brillomaster said:
Yes but i mean, both m54 and n52 are naturally aspirated 3 litre straight six engines, so what did the change with the n52 to get an extra 35 hp? Usual trick is a higher redline, but are there any other factors?
N52 has a higher redline: 7200rpm vs 6500rpm I believe.
But the n52 has variable valve lift, completely different cam setup and ecu.
Cams are even hollow (flow formed).
Different exhaust manifold
Different head allltogheter.
Different bore/stroke
Different compression ratio
And who knows what differences lie in thermodynamics of the block and cylinders.
You can look at redline for HP curves (although that doesnt say anything; most of the time peak power is not made at redline.
To get a feel for the efficiency of the engine, you can also look at torque curves or peak torque.
N52 has 15Nm more torque, so overall a more efficient/powerful engine per displacement (5%)
The rest is done with extended curves.
The M54 was the last iteration of a long line of engines partially dating back to the early 60's that was constantly improved and redevelopped in an evolutionairy way (the m54 still uses some parts and key measurements also used in the 4cyl m10(!), like bearing sizes etc).
The N52 was designed from the ground up, and stands somewhat on its own. In a certain way, the following N54 turbocharged engine has again some traits that the m54 again had, going back to a closed (or semi closed) deck block instead of the n52 open deck.
