[harkes]

I read/hear so much about how the B58 is SO MUCH better than the N55. Apparently it has longer stroke while still reving as freely as the N55, but what are the other advantages?

Please be objective here - or at least try

http://youwheel.com/home/2016/03/27/...linder-engine/

[963mw]

Good luck trying to fix anything at home. Just read the article, and it looks much more annoying than trying to service the N55.

[insanecoder]

I love the B58 but I dont think its a WHOLE lot better as it stands in the 340 than the N55 which is itself a venerable engine.. B58 has been mostly trouble-free thus far & got alil extra punch and I barely notice any turbo lag at all
Your article says everything that needs to be said.. ie B58 closed deck w/ more room upside for BMW to reuse for higher power variants

[mike@x-ph.com]

Good read

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by harkes

I read/hear so much about how the B58 is SO MUCH better than the N55. Apparently it has longer stroke while still reving as freely as the N55, but what are the other advantages?

Please be objective here - or at least try

http://youwheel.com/home/2016/03/27/...linder-engine/

Closed deck alone makes the motor better period. The new style turbo/turbo fold which BMW finally did away with the restrictive N55 log style.

Serviceability at home or not psi for psi b58 is better.

[harkes]

From a tuning perspective it certainly seems to continue the trend from the N55 EWG with even more potential from the stock turbo. Very close to Pure Stg2 performance = some very cheap horses

Closed deck or not. Both the N55 and N54 seems quite happy being open-decked.

[zinner]

no doubt it's better, I would hope it is an improvement over the N55. That said I think a lot of it is incremental improvements. As a tuning platform time will tell ;-D

[harkes]

Originally Posted by zinner

no doubt it's better, I would hope it is an improvement over the N55. That said I think a lot of it is incremental improvements. As a tuning platform time will tell ;-D

Reading the Technical Training PDF from BMW they focus a lot on the interchangable parts and the modulation. I think the B58 is firstly a cost down project and secondly a performance/technical improvement. No matter BMW has once again upped the game

[CIWS]

Originally Posted by Dejan_

Closed deck alone makes the motor better period. The new style turbo/turbo fold which BMW finally did away with the restrictive N55 log style.

Serviceability at home or not psi for psi b58 is better.

Yeah, I just want to give them about 3 years to work out any kinks, figure out the quirks, and of course for the various mods to be proven and make it to market for the platform. But I agree that closed deck offers great potential.
The dealership had a 340i last year when I was looking to buy, but I decided to stick with a proven engine and a plethora of available mods. It was the last model year of the 335/N55 and other than a broken CP, my X1 35i/N55 had zero mechanical problems running a Dinan stage 2.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by CIWS

Yeah, I just want to give them about 3 years to work out any kinks, figure out the quirks, and of course for the various mods to be proven and make it to market for the platform. But I agree that closed deck offers great potential.
The dealership had a 340i last year when I was looking to buy, but I decided to stick with a proven engine and a plethora of available mods. It was the last model year of the 335/N55 and other than a broken CP, my X1 35i/N55 had zero mechanical problems running a Dinan stage 2.

I too am enjoying the reliability of my 2nd f30 n55. Can't complain one bit.

[F32Fleet]

Because the block is shared with the diesel variant it has a closed deck design which should be able to withstand higher pressures.

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by 963mw

Good luck trying to fix anything at home. Just read the article, and it looks much more annoying than trying to service the N55.

and the N55 im sure is already bad enough when it comes to servicing. the last easy to work on engines BMW ever built was in the e46, e36, etc. the M50/52/54 are a walk in the park to service.

with the introduction of the n52 in 2006, the reliability weve come to expect from a naturally aspirated motor was still there, but ease of service was thrown into the garbage with all the complex electronics that were added in.

[mr_kay]

Any motor will become more complex and integrated with electronics as time goes on...that's technology. Complaining about that while also wanting more power/features is in congruent. This is the case for all car companies. I've even seen some annoying work on newer Hondas. You're buying a luxury/performance car, not a go-cart.

[franzzz]

Good review !!!

B58 great powerfull engine

[ouengineer]

Closed deck is very cool. If you're looking for extreme boost and power on a high compression ratio motor, it's the way to go. However, at stock power levels (and even stock turbos), I can't see it being a huge advantage. It is, I'm certain, what allowed them to bump compression ratio from 10.2:1 to 11.1:1 and get more efficiency, and more power, from the motor. The 340i gets 1 mpg combined better than the 335 with about 30whp more according to dyno tests.

My main concern about the closed deck block is the effectiveness of the heat management module. My guess is that it will be sufficient for stock boost, but I'm curious if it will work well under higher boost levels on a track with repeated runs.

The coolest part of the B58 (literally, lol) is the air-2-water intercooler. This is where a lot of efficiency comes from as well. It is much more efficient than the tiny sidemount intercoolers and will not block the radiator like an FMIC would. The specific heat capacity of water is so much higher than air. Getting a system like this stock is awesome.

Basically what all of this equates to is a higher efficiency vs the N55. You get more power and better gas mileage stock and are able to make more power without having to upgrade as much.

However, efficiency is not necessary if your goals are only power and reliability. My SR20DET in my 240sx made 400+hp for years of daily abuse with no issues on a stock longblock WITH my "that looks about right" tuning. The reason I was able to get that much power reliably was because of a very low stock compression ratio (8.5:1) which allows for much more error in tuning along with tuning for a very rich and thus safe Air/Fuel ratio. It gets about 17-19mpg at 2900lbs.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by ouengineer

Closed deck is very cool. If you're looking for extreme boost and power on a high compression ratio motor, it's the way to go. However, at stock power levels (and even stock turbos), I can't see it being a huge advantage. It is, I'm certain, what allowed them to bump compression ratio from 10.2:1 to 11.1:1 and get more efficiency, and more power, from the motor. The 340i gets 1 mpg combined better than the 335 with about 30whp more according to dyno tests.

My main concern about the closed deck block is the effectiveness of the heat management module. My guess is that it will be sufficient for stock boost, but I'm curious if it will work well under higher boost levels on a track with repeated runs.

The coolest part of the B58 (literally, lol) is the air-2-water intercooler. This is where a lot of efficiency comes from as well. It is much more efficient than the tiny sidemount intercoolers and will not block the radiator like an FMIC would. The specific heat capacity of water is so much higher than air. Getting a system like this stock is awesome.

Basically what all of this equates to is a higher efficiency vs the N55. You get more power and better gas mileage stock and are able to make more power without having to upgrade as much.

However, efficiency is not necessary if your goals are only power and reliability. My SR20DET in my 240sx made 400+hp for years of daily abuse with no issues on a stock longblock WITH my "that looks about right" tuning. The reason I was able to get that much power reliably was because of a very low stock compression ratio (8.5:1) which allows for much more error in tuning along with tuning for a very rich and thus safe Air/Fuel ratio. It gets about 17-19mpg at 2900lbs.

IIRC the B-series being a modular design was basically implemented as a money saver. The big benefit for gasser's of course is that they get the benefit the closed deck of a diesel.

I just don't like the fact that BMW had to place the timing gear on the back of the engine to make it worked.

[AlanYoro35i]

I stopped reading after this paragraph
''The latest B58 engine is totally different than the N54 and N55. It has true performance oriented design, while the previous N54/55 have limited potential which prevents them from taking higher loads.''

clearly he has not done much research about the N54 and its tuning capacity. BMW could of rolled it out at 400bhp stock on that engine. I can't see the B58 being as good as the N54 in terms of potential. Yes maybe those cooling functions is much more advance etc

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by AlanYoro35i

I stopped reading after this paragraph
''The latest B58 engine is totally different than the N54 and N55. It has true performance oriented design, while the previous N54/55 have limited potential which prevents them from taking higher loads.''

clearly he has not done much research about the N54 and its tuning capacity. BMW could of rolled it out at 400bhp stock on that engine. I can't see the B58 being as good as the N54 in terms of potential. Yes maybe those cooling functions is much more advance etc

I might be biased but the N54 is the best tuning friendly engine BMW has ever released ... I think they learned from their mistake

[zinner]

Originally Posted by Lobb

. Indeed so strong is the B58 block, it starts the production line agnostic as to whether it will end up fueled by petrol or diesel.

That worked well for General Motors in the past didn't it

Gas and Diesel are getting closer in terms of compression and boost levels, aren't they even going to start putting particulate filters on gas engines over in EMEA soon?

[ouengineer]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

IIRC the B-series being a modular design was basically implemented as a money saver. The big benefit for gasser's of course is that they get the benefit the closed deck of a diesel.

I just don't like the fact that BMW had to place the timing gear on the back of the engine to make it worked.

That makes a ton of sense.

Yeah, rear mounted timing is a bit worrisome. Particularly for a 100k mile plus version some kid gets a hold of someday with the intention of modifying (or even just driving). Then again, I knew plenty of people with awd stealth/3000gt turbos that had to work on their cars when something (inevitably) broke. Talk about a cluttered engine bay with nothing designed for easy maintenance and that car immediately comes to mind. In comparison, the B58 seems fine.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by F32Fleet

IIRC the B-series being a modular design was basically implemented as a money saver. The big benefit for gasser's of course is that they get the benefit the closed deck of a diesel.

I just don't like the fact that BMW had to place the timing gear on the back of the engine to make it worked.

Not to sound rude but what difference does it make where the timing chain is? 99% of the forum members will never touch or attempt that job.

Regardless even if it's in the front like the N55 it's a nasty job especially while dealing with valvetronic. The fact of the matter is 99% of people on here will never keep the car to that mark where the timing chain needs to be serviced.

I did my own turbo swap on my n55 and that's like 3% of us on here in the minority that do it ourselves. All i ever see is people ponying up the $1100 install charges for a PS2 and that's no where near as complex as a timing chain job...just sayin for comparison sake. Just my .02.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by Dejan_

Not to sound rude but what difference does it make where the timing chain is? 99% of the forum members will never touch or attempt that job.

Regardless even if it's in the front like the N55 it's a nasty job especially while dealing with valvetronic. The fact of the matter is 99% of people on here will never keep the car to that mark where the timing chain needs to be serviced.

I did my own turbo swap on my n55 and that's like 3% of us on here in the minority that do it ourselves. All i ever see is people ponying up the $1100 install charges for a PS2 and that's no where near as complex as a timing chain job...just sayin for comparison sake. Just my .02.

No problem,

Historically BMW has a crappy reputation for engines with timing chain problems. A model with a problem engine impacts owners who buy or lease because it decreases demand. In addition the cost to repair is significantly higher on a rear facing set up. The S55 (w/3rd party tune) has a problem with the hub. Imagine the cost to repair if it was at the rear of the engine.

N47 has a rear facing timing chain had chain related problems. It was a huge issue and iirc BMW (UK) dragged it's feet acknowledging the problem.

The jury is out on the B-series engines.