BMW M2 Competition: ECU Unlock, Stage 1 + xHP Stage 3, 519bhp & 732Nm

This BMW M2 Competition (F87) came in for our Stage 1 custom dyno tune for the S55 3.0 twin-turbo, with an xHP Stage 3 calibration for its 7-speed DCT, both developed on the same visit.

ECU unlocked in-house first

Its ECU had to be unlocked before it could be tuned. We did that in-house on our own bench, saved the original file, then carried straight on with the calibration.

The numbers

On the baseline run it made 411.0bhp and 605Nm. With our calibration and xHP Stage 3 it made 519.7bhp and 732Nm, with 472.2bhp at the wheels. That is 108.7bhp and 127Nm more:

More torque than a G87 M2 CS

Tuned, this M2 holds over 700Nm from around 3,400 to 4,600rpm and over 650Nm all the way from 3,200 to 5,700rpm, with more than 100Nm extra torque from around 3,400rpm right to the top, and it stays above 500bhp from around 5,200 to 6,550rpm. For reference, BMW’s G87 M2 CS makes 650Nm. xHP Stage 3 gives the DCT faster, harder shifts and raises its clutch torque limits for the extra torque.

How it was done

Diagnostics and a health check first, then baseline runs on our 4WD linked dyno with live data logging. The engine calibration was built from there with repeated runs, the gearbox was flashed with xHP Stage 3, and the final pulls verified the result. No generic files: a calibration written for this car, proven on our dyno.

Got an M2? See our BMW M2 tuning figures, check your car’s gains and price, or see the M2 Competition we took to Stage 2.