BMW M2 F87Stage 1 to Stage 4 tuning guide

What we'd do

On either M2, Stage 1 is where we would stop for a road car in Israel. On the N55 car, Dinan quotes 391 hp on 91 octane and 403 hp on 93, from 365 hp, with no part that needs approval. On the S55 Competition, Dinan quotes 514 hp on 91 and 538 hp on 93, from 405 hp. Stage 2 adds little on our fuel for a lot of trouble: VRSF's S55 downpipes are catless and sold for motorsport only, and European Competitions also carry a particulate filter.

We would pick bootmod3 on both engines: $595 plus a $99 WiFi adapter, maps for 91 and 93 octane, and on the Competition the DCT flash is included. It is also the only brand in this guide with Israeli dealers on its own list. If your Competition has the March 2019 software or newer, add a bench unlock to the bill before you compare prices.

The order depends on the engine. On the N55, fit an aluminium charge pipe first (VRSF's is $219.99), then the tune. On the S55, the crank hub comes first. A spun hub can make the valve timing jump, and a pinned hub costs $949–$995 plus a long, invasive fitting job. Dinan also highly recommends its heat exchanger with its Stage 1, and in an Israeli summer we agree.

What we would skip: catless downpipes, E85 maps (584 hp on E85 is not reachable here) and big turbos, which run $2,995–$3,626 on the S55 before fuel, cooling and a custom tune. Budget for Stage 1: about $914 on the N55 for bootmod3, its adapter and a charge pipe; about $1,643 on the Competition for bootmod3, its adapter and the cheapest crank hub. All before shipping, tax and fitting.

Tuning it in Israel

Price in Israel

The F87 is no longer sold new; the importer, Delek Motors, now sells the second-generation M2, listed on auto.co.il at ₪499,900. When the F87 arrived, Walla reported a price of just over ₪515,000 for the 370 hp coupe (Walla, 9 May 2016), and the 410 hp Competition at ₪585,000 with the manual and ₪605,000 with the automatic (Walla, 5 November 2018). We found no dated source for used prices.

Parts from abroad

Hardware is taxed. At the Bank of Israel representative rate of 26 October 2026 ($1 = ₪3.078), with the combined 40.66% for car parts above $75 (see importing parts):

• SSR pinned crank hub (S55) $949 × 3.078 = ₪2,921.02, plus 40.66% = about ₪4,109 (₪1,188 tax).
• VRSF charge pipe (N55) $219.99 × 3.078 = ₪677.13, plus 40.66% = about ₪952.
• CSF charge cooler (S55) $1,695 × 3.078 = ₪5,217.21, about ₪7,339 with tax.

bootmod3 is a licence you buy online, so there is no part to clear through customs; its WiFi adapter is. Downpipes and exhaust parts also need an approval before they can be imported.

Fuel

Israel sells 95 and 98, roughly US 91 and 93. Read the tuners' 91 figures as your 95 numbers: Dinan's Stage 1 is 391 hp on 91 and 403 hp on 93 on the N55 car, and 514 hp and 538 hp on the Competition. bootmod3 also lists separate 91 and 93 maps. Dinan's 584 hp Competition figure is on E85, which Israeli pumps don't sell. If you fill up with 95 even sometimes, run the 95 map (95 vs 98 after a tune).

Regulation 380 and the test

The Road Safety Authority reads Regulation 380 as covering engine software, so record the tune like any other change (how approval works). The Ministry's list names a special exhaust and special wheels outright: on this build the downpipes, midpipe and any exhaust from the cat back need a part with a lab prototype certificate, fitted by a licensed installer and recorded in the licence. The S55 downpipes in this guide are catless, and removing the particulate filter from a European Competition fails the test; passing the test doesn't make an unapproved change legal anyway. Bigger turbos need approval too. Fixed noise fines are ₪250, or ₪350 for driving without an effective silencer.

Where to get it done

bootmod3's dealer list names MB Autosport (Kafr Kana) and Shenhav Motors (Ramat HaSharon). The other tunes in this guide (Dinan, MHD, JB4, CarBahn) list no Israeli dealer. This is the brand's own list, checked October 2026; we have no link with either shop. See the “Tune it in Israel” box on the Hebrew guide.

Prices and rules checked 2026-11-10.

Also useful: tuning shops in Israel, the import tax calculator and the annual test checklist.

What owners ask

Do I need the crank hub fix before I tune my M2 Competition?

Most owners say yes once you go past Stage 1. In a 2022 PistonHeads thread several M2 Competition owners said to do the one-piece fix before Stage 2, and one called it a full day's work. In another 2022 thread an owner fitted only a capture plate with his Stage 1; his shop told him a road car is unlikely to spin the hub but a track car needs the full fix. A member then described a Stage 1 car that spun its hub with a capture plate fitted. SSR's page explains why it matters: a spinning hub lets the valve timing jump. We would budget for it.

Sources: PistonHeads: M2C tune (2022), PistonHeads: More work on my M2 Comp (2022), BimmerWorld: SSR pinned crank hub (S55)

Can BMW tell that my M2 has been remapped, even after I flash it back?

Assume it can. In a 2019 thread, an owner bought an approved used M2 that lost drive on the motorway; ten months later a BMW centre found a modified engine computer, and posters said the flash date is stored in it. In a 2020 thread, owners said the computer logs requested and peak torque and boost, and that pulling a tuning box out is no harder to spot than a flash. Nobody showed BMW's own procedure, so this is owner experience, not proof. In Israel, tell your insurer in writing and expect a warranty claim on the engine to be questioned.

Sources: PistonHeads: Determining when an M2 has been remapped (2019), PistonHeads: M2 Comp Tuning (2020)

N55 or S55: which M2 is the better one to tune?

Owners in a 2022 thread split along the usual line. A Competition owner called the S55 highly tuneable, with Stage 1 cars well above 500 bhp, and the N55 less so. An owner of a late manual N55 car said the N55 doesn't seem as prone to spinning its crank hub, and an owner of the original car said S55 servicing costs considerably more. The tuners' figures agree: MHD's best N55 map is up to 430 hp with an intercooler and downpipe, while Dinan's Stage 1 on the Competition is 514–538 hp on pump fuel. More power on the S55, fewer worries on the N55.

Sources: PistonHeads: M2 - which one? (2022), PistonHeads: OG M2 with Litchfield mods vs M2 Comp (2021)

Does my M2 Competition need a bench unlock before it can be flashed?

Probably, on later cars. bootmod3's page says 2019-on S55 cars with March 2019 software need the engine computer unlocked on the bench before it can be flashed over the OBD port. In a 2022 thread, one owner put the unlock at around £100–150 in the UK, and another warned that cars from late 2020 might not be unlockable yet; one owner with a September 2020 car flagged it as a possible problem. Ask the shop to read your computer's software before you buy a licence, and get the unlock price in writing.

Sources: bootmod3: S55 licence, PistonHeads: M2C tune (2022)

What does an M2 Competition really make at Stage 1 and Stage 2?

Owners' numbers sit close to the tuners' claims, but read what was fitted. In a 2020 thread, one owner called bootmod3's CS+ map the sweet spot and said its Stage 2 map gave 530 bhp with an intake, catless downpipes, midpipe and rear box. In 2022, an owner reported about 528 bhp on his strongest EcuTek map after a midpipe, and another 560 bhp at Litchfield Stage 2 with the particulate filter removed. These are rolling-road figures on UK 99 fuel with parts that fail the Israeli test, so expect Dinan's 514–538 hp Stage 1 range instead.

Sources: PistonHeads: M2 Comp Tuning (2020), PistonHeads: M2C tune (2022)

Is a plug-in tuning box a good idea on the N55 M2?

Owners were wary from the start. In a 2017 thread on the new M2, one poster said Litchfield had withdrawn its plug-in box because it couldn't get it right, and another said N55 boxes wire into many more sensors than the older N54 ones and should come out before a service. In 2020 a poster warned M2 owners off RaceChip, saying it upset the car. Burger's JB4 claims up to +80 hp for $599. We would still flash the car: bootmod3 costs about the same and changes no wiring.

Sources: PistonHeads: M2 Tuning (2017), PistonHeads: M2 Comp Tuning (2020)