BMW M2 (G87) stock S58 twin-turbo six: sound and tuning

BMW M2: mechanical breakdown

Thirteen seconds of a G87 M2

Caption: BMW G87 M2. It names no events and no parts, so nothing here points to a modified car. Under the bonnet is the S58, a 2,993 cc twin-turbo inline-six rated at 453 hp and 550 Nm in the original tune. Stock is the working assumption the caption allows.

S58 six: shared engine, muted note

An inline-six is a straight-six crank layout, and the S58 in the G87 is the same engine family that sits in the G80 M3 and G82 M4. Its note is deeper and more muted than older naturally aspirated M engines, because the two turbochargers sit in the exhaust path and take energy from the pulses before they reach the tailpipe. The fact sheet adds one more layer: cabin sound is augmented through the speakers. Inside the car, the engine's voice is therefore partly delivered by the audio system. Outside, with no speakers involved, the turbo six is the quieter of the two notes.

Why S58 owners tune and re-pipe

The ECU tune comes first. It gives large power and torque gains from software alone. The cost is warranty risk and extra stress on the gearbox and driveline. Downpipes follow: the exhaust gets louder, and combined with a tune they add further gains, but emissions and road-legality problems appear in many regions. A full aftermarket exhaust is the other route to more volume than the stock system. Its trade-offs are drone at cruise and the cost of the system. Owners who want volume without a tune usually stop at the exhaust.