Let's make N63TU 50i great again! Changing spark plugs - community DIY (in progress)

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by BobBeau

Didn't you close the gap a bit or did you leave them alone?

I closed them to about .62. I bought two different tools from the local stores cuz I didn't want to wait for amazon. I also figured the oem M plugs would be gapped better. So the lowest setting I could find at two different stores was .64mm. So I gapped them just enough so that my tool couldn't get in between. So I'm assuming I'm at like .62. I did that only because everyone seems to recommend this from the forum. Otherwise I'd simply leave as gapped from BMW. Idk if BMW gaps them down more or if Bosch makes them to specific spec for BMW. Anyone with knowledge is welcome but that's all I got.

[perry8912]

Originally Posted by BobBeau

BM3 (Bootmode) tune here. Like Dush said you'll want the M air filters when you're tuned. You'll also want to get a new set of spark plugs to avoid misfires, as most of us that are tuned are learning. As far as being easy to remove and reinstall... I don't see how much easier it could get with a flash. Takes less than 10 minutes and a laptop does all the work. The DME will store a code that says something was plugged into the OBDII port but if you drive the car around the block after you're finished flashing the stock tune and locking the DME's, you can plug back in and clear codes and it goes away. Didn't do this one time and the dealer questioned me about it. Told her I'd been doing some coding (which was true) and all was well. Buddy of mine had the JB4 on his M235i and was very happy with it. I had been looking for something for mine and was ready to pull the trigger. When BM3 came out with their tune for the 50i, I was sold. My buddy wanted to try a flash tune vs. a piggy back so we both bought the BM3 tune at the same time. I can't compare it on my X5 but he threw the JB4 in the garbage after he installed the flash tune from BM3. Piggy back tune vs. an actual flash I guess. I love my tune, not saying that it's better than Dush's or any other flash tune but with much more power and GOBS more torque, i'm extremely happy. With more flash tunes becoming available, I don't see the BMW piggy back era lasting much longer. Just my .02

Hi there,

I've been doing some research on tuning options these days, still a newbie, but learning. From the website, the BM3 only cost $100 more than Racechip, sounds like a no brainer.

But only one thing got me worried. From the threads you posted before, you mentioned less throttle responsiveness with the tune and transmission doesn't like to downshift. Have they solved the issue? Or is it because of the beta version? The main reason I want my car tuned, is because of the turbo lag under 2k rpm in comfort mode, if that can't be addressed with a flush tune, I may give Racechip a try, at least it's cheap and warranty safe.

Please let me know have you solved the issue. Or anyone know about mission tuning?

[BobBeau]

Originally Posted by perry8912

Hi there,

I've been doing some research on tuning options these days, still a newbie, but learning. From the website, the BM3 only cost $100 more than Racechip, sounds like a no brainer.

But only one thing got me worried. From the threads you posted before, you mentioned less throttle responsiveness with the tune and transmission doesn't like to downshift. Have they solved the issue? Or is it because of the beta version? The main reason I want my car tuned, is because of the turbo lag under 2k rpm in comfort mode, if that can't be addressed with a flush tune, I may give Racechip a try, at least it's cheap and warranty safe.

Please let me know have you solved the issue. Or anyone know about mission tuning?

Since I realized you could go in and somewhat individualize sport mode... What I've done is configured sport mode to where the ride is still in comfort but the transmission is in sport. This has helped quite a bit. I'm very happy with it but I do plan on doing some data logging and getting a custom tune in the near future.

[BobBeau]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

I closed them to about .62. I bought two different tools from the local stores cuz I didn't want to wait for amazon. I also figured the oem M plugs would be gapped better. So the lowest setting I could find at two different stores was .64mm. So I gapped them just enough so that my tool couldn't get in between. So I'm assuming I'm at like .62. I did that only because everyone seems to recommend this from the forum. Otherwise I'd simply leave as gapped from BMW. Idk if BMW gaps them down more or if Bosch makes them to specific spec for BMW. Anyone with knowledge is welcome but that's all I got.

SWEET! I work 14 and 14 but plan on diving into this when I get home on Wednesday.

[Maverik259]

DIY posted.
http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1505161

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by BobBeau

I got some info on plugs from BM3. They recommend the NGK SILZKBR8D8S (97506) for N55, S55 and S63tu motors. I asked them about the N63tu motor and the person responded with only the information on the 3 motors I stated. They also recommend gapping between .018" and .020" which equates to between .46 and .51mm. What are your thoughts on this gap for the M plugs? I don't want to install the plugs then have to take them out to re-gap them. I need to find that happy medium where it'll run fine on both stock and tuned.

Bob, being that you have BM3 (as do I), what did you decide to do here? I also found the same post where they make recommendations for the N55 to use NGK and actually discourage using the M3 plugs. Did you go with the X5M plugs?

[BobBeau]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Bob, being that you have BM3 (as do I), what did you decide to do here? I also found the same post where they make recommendations for the N55 to use NGK and actually discourage using the M3 plugs. Did you go with the X5M plugs?

Yes, I went with the M plugs and gapped them to .62 ~.63. No problems since the install but my issue ended up being a coil instead of plugs. I would still recommend changing the plugs tho. I'm sure the NGK plugs are superior to the X5M plugs but the M plugs suit me just fine... Especially for the price

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by BobBeau

Yes, I went with the M plugs and gapped them to .62 ~.63. No problems since the install but my issue ended up being a coil instead of plugs. I would still recommend changing the plugs tho. I'm sure the NGK plugs are superior to the X5M plugs but the M plugs suit me just fine... Especially for the price

Cool, guess I'll jump on the bandwagon with the M plugs but I think I'll gap mine closer to .55

[BobBeau]

Originally Posted by mikew2069

Cool, guess I'll jump on the bandwagon with the M plugs but I think I'll gap mine closer to .55

FYI... the plugs in the X5M come from the factory gapped @ .67~.68. Since the tune puts us in M territory, this should be sufficient. I'm no expert but you may get a rough idle at .55.

[mikew2069]

Originally Posted by BobBeau

FYI... the plugs in the X5M come from the factory gapped @ .67~.68. Since the tune puts us in M territory, this should be sufficient. I'm no expert but you may get a rough idle at .55.

You and Maverick put them at about 0.62 but BM3 recommends about 0.51 so I was thinking to just split the difference. Their recommendation isn't specifically for the N63TU but it looks like they recommend that gap on every other motor. I have a message out to them so I'll report back what they say.

[mikew2069]

I heard back from BM3 and they said that they recommend the same plug on all of the cars they support - the NGK 97506 gaped to 0.02.... I actually just bought a set of these for about $15 a piece for my F30 which is running JB4 stage 2. I might try them out on the F30 to see how I like them first or I might get click happy and just order the X5M plugs. I'll report back.

[nitemare]

1st off hats off to DuSh for the constant out of box thinking, been hiding in the shadows reading.

Anyway, I'll be the owner of an F15 50i in the next few months it's just hard right now to find the color options I want with the miles and MSport.

Regarding the plugs after many hours of research I found out several things:

- We know that BMW uses a double platinum plug from the factory which is fine for stock applications

- Once we get to a Stage 2 tune we MUST change our plugs. If utilizing an iridium plug (97506) you will have more spark energy vs platinum. It is 6x harder, 8x stronger, and has a 700* higher melting point than platinum. Iridium plugs can last up to 25% longer than platinum.

- Iridium spark plugs feature a fine wire center electrode that is designed to conduct electrical energy better and increase firing efficiency which can reduce the required coil voltage by as much as 20-percent. That 20% difference can make or break your missfire issues. Not only do iridium’s properties reduce the ignition voltage requirement considerably they contribute to improving the spread of the flame front in the combustion chamber. Less voltage to fire = more spark energy = better VE

- Stock gap is 0.030" which is fine for stock boost levels but nowhere near sufficient for 20+psi. Stage 1 tune can get away with stock gap and stock plugs, but if the plugs have some miles on them you might get missfires. So even before you flash a stage 1 tune replace your plugs. If you feel like you will be going to a stage 2 tune anytime soon I would skip the stock replacement platinum plugs and jump to the NGK 97506 Iridiums gapped at 0.025". Which will be a sufficient gap up to the max 21.7psi on the stock TMAPs. If you get a custom tune that targets 24-26psi (obviosuly with the N20 3.5bar TMAPs) I would definietly close the gap some more to 0.023".

- Because iridium is costly, iridium spark plug manufacturers reduce the diameter of the center electrode to as little as 0.5mm. In addition to saving money, like I said the “fine wire” center electrode on iridium spark plugs increases firing efficiency.

- Some tuners claim that fine-wire plugs run “hotter” than normal plugs and that you should avoid fine-wire plugs especially in supercharged or turbocharged applications but facts support the exact opposite conclusion. As an example, the supercharged 2018 Dodge Hellcat—which makes 707 hp from its 6.2L Hemi—specs an iridium spark plug. If you want another example, the 350 hp Focus RS turbocharged four banger pushes as much as 25 psi of boost, which also employs a factory iridium plug. Also, if any of you guys come from the N54/N55 realm like me then you know the 97506 is the most run plug across the board for a reason.


https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/i...d7/2015/bmw/x5

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by nitemare

1st off hats off to DuSh for the constant out of box thinking, been hiding in the shadows reading.

Anyway, I'll be the owner of an F15 50i in the next few months it's just hard right now to find the color options I want with the miles and MSport.

Regarding the plugs after many hours of research I found out several things:

- We know that BMW uses a double platinum plug from the factory which is fine for stock applications

- Once we get to a Stage 2 tune we MUST change our plugs. If utilizing an iridium plug (97506) you will have more spark energy vs platinum. It is 6x harder, 8x stronger, and has a 700* higher melting point than platinum. Iridium plugs can last up to 25% longer than platinum.

- Iridium spark plugs feature a fine wire center electrode that is designed to conduct electrical energy better and increase firing efficiency which can reduce the required coil voltage by as much as 20-percent. That 20% difference can make or break your missfire issues. Not only do iridium’s properties reduce the ignition voltage requirement considerably they contribute to improving the spread of the flame front in the combustion chamber. Less voltage to fire = more spark energy = better VE

- Stock gap is 0.030" which is fine for stock boost levels but nowhere near sufficient for 20+psi. Stage 1 tune can get away with stock gap and stock plugs, but if the plugs have some miles on them you might get missfires. So even before you flash a stage 1 tune replace your plugs. If you feel like you will be going to a stage 2 tune anytime soon I would skip the stock replacement platinum plugs and jump to the NGK 97506 Iridiums gapped at 0.025". Which will be a sufficient gap up to the max 21.7psi on the stock TMAPs. If you get a custom tune that targets 24-26psi (obviosuly with the N20 3.5bar TMAPs) I would definietly close the gap some more to 0.023".

- Because iridium is costly, iridium spark plug manufacturers reduce the diameter of the center electrode to as little as 0.5mm. In addition to saving money, like I said the “fine wire” center electrode on iridium spark plugs increases firing efficiency.

- Some tuners claim that fine-wire plugs run “hotter” than normal plugs and that you should avoid fine-wire plugs especially in supercharged or turbocharged applications but facts support the exact opposite conclusion. As an example, the supercharged 2018 Dodge Hellcat—which makes 707 hp from its 6.2L Hemi—specs an iridium spark plug. If you want another example, the 350 hp Focus RS turbocharged four banger pushes as much as 25 psi of boost, which also employs a factory iridium plug. Also, if any of you guys come from the N54/N55 realm like me then you know the 97506 is the most run plug across the board for a reason.


https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/i...d7/2015/bmw/x5

Thanks man! I'm not the most knowledgeable here, so without the gang I would be nothing Thanks to all 50i owners here (and some non 50i owners too)!

I definitely agree with you that for Stage 2 (and probably for Stage 1 too) stock plugs and stock gap is not going to cut it. Issues will appear. Just matter of time. I was fine with stock plugs on Stage 1 until 1 day I was not lol. I bought 97506 this time and am planning to swap them and gap them down. Just need to find time.

Please keep us posted with your tune and any dyno, runs or other info you'll get.

[nitemare]

Originally Posted by DuSh

Thanks man! I'm not the most knowledgeable here, so without the gang I would be nothing Thanks to all 50i owners here (and some non 50i owners too)!

I definitely agree with you that for Stage 2 (and probably for Stage 1 too) stock plugs and stock gap is not going to cut it. Issues will appear. Just matter of time. I was fine with stock plugs on Stage 1 until 1 day I was not lol. I bought 97506 this time and am planning to swap them and gap them down. Just need to find time.

Please keep us posted with your tune and any dyno, runs or other info you'll get.

Will do man once I find the MSport I want the mods will be done that same day. I already have the ARM catless DPs and currently getting them hi-temp Cerakoted. Then once I get them back I'm going to wrap them. Ordered X5M filters yesterday too. Plan is to have my buddy who tunes for a living street tune it to 21psi on E30 then we will clean it up on a local AWD dyno for final numbers.

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by nitemare

Will do man once I find the MSport I want the mods will be done that same day. I already have the ARM catless DPs and currently getting them hi-temp Cerakoted. Then once I get them back I'm going to wrap them. Ordered X5M filters yesterday too. Plan is to have my buddy who tunes for a living street tune it to 21psi on E30 then we will clean it up on a local AWD dyno for final numbers.

Damn, that's a good project! If you'll have opportunity we would appreciate if you could post some pics of DPs installation (or any issues during install to know about) - some members were curious and the info on F15 platform is limited. Some say F10 DPs should fit F15 as they are same, but we never got any 100% confirmation on this.

[nitemare]

Originally Posted by DuSh

Damn, that's a good project! If you'll have opportunity we would appreciate if you could post some pics of DPs installation (or any issues during install to know about) - some members were curious and the info on F15 platform is scares. Some say F10 DPs should fit F15 as they are same, but we never got any 100% confirmation on this.

Will do man. I'm sure they'll fit but if not I'll make them fit even if that means cutting off stuff and re-welding.

She should rip pretty good with the minimal mods I have planned. Goal is minor weight reduction and 11.50s@120 with E30 flash.

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by nitemare

Will do man. I'm sure they'll fit but if not I'll make them fit even if that means cutting off stuff and re-welding.

She should rip pretty good with the minimal mods I have planned. Goal is minor weight reduction and 11.50s@120 with E30 flash.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by nitemare

1st off hats off to DuSh for the constant out of box thinking, been hiding in the shadows reading.

Anyway, I'll be the owner of an F15 50i in the next few months it's just hard right now to find the color options I want with the miles and MSport.

Regarding the plugs after many hours of research I found out several things:

- We know that BMW uses a double platinum plug from the factory which is fine for stock applications

- Once we get to a Stage 2 tune we MUST change our plugs. If utilizing an iridium plug (97506) you will have more spark energy vs platinum. It is 6x harder, 8x stronger, and has a 700* higher melting point than platinum. Iridium plugs can last up to 25% longer than platinum.

- Iridium spark plugs feature a fine wire center electrode that is designed to conduct electrical energy better and increase firing efficiency which can reduce the required coil voltage by as much as 20-percent. That 20% difference can make or break your missfire issues. Not only do iridium's properties reduce the ignition voltage requirement considerably they contribute to improving the spread of the flame front in the combustion chamber. Less voltage to fire = more spark energy = better VE

- Stock gap is 0.030" which is fine for stock boost levels but nowhere near sufficient for 20+psi. Stage 1 tune can get away with stock gap and stock plugs, but if the plugs have some miles on them you might get missfires. So even before you flash a stage 1 tune replace your plugs. If you feel like you will be going to a stage 2 tune anytime soon I would skip the stock replacement platinum plugs and jump to the NGK 97506 Iridiums gapped at 0.025". Which will be a sufficient gap up to the max 21.7psi on the stock TMAPs. If you get a custom tune that targets 24-26psi (obviosuly with the N20 3.5bar TMAPs) I would definietly close the gap some more to 0.023".

- Because iridium is costly, iridium spark plug manufacturers reduce the diameter of the center electrode to as little as 0.5mm. In addition to saving money, like I said the "fine wire" center electrode on iridium spark plugs increases firing efficiency.

- Some tuners claim that fine-wire plugs run "hotter" than normal plugs and that you should avoid fine-wire plugs especially in supercharged or turbocharged applications but facts support the exact opposite conclusion. As an example, the supercharged 2018 Dodge Hellcat—which makes 707 hp from its 6.2L Hemi—specs an iridium spark plug. If you want another example, the 350 hp Focus RS turbocharged four banger pushes as much as 25 psi of boost, which also employs a factory iridium plug. Also, if any of you guys come from the N54/N55 realm like me then you know the 97506 is the most run plug across the board for a reason.


https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/i...d7/2015/bmw/x5

This is great info and thank you. Although just to be clear the big push toward the X5M plugs was that they cost $4 a pop. Not because they were "better" than NGK. And given very few are running anything higher than M boost pressures this makes the M just fine especially for the cost.

Given the cost has now 2x or even 3x now from what it was, I think it's less of an argument to go with M and just fork up the $$ for NGK. I ran them on my AMG and loved them.

Glad to have another guy with a real performance mod itch join the F15 club. Also I hope you're not just adding DP and actually adding an exhaust as well? Or removing the muffler like most are doing now.

[trlengle]

Originally Posted by DuSh

For stock motor it doesn't matter. For stock motor it's just a cheaper way to change your plugs. Whatever marketing decisions were made that allowed M plugs to cost less than non-M ones - it is only good for us - we can use it for our advantage.

What does matter even for stock motor - is to change plugs at least at 40-60k miles (at the very least). If you are tuned I would do it every 30k miles. As we've seen from Maverick's picture - they were pretty caulked in deposit all over electrodes - and caused misfires.

Once you get the hang of it - it can be done very quickly - probably under 1h.
Once again, I'm not an expert, and this is just my opinion, but some things are obvious. BMW interval maintenance recommendations are too stretched for some things (plugs, motor oil and transmission oil). Some other things they got just right (cabin filters, brake fluid etc).

Originally Posted by DuSh

For stock motor it doesn't matter. For stock motor it's just a cheaper way to change your plugs. Whatever marketing decisions were made that allowed M plugs to cost less than non-M ones - it is only good for us - we can use it for our advantage.

What does matter even for stock motor - is to change plugs at least at 40-60k miles (at the very least). If you are tuned I would do it every 30k miles. As we've seen from Maverick's picture - they were pretty caulked in deposit all over electrodes - and caused misfires.

Once you get the hang of it - it can be done very quickly - probably under 1h.
Once again, I'm not an expert, and this is just my opinion, but some things are obvious. BMW interval maintenance recommendations are too stretched for some things (plugs, motor oil and transmission oil). Some other things they got just right (cabin filters, brake fluid etc).

Would a piggyback tune like Dinan fall in the "tune" category and could benefit from the M plugs?

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by trlengle

Would a piggyback tune like Dinan fall in the "tune" category and could benefit from the M plugs?

Yes. Anything that results in increase boost pressure.

[nitemare]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

This is great info and thank you. Although just to be clear the big push toward the X5M plugs was that they cost $4 a pop. Not because they were "better" than NGK. And given very few are running anything higher than M boost pressures this makes the M just fine especially for the cost.

Given the cost has now 2x or even 3x now from what it was, I think it's less of an argument to go with M and just fork up the $$ for NGK. I ran them on my AMG and loved them.

Glad to have another guy with a real performance mod itch join the F15 club. Also I hope you're not just adding DP and actually adding an exhaust as well? Or removing the muffler like most are doing now.

Yeah I feel you on the X5M plugs but being that they are 3x the cost now I can just get the NGK Iridium for $14 each which will last longer and be more keen with higher ethanol mixes. Platinum does not like ethanol, I will probably daily on E30 mix.

Catless downpipes is plenty enough, the newer turbo BMW exhaust actually flows really well. The biggest flow restriction is the factory catted downpipes. I can't justify the cost for the gain of a few more hp/tq....let alone the possibility of drone and the obnoxiousness. I have a 535 as my race car: built engine, high stall converter, built trans, single 3.5" aluminum driveshaft, Ford 8.8" rear, bigs and littles, yada, yada.....so I will leave the race car stuff to that. I just want a bad ass quiet cruiser to pull the race car and knock off an 11.50 pass if I want in a 5200# brick.

Did a ton of research today on the X5M filters and found some awesome information you can pick them up form Autozone for $29 a pop each side.

I found a great cross reference site https://www.pgfilters.com/filters/ where you click on "cross reference" input both L and R X5M part numbers: 13717850056
13717500555

And it cross references out to a much of manufacturers: Federated, Parts Plus, Premium Guard, and Pronto all with the same part number so one of the ones I listed must be the parent company. The BMW part number cross references out to:

PA99259L
PA99260R

Also, list a separate manufacturer: STP with part numbers:
SA90211 (L)
SA90212 (R)

Here is the listing for Autozone STP filter:
https://www.autozone.com/external-en...74399_304261_0

Also here is Ebay search result either from searching "PA99259L" or "PA99260R"
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...LH_TitleDesc=0

So now we can save $50 for a set of X5M filters and go down to the local Autozone or order online. Just replace once a year like normal and you're good to go.

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by nitemare

Yeah I feel you on the X5M plugs but being that they are 3x the cost now I can just get the NGK Iridium for $14 each which will last longer and be more keen with higher ethanol mixes. Platinum does not like ethanol, I will probably daily on E30 mix.

Catless downpipes is plenty enough, the newer turbo BMW exhaust actually flows really well. The biggest flow restriction is the factory catted downpipes. I can't justify the cost for the gain of a few more hp/tq....let alone the possibility of drone and the obnoxiousness. I have a 535 as my race car: built engine, high stall converter, built trans, single 3.5" aluminum driveshaft, Ford 8.8" rear, bigs and littles, yada, yada.....so I will leave the race car stuff to that. I just want a bad ass quiet cruiser to pull the race car and knock off an 11.50 pass if I want in a 5200# brick.

Did a ton of research today on the X5M filters and found some awesome information you can pick them up form Autozone for $29 a pop each side.

I found a great cross reference site https://www.pgfilters.com/filters/ where you click on "cross reference" input both L and R X5M part numbers: 13717850056
13717500555

And it cross references out to a much of manufacturers: Federated, Parts Plus, Premium Guard, and Pronto all with the same part number so one of the ones I listed must be the parent company. The BMW part number cross references out to:

PA99259L
PA99260R

Also, list a separate manufacturer: STP with part numbers:
SA90211 (L)
SA90212 (R)

Here is the listing for Autozone STP filter:
https://www.autozone.com/external-en...74399_304261_0

Also here is Ebay search result either from searching "PA99259L" or "PA99260R"
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...LH_TitleDesc=0

So now we can save $50 for a set of X5M filters and go down to the local Autozone or order online. Just replace once a year like normal and you're good to go.

Nice find! I wonder if other parts can be found like that!


P.S. There're also Dinan air filters that flow even better than x5m, and surprisingly they fit lengthwise and widthwise (one of our forum members installed them, but wasn't been able to close the lid), but they are too high and stock lid won't be closed - they need Dinan lid - which goes for $1k lol. if not for the lid issue - I would have gone for them (they are like $130 each).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dinan-D401-...5.c10#viTabs_0