Realistic Expectations with N55

[sizablepants]

I have seen some ridiculous power put through the n54 engine without issues. Since the n55 doen't have forged internals, the theoretical safe HP output is much lower than the n54. I am looking to find out what kind of power n55 owners are pushing and with what mods. I am in the market for a car I can daily and gradually turn into a track only car, so the n54 seems like the best choice for future power. I would love to hear opinions on this and what setups you are running on your n55.

TL : DR What kind of safe HP output can I expect from an N55 and what Bolt-ons will I need to reach that HP.

Thanks

[ShocknAwe]

Realistically without a big turbo or ST kit you're not gonna break 400.

That said, there are some great ST kits for the N55 if you want that kind of thing.

[CH400EM]

IMO, the N55 at ~350-400hp is plenty adequate for daily driver territory. And fairly achievable with tune, DP, etc. - depending on how much "race car" you want to live with in a daily.

And I might be alone on this, but I would build a track car with either a N54 or N55 (or N52). Both are good from a parts and responsiveness perspective. And balance is much more important than peak HP in a hobbyist track car. And in that regard, I would argue it is easier to build a nicely balanced N52-based track car. My 2c.

[amg6975]

For a track car your biggest obstacle is going to be heat. You're not going to be able to run big power on either engine for long without some very serious cooling upgrades. N55 will fare slighter better than the N54 but still going to be a problem. If you start adding power the problem is going to get worse.

I have an N55, with MHD stage 1 and a CSF radiator and intercooler and can get the car to pull power in two laps of Watkins Glen. This winter I'm doing a serious oil cooler and DCT cooling upgrade to hopefully help, but we'll see.