Photo: Dinan
The fact that certain manufacturers purposely underrate their car’s horsepower outputs shouldn’t surprise anyone by now. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi do it all the time, but we have a hunch others are involved in this scheme as well.
The fact of the matter is, it may as well be illegal, especially in light of the new scandals regarding emissions that are popping up here and there on a weekly basis apparently. We’re not exactly sure how the whole thing will develop but for some reason, it definitely feels like BMW is currently marketing its cars with the output they have at the wheels and not at the crank.
In case you’re not all that familiar with the difference, I’ll explain it as short and simple as possible. Your car’s engine makes a certain amount of power. That’s usually what manufacturers write on their leaflets, but you only get to use part of it because of transmission losses.
On its way to the wheels, the power goes through the transmission which, due to friction and other factors, tends to eat up some of it. Back in the day, that percentage could’ve gone up to 20% but modern cars rarely go over 15%, especially in the case of high-performance models.
The new X5 M and X6 M models are no exceptions and the guys from Dinan found them to be making a lot more power than what BMW is claiming. According to their test, the revised S63 engine puts out 647 HP (656 PS) and not the claimed 567 HP (575 PS). Furthermore, the stock values went off the grid too, with a measured value of 633 lb-ft (858 Nm) of torque instead of 553 lb-ft (750 Nm).
Taking a 12.5 percent transmission loss into account, we get around 566 HP (574 PS) at the wheels which seems to be confirming the theory that the Bavarians are now actually selling their cars with WHP figures and not crank ones.
That’s not all, though. Their new Dinantronics piggyback tune takes things even higher, at 702 HP (711 PS) and 682 lb-ft (925 Nm) of torque if you want them to. Adjusted for transmission losses, this translates into 614 WHP, which is not a bad number at all. The price tag for the Dinantronics Stage 1 tune for the F85 and F86 X5 M and X6 M models is $3,000.
The fact of the matter is, it may as well be illegal, especially in light of the new scandals regarding emissions that are popping up here and there on a weekly basis apparently. We’re not exactly sure how the whole thing will develop but for some reason, it definitely feels like BMW is currently marketing its cars with the output they have at the wheels and not at the crank.
In case you’re not all that familiar with the difference, I’ll explain it as short and simple as possible. Your car’s engine makes a certain amount of power. That’s usually what manufacturers write on their leaflets, but you only get to use part of it because of transmission losses.
On its way to the wheels, the power goes through the transmission which, due to friction and other factors, tends to eat up some of it. Back in the day, that percentage could’ve gone up to 20% but modern cars rarely go over 15%, especially in the case of high-performance models.
The new X5 M and X6 M models are no exceptions and the guys from Dinan found them to be making a lot more power than what BMW is claiming. According to their test, the revised S63 engine puts out 647 HP (656 PS) and not the claimed 567 HP (575 PS). Furthermore, the stock values went off the grid too, with a measured value of 633 lb-ft (858 Nm) of torque instead of 553 lb-ft (750 Nm).
Taking a 12.5 percent transmission loss into account, we get around 566 HP (574 PS) at the wheels which seems to be confirming the theory that the Bavarians are now actually selling their cars with WHP figures and not crank ones.
That’s not all, though. Their new Dinantronics piggyback tune takes things even higher, at 702 HP (711 PS) and 682 lb-ft (925 Nm) of torque if you want them to. Adjusted for transmission losses, this translates into 614 WHP, which is not a bad number at all. The price tag for the Dinantronics Stage 1 tune for the F85 and F86 X5 M and X6 M models is $3,000.
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