BMW B58 Engine Tuning – How to Improve Performance?

Although with the dawn of a downsizing era straight-sixes have been pushed away by many car makers, BMW still remains true to this cylinder layout – and not without reason! It’s smooth running and offers great performance in a package that is relatively cheap to produce. 

One of the Bavarians’ most recent designs, the B58 engine, is even more reliable, more fuel-efficient, and more powerful than its predecessor, the N55. Does it mean that your B58-equipped bimmer can’t get even better performance-wise? Since you are reading this, it might just mean that you are already looking for a BMW B58 ECU tune, to get more thrills or to… improve fuel economy. Simply put: you want Awaken Performance out of your car.

So we will tell you right away that the question you should be asking isn’t “if” it’s possible to improve the performance of your B58, but “how much” you can gain. Read on to see what exactly BMW B58 performance tuning can do for you!

BMW B58 Engine Specs and Design

Introduced in 2015, the B58 is now considered one of the best BMW engines ever, its success confirmed by getting on the list of Ward’s 10 Best Engines in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. No wonder – the factory numbers speak for themselves, and they do “sound” impressive:

• 322-382 HP (depending on the variant and application)

• 450-500 Nm of torque

• 7,000 RPM redline – so you know it likes to rev!

Not only is the B58 powerful and very advanced, it’s also designed in a very smart and interesting way. What do we mean by that?

First of all, the B58 is modular. As a part of BMW’s new B engine family, it shares many parts with its smaller brothers, namely the 3-cylinder B38 and the 4-cylinder B48 motors. Since all of them have the same displacement of 0.5L per cylinder, it’s easy to guess that even some of the internal parts are interchangeable between the particular variants.

What’s more, the gasoline-powered B58 has the same crankshaft as its Diesel cousin, the B57 (a replacement for the renowned N57 engine). Why is that important? Well, in theory, more engines using the same parts means that it should be easier to maintain the unit and find aftermarket replacement parts. It’s also cheaper for the manufacturer to have only one production line making the same crankcase for two different engines, rather than having two separate lines for both of them. 

Lastly, the B58 has a closed-deck engine block. Although this causes the entire unit to be a little bit heavier than its open-deck predecessor, it results in increased durability, necessary when working with a boost pressure that is 20% higher than that of the N55 engine.

This is also why apart from it being so reliable, the B58 might turn out to be one of the better BMW engines for tuning to date – of course, as long as it doesn’t run on the latest software. It is in fact the I-Level software version that ultimately determines whether your B58 engine can be tuned or not.

However, before we focus on the BMW B58 chip tuning, let’s see how it stacks up when compared to its bigger brother, the S58…

B58 vs. S58 Engines – Distant, but Still Relatives

The S58 is similar to the B58, but meant for the range-topping M models, although chronologically speaking, the S58 engine is the younger of the two – it was introduced in 2019. However, when we compare them in terms of their specs, the S58 packed with BMW performance upgrades straight from the factory has obviously got more “muscle,” so it’s only right to call it the “big bro”. 

How different are these engines? Apart from beefed-up internals and different cylinder dimensions, there are twin turbos in the unit meant for the M-badged vehicles, instead of one twin-scroll turbo in the civilian version. 

All of that and a special BMW S58 engine tuning result in: 

• 473 or 503 HP (again, depending on the application)

• 600 Nm of torque

• 7,200 RPM redline, even higher than in the B58

We’ll tell you right away that ECU chip tuning alone won’t bring the performance of your B58 to the above levels found in cars such as BMW M3, BMW M4 or their Competition variants. However, it doesn’t mean that there is no room for improvement…

BMW B58 Reliability

Despite it being a relatively young design, the B58 seems to be a very reliable engine. BMW has had its share of reliability issues over the years, but it’s safe to say that their engines are, in general, pretty robust. After all, there are countless bimmers with a few hundred thousand on their odometers still driving, without any major maintenance. 

Anyway, the flaws of the B58’s predecessors surfaced within 2-6 years after their introduction, whereas with this engine no major problems have been noted so far. Moreover, BMW shares their B58 engines with none other than Toyota, who are regarded kings of automotive reliability – new Supras are powered by this engine, so it has to be dependable! 

Add to it the way BMW B58 engines are designed, with capable cooling, strong blocks, a heat encapsulation system that makes them warm-up faster (therefore preventing engine wear), and you get a package that should last for years – and it’s possible to improve its longevity even more! 

Read on to see how Awaken Performance BMW engine tuning can further increase the reliability of the B58 in your car. 

Which BMWs Have a B58 Engine?

Currently, the BMW B58 engine can be found in most of the current 40i and M-badged 40i BMW models as well as some of the F generation cars. This list includes:

• BMW 340i (F30/F31/F34)

• BMW 440i (F32/F33/F36)

• BMW M140i (F20/F21)

• BMW M240i (F22/F23)

• BMW X5 40i (G05) 

• BMW X7 40i (G07)

• BMW Z4 M40i (G29) 

• BMW 540i (G30/G31)

• BMW 640i (G32)

• BMW X6 (G06) 

• BMW 740i (G11/G12)

• BMW 840i (G14/G15/G16) 

• BMW M340i (G20/G21)

• BMW X3 M40i (G01)

• BMW X4 M40i (G02)

• BMW M440i (G22)

• BMW M240i (G42)

The M Power trims come with the 382 HP variant of the B58, while the non-M cars put out 335 HP. It’s worth noting that the newest generations of BMW cars have the updated B58 engines. Pre-update versions were rated at lower power levels, from 322 to 355 HP.

BMW B58 Engine Chip Tuning – Awaken Performance

Okay, okay, let’s get to the fun part now. What we call Awaken Performance is basically a custom remap of your engine provided as a remote tuning service. As you can see, because of the way the B58 is designed, there is still potential for more, even though it’s already a powerful engine straight out of the factory. 

But “from the factory” are the keywords here: not only do carmakers have to comply with certain emission laws, they also have to take into account the fact that all engines coming off of the same assembly line are… never the same. What do we mean by that? Well, it all comes down to tolerances, the way certain elements are put together, and the very slight differences in finish of all the interacting surfaces. 

Because of that, all ECUs get the same, universal mapping, since tuning each and every one of them separately would drastically increase production cost for the manufacturer. Also, factory tunes tend to operate at higher temperatures to make the parts wear off faster than they could, which results in more frequent workshop visits, part replacements, and more expensive repairs. 

Luckily, if you want to increase the power or improve fuel economy and the reliability of your car, there is a way – you just have to let us unlock the potential of your engine, through a custom BMW ECU tune. 

Awaken Performance tuning will be available soon! Sign up to our newsletter to be the 1st to know when it comes out.

What Will Change?

If you decide that you do want a BMW chip tuning, you can expect changes in three areas.

    1. Performance 

Careful tweaking of the engine parameters results in approximately 25% more power and torque, which means more flexibility without changing gears so often as well as smoother power delivery. This provides you with the ability to accelerate with full confidence when overtaking or merging on a highway and your car won’t suffocate on lower revs.

    2. Fuel Consumption 

Since the new tune is fully customized, the injectors of your engine provide a more precise fuel dose, so that when driving normally you will actually use around 10% less gasoline than before. This way, you obviously save money on gas. Assuming a yearly mileage of 15,000 miles and taking into account the current gas prices, it could mean fuel savings of up to $190 annually!

    3. Durability

Thanks to the lowered operating temperature after the tune, you’ll take a few years off your BMW, as the longevity of your engine and its components is also increased. 

So, not only will your car become more exciting to drive when you feel like pushing it—as if you were experiencing it for the first time—you’ll also experience better fuel economy during your normal commute, and your BMW will last you longer due to higher durability.

What Does the Chip Tuning Process Look Like?

As mentioned earlier, Awaken Performance tuning service is performed remotely. After you book the tuning session with our specialist, you will get specific coding preparation instructions, but all you need for the entire process is an ENET cable, a laptop, and 1 hour of your time. 

What’s most important is the fact that you don’t need any technical expertise, apart from knowing where to plug in the cable. Before the session, you’ll be given all instructions on how to prepare your car and laptop for the engine tuning process.

During the tuning process, our technician will follow a car tune-up checklist:

1. Scan the data from the ECU of your car.

2. Implement and save appropriate changes in the ECU software.

Note that final logging will be required – we just want to ensure everything’s a-okay. During the check-up, our technician will review the logs and verify if any adjustments need to be made to your ECU map.

Although it may seem pretty easy the way we described it, engine tuning actually requires a lot of expertise. Incorrect parameter changes may result in increased wear and tear of the engine components or even major mechanical failures. Our Awaken Performance service takes care of that: instead of having to learn the complexities of engine tuning yourself, let our professional BMW tuner handle the difficult stuff. 

Doesn’t it sound simple and effortless?

Is BMW B58 Tuning Safe?

Yes, it is! The B58 is a very durable engine that can take additional power with no problem. Moreover, our B58 tune is within the factory limits and exhaust emission standards of your BMW – we want to make your driving experience more enjoyable, but we also want your car to last you as long as possible.  

That being said, we advise that your car is in good condition (i.e., there are no engine-related warning lights on your dashboard) before you decide on any tuning. If you’ve made any previous mods, ECU tuning or parts, be sure to tell us about it. As we’ve explained, proper tuning will actually lower the engine operating temperature, extending the engine’s life, so checking your vehicle is only a precautionary measure.

If you take care of your bimmer and perform regular maintenance on schedule (e.g., oil changes or spark plug inspections), you are most likely good to go. However, if your car is poorly maintained, you might want to reconsider tuning it or check it on a dyno first, to see if everything is running as it should. 

If your BMW’s engine is still under warranty, you have to take under consideration that chip tuning will void it. Note that it applies only to the warranty of your drivetrain, not the entire vehicle.

What’s also worth remembering is that after you have a tune installed, you should still stay up to date with its condition. Yes, the longevity will improve – but it doesn’t mean you can perform regular maintenance checkups less often.

Additionally, always use the highest quality fuel to feed your tuned BMW. We recommend the highest octane rating fuel you have access to: minimum 91 octane gasoline in the US and 98 octane or higher in Europe. Don’t worry though – when buying the Awaken Performance engine tune, we’ll ask you to specify what gas you’re going to be using.

Can You Untune a Car?

We’ll just confirm what you may have already guessed: since it relies on software changes, engine tuning is fully reversible. This is also what sets Awaken Performance apart from the other remote tuning services – not only can we help you change the performance of your car, we can also restore the factory settings if you choose to do so. 

Did we mention that we offer a money back guarantee along with a free-of-charge ECU reset…? During the first 14 days, you get a satisfaction guarantee. Even if you decide that our tune is not enough (or too much) after the 14 days, we can still help you bring your car back to its factory state, although for a small fee. 

Awaken Performance vs other engine tuning options

Simply put, there are two ways you can take when trying to improve the performance of your car. There is a plug and play option called a piggyback tune (sometimes also called a box tune), which is basically a device you hook up to your car’s ECU and sensors to trick the engine into producing more power. Generally speaking, it’s not the best tuning method: granted, it’s easy to see some effects, but the reliability leaves much to be desired. 

The other option, partly described above, is to introduce changes into the ECU programming and to alter the engine mapping. Where Awaken Performance differs from the other chip tuning services is in how we approach the entire process: we don’t push your engine further than its factory limits to ensure the maximum reliability and we make it as simple as possible for you to improve how your car behaves, since it all happens remotely.

ECU Tuning vs. Piggyback Tunes vs. Awaken Performance

	Awaken Performance (ECU tune)	Standard ECU tune	Piggyback tune
Performance	+	+	-	The performance gains can be better with ECU tuning.
Control	+	+	-	BMW ECU tuning will always win with even the most advanced piggybacks in regard to control.
Reliability	+	?	-	For an ECU tuning to be safer, you need an experienced tuner with a focus on reliability, not just squeezing the most power possible out of your car. Awaken Performance is a winner in that regard.
Fuel consumption	+	?	-	Only BMW ECU tunes can improve mileage, although many tuners don’t make an effort to improve fuel efficiency.
Detectability & warranty	-	-	?	Although it’s possible for the box tunes to be detected at the dealership, it’s less likely than it is for a BMW ECU tune.
Cost	+	-	+	Piggyback tunes are, in general, cheaper than BMW ECU tuning, but with the Awaken Performance you get real value for money.

Want to learn more about the available engine performance increase options? Check out our article where we explored the subject of ECU tuning vs. piggyback tunes.

Other B58 Performance Upgrades

The way our engine tuning is performed, no other performance upgrades are needed: your car will be still operating well within the safety limits of its components. Having that in mind, there are certain retrofits worth considering if you want to further improve the performance of your car, like better intercoolers or downpipes, or even a BMW B58 turbo upgrade. However, let’s focus on the first two.

BMW B58 Intercooler Upgrades 

As you probably already know, intercoolers lower the temperature of the air that gets sucked into the engine by the turbocharger. The colder the intake air, the denser it is, which allows for more fuel to be burned and, obviously, more power to be produced. The difference in density between hot and cold air is caused by the distance between the air molecules; when heated, they move further apart from each other, so the volume of the air expands. Since its mass remains the same despite heat, the density of the air drops. 

Lower air temperature also results in a lowered engine operating temperature, so its longevity increases. Let’s also not forget that the colder air decreases the chance of pre-ignition or engine knocking, which is when the fuel detonation that occurs as a result of incorrectly timed fuel ignition causes a loud metallic pinging noise.

Now when it comes to the intercooler of the B58 engine, it’s already very efficient from the factory. It is of the air-to-liquid design, so the heat exchange is further aided by the coolant flowing in its core. However, though not necessary even after our tune, an improvement of the cooling system will definitely not hurt your car. By using a more performance-oriented BMW B58 intercooler, you can increase the reliability and safety margins even more. 

Technically speaking, an intercooler upgrade alone can also increase the power gains, due to the lowered intake air temperature. It’s worth noting though that to fully take advantage of the more efficient cooling, another engine tune will be required – the part itself will only provide slight increases in this regard.

BMW B58 Downpipe Upgrades

Another popular upgrade option for a tuned car is the downpipe upgrade. What is a downpipe? It’s a section of tubing that connects the turbocharger to the exhaust system, and it directly affects how efficiently the turbo can produce boost. 

Downpipes, like most engine and exhaust elements, are designed with emission standards and production cost optimization in mind. They contain catalytic converters and their diameter is wide enough to provide enough air flow for the factory performance, with the consideration of the reliability margins. 

Stock BMW B58 downpipe can easily handle a moderate tune, but if you plan on gaining more power from your engine remap, less restrictive pipes are going to be necessary. Again, as with the intercooler upgrade, all performance BMW parts (especially engine retrofits) require additional tuning to unlock the full potential of new, more efficient parts. 

Summary – Is B58 Tuning Worth It?

If you want more from your BMW, but at the same time you would like to improve its fuel economy, engine tuning is definitely something worth considering. The thrills of driving down twisty roads will increase, while the thrills you get at the fuel pump will decrease. That is, you’ll have to refuel less often. Awaken Performance also means that the longevity of your engine components will be greater. 

However, you have to remember that although reversible and safe when made by an experienced professional, all software changes in your car’s ECU will void the manufacturer’s warranty. 

So – will you be perfecting the performance of your BMW with us?