[Artemis]

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On October 14, 2015 BMW released worldwide a BMW F87 M2 press release ("Press Kit") (see for example here (German), here (English - non-USA) or here (English - USA)).

On February 17, 2016 BMW released an updated version of the October 2015 M2 press release (see here (BMW Global) and here (BMW Germany)):

• German (see here)
• English (see here)
• French (see here)
• Spanish (see here)
• Italian (see here)

All five texts of the February 2016 updated version contain changes regarding four topics:

• removal of the express 'closed deck' design mention
• removal of the express 'exclusive Michelin Pilot Super Sport' mention
• changes to some BMW 2002 data
• changes to some BMW E30 M3 data

Let's take a look - though without drawing conclusions - at the differences.

Please note that several non-updated versions (original October 2015 version) are currently still online. The page references and excerpts shown below refer to the following online English - non-USA text versions: October 2015 and February 2016.

Pages 5-6: removal of the express 'closed deck' design mention:

October 2015:


February 2016:



Page 11: removal of the 'exclusive Michelin Pilot Super Sport' mention:

October 2015:

February 2016:


Page 19 (a): "perfectly embodied" replaced by "anticipated":

October 2015:

February 2016:


Page 19 (b): changes to some BMW 2002 data (corrections):

October 2015:

February 2016:


Page 20 (a): changes to some BMW 2002 data (corrections):

October 2015:

February 2016:


Page 20 (b): changes to some BMW E30 M3 data (corrections):

October 2015:

February 2016:


Side note: M2 rev-counter
page 16 of both versions mentions "8,000 rpm" instead of "7,500 rpm". The same lapsus calami slipped into the M2 Technical Training (see the image of a non-existing 8,500 rpm M2 rev-counter + "8,000 rpm" mention on page 64 of this US version and on page 63 of this non-US version) (see also for example here):

October 2015:

February 2016 (identical):


EDIT 1 (FEBRUARY 2017):

Forum fellow reppucci noticed and reported (see here) that the BMWNA website has been updated in the meantime (see the "Powerful Engines" section here):

• the prominent "closed-deck block" title has been replaced by "Twinpower turbo";
• the brief description:
  "The M2’s fully aluminum closed-deck block design and gray cast iron liners allow cylinders to endure higher pressure under the most demanding driving conditions."
  has been replaced as follows:
  "The M2's turbocharging system utilizes a TwinPower turbo to provide a broad plateau, while BMW's double-VANOS technology varies camshaft timing, allowing higher pressure to build inside the cylinder for optimal power output throughout the rev range."
  (FWIW: compare also with the wordings in the M3 and M4 "Powerful Engines" website sections: "The M3/M4's high-pressure, lag-free turbocharging system utilizes two TwinPower turbos to provide a broad plateau, while BMW's double-VANOS technology varies camshaft timing, allowing higher pressure to build inside the cylinder for optimal power output throughout the rev range.")

Past (M2 - "Powerful Engines" section BMWNA):


Present (M2 - "Powerful Engines" section BMWNA):


EDIT 2 (FEBRUARY 2017):

Forum fellow zenmaster got the confirmation from BMWNA that the M2 engine (N55B30T0) has indeed an 'open deck' design (see here):

Originally Posted by zenmaster

Case closed on this question, it was always the standard N55 open deck block (as suspected)

-------------
Thank you for reaching out to us.
Some of the original information contained in the press release was incorrect and since then has been updated. I can confirm that the M2 engine has been and continues to be open-deck.
Best regards,
BMW Group
[...]
-------------

[SeanWRT]

Let's donate to have that evil opened up. So everybody file a law suit agaist the lying company asking a S55 replacement for compensation.

[zenmaster]

You can look at the original Microsoft Word time stamps in the PDF file. Version 6 of the MS Word doc was in use until middle of Jan. While version 7 is the latest, published in Feb. Was obviously used as the basis for most of the other international releases as well. Each market region then modified the material to suit what was deemed relevant for that audience. Note, that contrary to popular opinion on the subject, the idea of a closed deck block did not originate in the USA...

The N55B30T0 engine was originally designed at the Engine Development Department at M GmbH Preußenstraße, Munich. They would be the authority for the design details. The manufacturer at Steryn, Austria would of course, also know these details.

[SoCalRob]

.

Artemis,
Let's not overlook the April 11, 2016 press release by BMW UK Corporate Communications which came out 2 months AFTER the document gyrations you note in your opening post.

Excerpts:






The press release I cited is still available on the BMW UK Corporate Communications website here: https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/unite...09EN_GB/360316

Regards. -scr

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by SoCalRob

Let's not overlook the April 11, 2016 press release by BMW UK Corporate Communications

Interesting observation. Thanks.

That UK document implements the February 2016 changes, except for re-inserting 'closed deck' and 'exclusive Michelin Pilot Super Sport' mentions again.

Do you know if some M2 UK customers got other tires than PSS, or is that phenomenon only limited to some US-spec M2 (e.g. Continental tires) ?

[SoCalRob]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Interesting observation. Thanks.

That UK document implements the February 2016 changes, except for re-inserting 'closed deck' and 'exclusive Michelin Pilot Super Sport' mentions again.

Do you know if some M2 UK customers got other tires than PSS, or is that phenomenon only limited to some US-spec M2 (e.g. Continental tires) ?

Sorry, I don't whether UK M2 customers received PSS tires exclusively. If so, perhaps it was a time-sensitive thing, i.e., for MY2016?

Regarding the UK press release, it would be odd to re-insert the closed-deck claim if it were false. So confusing! Regards. -scr

[Artemis]

And as indicated in another thread (cross-reference):

M2 Technical Training (BMW reference: "BV-72/Technical Training"):

• a US version
• a non-US version

Minor changes (e.g. "DCT" instead of "DKG", an extra paragraph about winter tires, etc.), but no single word about deck design.

On page 19 of both versions:

"The N55B30T0 engine is the power plant for the F87 BMW M2. It is a further development of the N55B30O0 engine from the BMW M135i and BMW M235i, which is familiar from the current BMW 1 Series and 2 Series models.
This document describes only the differences compared with the N55B30O0."

"2015" documents that did not surface on the interwebs before February 2016.

[rouxeny]

Seems like a big vote for the "open deck" camp!

Not that 80% of our readers (me included) can actually describe what that means.

[SoCalRob]

.
Just found another data point from the BMW PressClub United Kingdom website.

It's an article published on April 12, 2016 - i.e., one day after the BMW UK press release cited above.

It repeats the closed-deck assertion, but under the auspices of an article rather than a press release.

Excerpts:






Link to article: https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/unite...the-new-bmw-m2

Note that this article is still up and active on the BMW UK Press Group website. (i.e., has not been retracted or deprecated).

Regards. -scr

[Nine Lives]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Interesting observation. Thanks.

That UK document implements the February 2016 changes, except for re-inserting 'closed deck' and 'exclusive Michelin Pilot Super Sport' mentions again.

Do you know if some M2 UK customers got other tires than PSS, or is that phenomenon only limited to some US-spec M2 (e.g. Continental tires) ?

Yes,some of the later M2's that are coming through now are shod with Continentals and the MPSS is soon to be replaced by the PS4S.

[SoCalRob]

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

Yes,some of the later M2's that are coming through now are shod with Continentals and the MPSS is soon to be replaced by the PS4S.

By "some of the later M2s that are coming through now", do you mean some of the MY2017 vehicles? Or were some MY2016 M2s also clad in Contis? Thanks. -scr

[SeanWRT]

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

Yes,some of the later M2's that are coming through now are shod with Continentals and the MPSS is soon to be replaced by the PS4S.

Did Michelin announce that PSS will be discontinued and replaced by PS4S that will be out some time in 2017?

Did BMW announce that they will use PS4S for m models?

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by SeanWRT

Did Michelin announce that PSS will be discontinued and replaced by PS4S that will be out some time in 2017?

Did BMW announce that they will use PS4S for m models?

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...ss-Release.htm

The new MICHELIN PILOT SPORT 4 S will be available from January 2017 in Europe and from early March in the United States. It will be available in 19 and 20 inch diameters, covering 92% of the market.


BMW has made no announcements about the new Michelin tire. They will likely continue shipping 2017s and 2018s with the same two older tires.

[Nine Lives]

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

Yes,some of the later M2's that are coming through now are shod with Continentals and the MPSS is soon to be replaced by the PS4S.

Originally Posted by SoCalRob

By "some of the later M2s that are coming through now", do you mean some of the MY2017 vehicles? Or were some MY2016 M2s also clad in Contis? Thanks. -scr

As far as I'm aware the MY 16 M2's all had MPSS and most of the MY17.The cars that are coming through now towards the end of the year are showing variances as some are being shod with Continentals.

Obviously I can only vouch for my own market but the opinion as to why this is starting to happen is the imminent changeover to the PS4S in Europe.There have also been delays with the new m*40i because of the tyres and people are accepting the run flats option just to speed up the process.

Edit:

It's not clear whether BMW will use the PS4S from next year,stick with Continentals for now or whatever,but it's correct that the latest sales brochure has omitted MPSS and just states high performance tyres so I guess it's open to debate.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by rouxeny

Seems like a big vote for the "open deck" camp!
Not that 80% of our readers (me included) can actually describe what that means.

Example of open deck:


Example of semi-closed deck:


Example of closed deck:


Example of a BMW open deck engine:


Example of a BMW closed deck engine:

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by SeanWRT

Did Michelin announce that PSS will be discontinued and replaced by PS4S that will be out some time in 2017?
Did BMW announce that they will use PS4S for m models?

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...ss-Release.htm
The new MICHELIN PILOT SPORT 4 S will be available from January 2017 in Europe and from early March in the United States. It will be available in 19 and 20 inch diameters, covering 92% of the market.
BMW has made no announcements about the new Michelin tire. They will likely continue shipping 2017s and 2018s with the same two older tires.

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

It's not clear whether BMW will use the PS4S from next year,stick with Continentals for now or whatever,but it's correct that the latest sales brochure has omitted MPSS and just states high performance tyres so I guess it's open to debate.

IMHO quite likely the M2 LCI will still sport the PSS (or Contis).

PS4S is brandnew and the latest top dog - it ain't even supplied yet to tire shops. Goes on sale in 2017 (see for example this thread).

Car manufacturers need to go through a validation process - changing tire choices doesn't happen overnight. For example, at the time of the 1M release (May 2011), the PSS were already available. Nevertheless BMW stuck to the initial plan to fit the 'old' PS2 tires. Just too late in the 1M development process for BMW to make the switch from PS2 to PSS (no time and budget to spend on new tests with PSS). Anyways, lots of 1M owners replaced their PS2 with the superior PSS (with the fringe benefit that PSS are cheaper than PS2). The 1M Nürburgring time (08:12) was on PS2.

Moreover, we don't know yet the price difference between the PSS and the PS4S. If it turns out to be pretty pricey, PSS will remain, or eventually an upgrade to PS4 (instead of PS4S). Though PS4S is bound to replace the PSS, I guess that PSS won't be phased out very soon.

Of course, should Michelin significantly reduce PSS production, car manufacturers will look into alternative options.

[rouxeny]

Given how many tuners there are working on the car, you'd think the definitive picture that answered the open/closed deck conundrum would have already appeared.

[DETRoadster]

The BMW USA website still mentions the "closed deck" engine design.

https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m/m2.html

From the website: "The M2’s fully aluminum closed-deck block design and gray cast iron liners allow cylinders to endure higher pressure under the most demanding driving conditions."

My guess is that the term disappeared from the marketing literature because, as another poster mentioned, most folks don't know what it means. I dont think it's an indication that the engine has changed or that a closed deck design was never there to begin with. I suspect it was simply deemed to not be an impactful piece of marketing jargon, so it got cut.

[reppucci]

Originally Posted by rouxeny

Given how many tuners there are working on the car, you'd think the definitive picture that answered the open/closed deck conundrum would have already appeared.

^^^^ especially those one or two folks who have already swapped out the M2 motor for an S55! M2 motor must be laying around somewhere!

http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&highlight=s55

Please crack open that baby!

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

The BMW USA website still mentions the "closed deck" engine design.
https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m/m2.html
From the website: "The M2’s fully aluminum closed-deck block design and gray cast iron liners allow cylinders to endure higher pressure under the most demanding driving conditions."
My guess is that the term disappeared from the marketing literature because, as another poster mentioned, most folks don't know what it means. I dont think it's an indication that the engine has changed or that a closed deck design was never there to begin with. I suspect it was simply deemed to not be an impactful piece of marketing jargon, so it got cut.

Forum fellow reppucci noticed that the BMWNA website has been updated in the meantime.

The prominent 'closed deck' reference has been removed and the phrase that you quoted in your post has been replaced as follows: "The M2's turbocharging system utilizes a TwinPower turbo to provide a broad plateau, while BMW's double-VANOS technology varies camshaft timing, allowing higher pressure to build inside the cylinder for optimal power output throughout the rev range."

See: https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m/m2.html

Past:


Present:

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Forum fellow reppucci noticed that the BMWNA website has been updated in the meantime.

The prominent 'closed deck' reference has been removed and the phrase that you quoted in your post has been replaced as follows: "The M2's turbocharging system utilizes a TwinPower turbo to provide a broad plateau, while BMW's double-VANOS technology varies camshaft timing, allowing higher pressure to build inside the cylinder for optimal power output throughout the rev range."

See: https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m/m2.html

Past:
Attachment 1569025

Present:
Attachment 1569026

Ha ha ha! Looks like the engineers caught up with the marketers and corrected their mistake.

[Corinne]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Example of open deck:
Attachment 1533253

Example of closed deck:
Attachment 1533255

Ah ! Thanks Artemis... now it's clear. The closed deck has that extra thingy on the left !