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      02-11-2019, 01:35 PM   #55
XutvJet
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Drives: 2011 Cayman Base, 2016 M235
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Kansas City

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The M2C is definitely a faster car (1/4 mile trapspeeds don't lie) and I commend BMW for tuning the S55 in the M2C to deliver power is a more linear and tractable fashion. I firmly believe that if you tune the M2C, you're going to negate what BMW sought to accomplish with the power delivery and TRACTION. All tunes increase low and midrange power and that simply overwhelms the tires as the torque surge is so strong. A tuned M2C will likely be slower in the 1/4 mile and one the road course because it will be roasting the tires and hard to handle.

I think the N55 and S55 M2s are great. I could have either, but it's really hard for me to not like the simplicity of the N55 and lightly used M2. In a 1/4 mile race, the M2 is not going to be much slower than the M2C and just a downpipe would make it pretty dang close. A conservative flash tune on the N55 would make it even better.

The N55 in the M2 is very tractable. My M235 makes similar power to an M2 and I love the flexibility of the motor. You can push the car hard on the street without the sense of it trying to kill you. The N55 is far easier to work on and MUCH cheaper to service. The N55 in the M2/M235 is mildly modded by BMW for reliability and hard use.

While the S55 is stellar, I do worry about the long-term running costs and potential issues. One very big and concerning issue in older, 50K+ mile S55s (being reported on the M3/M4 forums now) is the "intercooler" heat exchanger leaking coolant directly into the combustion chamber. While this type of intercooling is more efficient vs the N55's more standard air to air intercooling, the S55's intercooling requires a lot of moving parts, a pump, and fluid-filled heat exchanger. BMW's history with the long-term reliability of cooling parts sucks. We're now seeing this in the S55s. If the leak was really bad, it could hydrolock the motor or impact the oil so that it loses it's viscosity and results in a spun rod bearing. Either one will result in a $10-20K+ repair bill as the S55 repair costs are so astronomical and amusing.

If you want all out power, less power reducing heat soak, and the latest and greatest, the M2C is the winner. If you want better long-term reliability, simplicity, reduced running costs, and a car you can drive harder on the street, the M2 is the winner.
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