage2+ E30" tune.

Trade off is the cost of common failure parts like injectors is WAY higher on N54 vs the considerably more affordable N55 injectors.

I would say just save up and go with the newer gen car if power is your main goal as those cars can make considerably more power on stock snails vs any N54.

[Cloverdale]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

X2 on this opinion, I expect N54 might make like 10-20hp more over an N55 on stock snails on similar "OTS Stage2+ E30" tune.

Trade off is the cost of common failure parts like injectors is WAY higher on N54 vs the considerably more affordable N55 injectors.

I would say just save up and go with the newer gen car if power is your main goal as those cars can make considerably more power on stock snails vs any N54.

Please list 3 newer gen coupes capable of making considerably more power on stock turbos than the N54 for when mine become too much to continue to deal with. Thanks.

[Cloverdale]

I can understand why some make the choice to do all index 12 injectors but there's obviously lots of used, perfectly functional, varying index injectors available in your local market for relatively little pricing. I continue to run one of my 2007 N54's on various index injectors running the spectrum from 1's through 9's.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by Cloverdale

Please list 3 newer gen coupes capable of making considerably more power on stock turbos than the N54 for when mine become too much to continue to deal with. Thanks.

As a point of reference I will use OTS MHD Tunes to give you HP estimates, yes custom tuners can wring more performance out of them, but that's also true for these other engines as well. Most people I think would consider a 10% boost in horsepower a "significant" increase. I will use the rule of thumb of anything that makes +50HP above what an N54 on stocker snails can do in this list.

MHD lists N54 cars can produce 440HP on E85 Mix Blends. So I will provide the same estimates for these cars/engines from the same source.

Since you are interested in coupes specifically I will provide just couple vehicles:

1. F82 M4... MHD lists these cars as capable of making 540HP on E85 Tune OTS.
2. F87 M2... Same engine as above so same 540HP on E85 OTS Tunes
3. F32 440i... MHD lists these cars as capable of making making 500HP on OTS E40 Mix
4. G82 M4... MHD lists these cars as capable of making 750HP on OTS E30+
5. G87 M2... Same engine as above so making same 750HP
6. F13 M6... Yeah still a coupe... MHD lists the S63 as capable of 800HP on E30+
7. F92 M8... Ditto all the things from #6
8. G42 M240i... Same B58 as #3 so same 500HP on OTS E40 listed.

Should I include other brands like Audi/Mercedes?

You asked for 3, I gave you 8 coupes examples just from BMW that will make more power than an N54 with OTS E85 mixes.

Some of these engines might be less reliable than the N54... **cough** S63... but none the less some should be significantly more reliable **cough** B58.

Also for the record I own both an N52 that is stock and an N54 that is FBO on E50 mix, its no slouch but I am not going to go out there an pick on an M4 with an S55 or worse yet an S58. Because those cars will probably whoop my ass without even needing a tune.

[MayanRosales]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

I don't see how a N54 is going to be any different for a Stage 2+ E30 setup. If you're going for a big single setup with port injection then yeah maybe the N54 is a better platform, otherwise I don't see why it would be worth upgrading cars, unless you find something that's cosmetically and mechanically better than what you have now.

yea my plan orginally for a n54 car or b58 would be to go big single with obviously all other supporting mods. but by the looks of it and what people have been saying i will just stick it for the year and wait to upgrade to a f8x series car. I do however one day in the future return to the e92 platform in either the n54 or m3 to really fullfill my e92 itch, but financially at the moment as a college student big single n54 or s65 would not be very smart

[Cloverdale]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

As a point of reference I will use OTS MHD Tunes to give you HP estimates, yes custom tuners can wring more performance out of them, but that's also true for these other engines as well. Most people I think would consider a 10% boost in horsepower a "significant" increase. I will use the rule of thumb of anything that makes +50HP above what an N54 on stocker snails can do in this list.

MHD lists N54 cars can produce 440HP on E85 Mix Blends. So I will provide the same estimates for these cars/engines from the same source.

Since you are interested in coupes specifically I will provide just couple vehicles:

1. F82 M4... MHD lists these cars as capable of making 540HP on E85 Tune OTS.
2. F87 M2... Same engine as above so same 540HP on E85 OTS Tunes
3. F32 440i... MHD lists these cars as capable of making making 500HP on OTS E40 Mix
4. G82 M4... MHD lists these cars as capable of making 750HP on OTS E30+
5. G87 M2... Same engine as above so making same 750HP
6. F13 M6... Yeah still a coupe... MHD lists the S63 as capable of 800HP on E30+
7. F92 M8... Ditto all the things from #6
8. G42 M240i... Same B58 as #3 so same 500HP on OTS E40 listed.

Should I include other brands like Audi/Mercedes?

You asked for 3, I gave you 8 coupes examples just from BMW that will make more power than an N54 with OTS E85 mixes.

Some of these engines might be less reliable than the N54... **cough** S63... but none the less some should be significantly more reliable **cough** B58.

Also for the record I own both an N52 that is stock and an N54 that is FBO on E50 mix, its no slouch but I am not going to go out there an pick on an M4 with an S55 or worse yet an S58. Because those cars will probably whoop my ass without even needing a tune.

Appreciate your offering for future consideration, thanks. Going to be a significant increase in purchase price. Our E90's with the N54 are a relatively incredible value especially when considering their bolt on potential.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by Cloverdale

I can understand why some make the choice to do all index 12 injectors but there's obviously lots of used, perfectly functional, varying index injectors available in your local market for relatively little pricing. I continue to run one of my 2007 N54's on various index injectors running the spectrum from 1's through 9's.

yeah same, running mix match injectors.

for owning both engines, N55 is way less hassle. twinscrool power delivery is better, plastics last way longer ( less heat), so the radiator.
I changed everything common on my N54 between 80-100k km, around 7k$ of repairs. while my n55 is now at 170k km, 0$ maintenance. all stock.
and members seem to report the same.