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A Stage 1 remap takes the F90 BMW M5 from 600bhp and 750Nm to around 710bhp and 1,050Nm on our rolling road. The 625bhp Competition and the 635bhp CS reach the same figures, so the standard car gains most. The 300Nm of extra torque is the number that matters: the S63 responds to software better than almost anything else BMW builds, and it is why the F90 is one of the most transformed cars we tune.
Measured on our Mustang AWD rolling road in Maidstone. Wheel figures, drivetrain loss added for the flywheel numbers.Since 1985 when it was first released, the M5 has been an iconic car for everyone; we remember having posters of these cars on our walls as teenagers, and yet we still love the car today! Until now, the M5 name has been associated with rear wheel drive, which struggles to provide enough grip to use the whole power band on most roads. The new F90 model goes against this trend, and rightly so. With BMW’s xDrive 4WD system, the M5 can now put down all 602BHP with ease. Alongside this, the updated model comes with many new features over its predecessor; new interior, body and most importantly, a revised engine.
Everybody knew from the minute this car was revealed that it was going to be a hit. Here’s a review of the car by ‘carmagazine’ if you want the ins and outs. For this reason, we knew from the get go that M5 F90 tuning was going to be something to develop and perfect. We put this car on the dyno for an entire day to make sure the map was perfect, making many tweaks along the way to get to the final result…
Stock Results
Being that BMW is a German car manufacturer, we knew straight away that the power and torque figures they released were going to be lower than they actually are. We run the M5 multiple times so that we had a solid graph to base out finding off. What we found was just as we suspected; Instead of 602BHP and 750Nm torque, this beast was actually running 642BHP and 857Nm torque! With over 100Nm torque above the factory figures before any tuning, we knew this 4.4L twin turbo would make big power already!
M5 F90 Tuning Results
As we’ve discussed the car is already great. Being an M5, the ride is ultra smooth and quiet until you plant your right foot and go into hyper-speed! Once we had written the custom map to the car, we run the car on the dyno once again to find out exactly what gains the car received.
After many hours of dyno testing, data logging and map tweaking we arrived at a safe power figure of 525WHP (Wheel Power) and 769WNM (Wheel Torque) which equates to 730BHP and 1068Nm using 28% loss on for drivetrain and dyno. With that much torque, the car pulls a lot harder making for a much more spirited driving experience. After a road test and final road data log we clear any fault code that may have triggered from being on the dyno. We could really feel power increase which was nothing short of CRAZY: exactly what the M5 is all about. Our customer has since said he was very happy with the car now and that our stage 1 software is really night and day over the stock map.
If you’ve got an M5 F90 and would like to enquire about tuning, call or e-mail us today!
Photos from the build
18 photos of this BMW M5 in our Maidstone workshop. Tap any to enlarge.
Questions we get asked
How much power does an F90 M5 gain?
Around 110bhp and 300Nm at Stage 1: 600 to roughly 710bhp and 750 to 1,050Nm, on standard hardware. The Competition at 625bhp and the CS at 635bhp reach the same, so they gain less from a higher start.
Is 1,050Nm safe through the gearbox?
It is why the gearbox tune matters here rather than being optional. The M5 uses the ZF 8HP with its own torque limiter, and at this level the limiter will clip the engine unless it is raised. We would do both together.
Does the earlier F10 M5 gain as much?
The F10 goes from 560 or 575bhp to around 680bhp and 900Nm, so a similar step. Different engine generation, same principle: a lot of headroom left in the standard hardware.
Does it need anything fitted first?
Not for Stage 1. What it does need is a healthy car: we check the cooling system, the plugs and the service history before writing anything, because this engine works hard and it shows up any neglect.
Will it affect the warranty?
A main dealer can detect a remap and may decline an engine or drivetrain claim. We keep your original file and can return the car to standard before a dealer visit.
Do you dyno it?
Yes. Our Mustang AWD rolling road is rated to 2000bhp, so an M5 is well within it. You get the before-and-after graph for your own car rather than a figure from a table.
