Tuning the BMW N63

"Building the best modified BMW N63 engine!"

Carref prides itself on providing the latest tips and guides to your modification project.

The BMW N63 really good project engines and with carefully chosen modified tuning mods like a remap, turbo improvements and camshafts you will dramatically increase your driving enjoyment.

This pages aim is detail the best approach to N63 tuning and point out the premier mods that work.

We rely on our visitors to pass on tips and tell us about their projects and what worked on their car, and this article is the culmination of the feedback we have received. First let us look at the history and specs of this engine and then consider which tuning modifications work best on it.

History of the Engine

The turbo was placed inside the V of the engine, which can get quite hot, hence the addition of a secondary cooling pump in 2012.

It used direct injection which was a first for BMW V8's and this enables the engine to run higher compression with a turbocharger.

N63B40A

300 kW (402 bhp) @5,500 rpm 600Nm 443 lbft) @1,750-4,500 rpm 2012-2015
330 kW (443 bhp) @5,500 rpm 650Nm 479 lbft) @1,750-4,500 rpm

• 2012-2017 F12/F13 650i (China only, 300 kW (402 bhp) version)
• 2012-2017 F01/F02 750i/750Li (China only, 330 kW (443 bhp) version)

N63B44O0

402 bhp @5,500-6,400 rpm 600Nm 443 lbft) @1,750-4,500 rpm 2008-2013

• 2008– 2013 E71 X6
• 2009– 2012 F01/F02 750i/750Li
• 2010– 2012 F07 550i GT
• 2010– 2013 F10/F11 550i
• 2011– 2013 E70 X5
• 2012– 2012 F12/F13 650i

N63B44O1 N63TU

This engine came with valvetronic revised turbos and forged con rods and crank with revisions to the fuel system and new valve stem seals.

444 bhp @5,500-6,000 rpm 650Nm 479 lbft) @2,000-4,500 rpm 2013-2016

• 2013–2015 F01/F02 750i/750Li
• 2013–2016 F07 550i GT
• 2014–2016 F10/F11 550i
• 2014–2018 F15 X5
• 2014–2019 F16 X6
• 2013–2018 F12/F13 650i
• 2013–2019 F06 650i

N63B44O2

444 bhp) @5,500-6,000 rpm 650Nm 479 lbft) @1,800-4,500 rpm 2016–present

• 2016–2019 G12 750i/750Li sDrive/xDrive
• 2017–2019 G30 M550i xDrive

N63B44M3

In 2016 we saw higher pressure injectors and larger capacity twin scroll turbos and a new intake manifold design.

456 bhp) @5,250-6,000 rpm 650Nm 479 lbft) @1,500-4,750 rpm 2018–present

• 2018– G05 X5 xDrive50i
• 2018– G07 X7 xDrive50i

N63B44T3

In 2016 we saw higher pressure injectors and larger capacity twin scroll turbos and a new intake manifold design.

523 bhp @5,500-6,000 rpm 750Nm 553 lbft) @1,800-4,600 rpm 2018–present

• 2018– G14/G15/G16 M850i xDrive
• 2019– G11/G12 750i/750Li sDrive/xDrive
• 2020– G30/G31 M550i xDrive
• 2020– G05 X5 M50i
• 2020– G06 X6 M50i
• 2020– G07 X7 M50i

Tuning the BMW N63 and best N63 performance parts.

What are the most effective N63 mods

When talking about the best greatest for your N63 engine, we are going to focus on the ones that give the biggest return for your cash.

The camshaft profile plays a big part in the engines power output so camshaft upgrades make quite a large difference. The intake & exhaust durations will alter depending on the chosen camshaft profile, so large bhp gains are on offer for camshaft upgrades.

Fast road cams commonly raise the bhp through the rev range, you might lose a little low end power but the high end rpm power will improve.

Race cams, raise the high end rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

A Motorsport camshaft won't do well if driving in heavy traffic.

You should ideally match your engines power to your cars usage so for a car driven daily stick with a fast road N63 camshaft

Some N63 engines respond better to less aggressive cam durations than others.

The engine timing and fuel pump and injectors also have a large bearing on the bhp gains you'll achieve.

Extending exhaust or intake durations can alter the bhp band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

Modifying to STAGE 1:

Intake headers, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Sports exhaust manifold, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Fast road camshaft.

Modifying to Stage 2:

Ported and polished head, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, high flow fuel injectors, induction kit, fuel pump upgrades, Fast road cam.

Modifying to Stage 3:

Engine balancing & blueprinting, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Competition cam, Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Twin charging conversions, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression.

A remap helps unlock the full potential of all the upgrades you've done to your N63.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but your mileage may differs on the upgrades you've done and the condition of your engine.

Feeding more air and fuel into each cylinder is the main goal to any car tuning project.

Intake manifold flow the air during the suck phase from the filter and allow it to be sucked into the engine and mixed with fuel.

Structure and rate of flow of the Intake can make a big difference to to fuel mixing and power on the N63.

I usually find air intake manifolds are begging for a performance upgrade, although a few manufacturers provide decently flowing air intake manifolds.

Fitting big valve kits, doing a bit of port work and head flowing will also boost performance, and significantly will give you a greater performance increase on other tuning mods.

Which turbo upgrades are best?

NASP engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your N63

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes significant power gains.

When your motor is fitted with a turbo parts are going to make more power and we find turbocharged engines are made using more solid components.

However every engines have weakspots

We recommend you find these restrictions and upgrade to forged components to cope with the power.

There are many guys spending a fortune on turbo upgrades on the N63 only to suffer the indignity of watching the car throw a rod on it's first outing after it's completed.

Big capacity turbochargers will usually experience a bottom end lag, and little turbochargers spool up much more quickly but won't have the peak rpm torque gains.

Thanks to new tech the selection of turbochargers is always improving and we commonly find variable vane turbochargers, permitting the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end power.

Twin scroll turbochargers divert the exhaust gases into two channels and feed these at differently designed vanes in the turbo. They also improve the scavenging effect of the engine.

It is not unusual that there's a limit in the air flow sensor AFM/MAP on the when a lot more air is being drawn into the engine.

Going up you'll find 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor limited power at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large torque gains, although more difficult to configure. We have this feature on twinchargers if you want to read more.

Fuelling

Don't overlook the need to uprate the fuel delivery when you are increasing the torque - it makes the car more thirsty. It is important to be generous with your flow rate on the injectors.

As a rule of thumb add 20% capacity when fitting an injector, helps cope with injector deterioration and allows a little spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

We think this one is common sense, but you'll need to match your fuel injector to the type of fuel your car uses as well.

Choosing the right performance exhaust

One of the most common mistakes and problems we see in tuning projects is usually down to the exhaust, or rather a poorly chosen exhaust for your engine.

You may need to increase your exhaust if your exhaust is actually creating a flow problem.

On most factory exhausts you'll find your flow rate is still fine even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts equal out the flow of gases through the engine.

But if the exhaust pipe is too big, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose much of your flow rate and end up lacking power and torque.

Usual exhaust restrictions are traced to the catalysts installed, so adding a higher flowing race alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Weak spots Issues & problem areas on the N63

The later N63 engines are generally reliable as long as they are regularly serviced and maintained and you keep an eye out for the weakspots.

As this was a new design, there were quite a few teething problems on early engines and the engine generally runs quite hot which is never a good thing long term, and BMW addressed this with some cooling additions over the model revisions.

Regular oil changes are vital on the N63, especially when tuned and will help extend the life and reliability of the engine.

Timing chains were prone to stretch leading to a recall in 2014, where BMW also addressed injector issues, airflow sensors and the crankcase ventilation lines.

If you get a rough idle then be sure to check the timing chain, as this is an early symptom of problems and should not be ignored.

The N63 does seem to destroy batteries, this is more down to the efficient Dynamics module than the engine.

High oil consumption has also been noted, this is usually down to valve stem failure seal issues.

For more information on Tuning your N63 engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss tuning options in with our worldwide members, Or read our tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

Please help us improve these tips by sending us your feedback in the comments box below.

We love to hear what our visitors have got up to and which tuning mods work best for them on each model of car. Comments are used to improve the accuracy of these N63 articles which are continually updated.

This article was written by Waynne Smith on TorqueCars, and I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under BMW. You can leave a response below or join TorqueCars forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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