How to get 800+ wheel horsepower out of your BMW F10 M5 or F13 M6 S63TU V8

[Sticky]

We are seeing monster numbers from the BMW 4.4 liter S63TU twin turbo and direct injected V8 under the hood of the F10 M5 and F13 M6 models. It is also of course also available in slightly different form in the new M SUV's but as those vehicles do not have a reliable transmission upgrade path we are going to omit them for the moment.

Yet another 800+ whp graph of an F10 M5 as of late touched off a discussion on what it takes to hit the number and the supporting modifications necessary. @kbaldi29 of Precision Tuning weighed in with some great details and he is being quoted and paraphrased here:

mods and fuel requirements is pretty standard now when it comes to this s63tu engines, it varies mostly in brand choice but in order to achieve that 800whp mark, the following list is pretty much what's needed

1. Upgraded Turbochargers - Without a doubt OEM spec turbos are really well balanced and perform flawlessly for what the stock output of the engine was designed for initially. Past 27-28psi they really don't move air as good as they do up to 25psi. Torque starts to creep up HP gets static. It is not so bad within reasonable limits. When the goal is to keep that power band going until redline and to get the HP over the 750hp (there are some unicorns out there over this number) then bigger more efficient turbos are needed. To be clear, I'm talking about a legit 750hp graph not just a hump in the middle of the graph that lasts 200rpm. The easiest way to tell when turbos are getting close to max is you usually will see torque numbers creeping up over the HP or the amount HP increases per pound compared to gains on torque starting to be uneven assuming boost is linear and not tapering as you get close to redline.

2. Clutch Upgrade - If DCT, clutches are a must. The stock clutch likes to slip around 650wtq, depending on wear and mileage of the car. Clutch pack brand preference is not important. Just make sure it's a reliable source and if possible strongest clutch available from the company of your choice

3. Downpipes - Plenty of brands to pick from. Also while using meth and leaded fuel, cats need to be removed!

4. Methanol Injection - Besides the cooling factor and power adder properties that we all already know the car actually gets a huge help freeing up some really needed fuel for high rpms. Without meth, high boost levels will get to see holes on graph or suddenly start to break up. You can compensate for trlms getting maxed with some timing on the flash/tune. Lean afrs make the car put even more down but then all kinds of crazy things start to happen. The biggest nozzles are a plus. BMS-Aquamist-AEM kits work 100%.

5. Tune - Really debated territory, but comes down to one thing, make the car go fast. If the flash is able to control and hit 30psi without a piggy back great news. If not stack a JB4 on it and make it happen!

6. Fuel Choice - I'm sure if you push hard enough you could make the same numbers on 93+meth but the ECU will start hearing noise and make the car slower and slower very quickly. Let's not forget it could also blow up! These are most of the combinations we use or have seen used with great results, big numbers, and consistently: 93/85/m1 - 100/85/m1 - 100/85/50:50 - 100/q16/50:50 - q16-50:50

Basically:

Downpipes
Clutch upgrade stg2
MSR intakes
Charge pipes
BMS meth kit
JB4
ECU flash
100oct /2 gal of e85/ M1

Now that is all great stuff but also keep in mind there are tuners that advise looking at an upgrade to the rods once reaching 700 lb-ft of torque:

After Ruben’s rod failure at 700 ft. lbs. of torque, we were left with two options. The first option would have been to decrease the power output and replace the engine with a remanufactured unit, or to take on the task of developing the S63TU engine internals suitable for four digit power.

Let's just say that if the ~800 whp range isn't enough for you then an engine build for quadruple digit power will be necessary. At least, if you want peace of mind.

There you have the recipe for an 800 whp F10 M5 or M6. Soon, we'll be seeing quadruple digit monsters regularly but for now 800 whp is the real deal and realistically/reliably hit in 2017.

[BMWJunkie]

Probably should put a picture of a m5 engine up there. Looks like a x5m to me.

[Sticky]

Probably should put a picture of a m5 engine up there. Looks like a x5m to me.

I don't see any complete engine up there just top mount turbos, rods, pistons, crank, etc, which shows the basic design of the S63 architecture. It's just a photo to accompany an article...