BMW B48 engine

Characteristics of the B48 engine

The B48 is an inline engine with an aluminum cylinder block. It is equipped with an injection system and has four cylinders with four valves each. The specifications are amazingly diverse, ranging from an engine displacement of 1998 cubic centimeters to various power options that vary depending on the car model. The B48 has a maximum output of 258 horsepower at 5000-6500 rpm.

The torque of this engine is also impressive, reaching 400 Nm at 1550-4400 rpm. The B48 is recommended to use fuel with an octane rating of 98 for optimal performance. It also complies with Euro 6 and Euro 6d-TEMP environmental standards, making it more environmentally friendly.

In addition to this, it is also important to consider parameters such as fuel and oil consumption. For the 320i F30, fuel consumption is 7.9 liters per 100 kilometers in the city, 4.8 liters on the highway and 5.9 liters in the mixed cycle. Oil consumption can reach up to 700 grams per 1000 kilometers.

Keeping the engine in good condition is also important. Recommended oils for the B48 include 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30 and 5W-40 viscosities, with a total engine oil volume of 5.25 liters. Oil changes are recommended every 15,000 kilometers, but it is advisable to reduce this interval to 7,500 kilometers to improve engine longevity.

Despite its impressive performance, the B48 leaves room for tuning. There is potential to increase power to 300 horsepower, but this may affect engine life. The B48 has been fitted to various BMW models, as well as the MINI Cooper S and MINI John Cooper Works.

Reliability, problems and repair of the BMW B48 engine

A new generation four-cylinder gasoline engine from BMW, the B48 was introduced in 2014 as a replacement for the popular N20 motor. The B48 is based on the N20, but has a number of significant differences: this engine features a closed aluminum cylinder block, where a long-stroke crankshaft with a piston stroke of 94.6 mm is mounted on five supports. The cylinder diameter is 82 mm, the walls are coated with a 0.3-mm-thick wear-resistant layer and the cylinder spacing is 91 mm. This geometry allows to achieve a displacement of 500 cm³ per cylinder and a total displacement of 2 liters. 2 balancer shafts are also used here, which are different from the N20.

The aluminum 16-valve head block is equipped with two camshafts and direct fuel injection. The inlet valves are 30mm in diameter and the exhaust valves are 28.5mm in diameter, the inlet and exhaust valve stems are 5mm and 6mm thick respectively. The intake camshaft is equipped with Valvetronic valve lift height adjustment (from 0.2 mm to 9.9 mm), and both camshafts are equipped with Double VANOS. The camshafts are driven by a chain, and a single-row timing chain is used.

The engine is equipped with a twinscroll turbine MHI TD04LR6W, which creates overpressure of 0.5 bar for the 20i model. A liquid-cooled intercooler is integrated into the intake manifold. The new engine is controlled by a Bosch MG1 unit.

In the North American market, this motor is sold under the designation B46 and meets ULEV II environmental safety standards.

A hybrid version is also available under the 30e index, which includes a 184-hp gasoline engine and an 88-hp electric motor, for a total of 252 hp.

This engine has sister models: the six-cylinder B58 and the three-cylinder B38.

Modifications of the BMW B48 engine

1. B48B20M0 / B20B20A (2015-present) is the most de-fortified version with 184 hp at 5000-6500 rpm and 290 Nm of torque at 1350-4250 rpm. This motor is designed for longitudinal installation, its compression ratio is 11 and boost pressure is 0.5 bar. This motor is found on BMWs with the index 20i.
2. B48A20M0 / B20A20A (2014 – present) – an analog of the B48B20, but it is placed transversely. This modification stands on the BMW X1 and X2 with the designation 20i, on the BMW 220i Active Tourer, as well as on the MINI Cooper S of various versions. Power is 192 hp at 5000-6000 rpm, torque is 280 Nm at 1350-4600 rpm.
3. B48A20M1 (2018-present) – BMW X2 version with 20i designation. Power 192 hp at 5000-6000 rpm, torque 280 Nm at 1350-4600 rpm.
4. B48B20O0 / B48B20B (2016-present) – longitudinal version for BMW 125i F20, where the pressure is increased to 0.9 bar and the compression ratio is reduced to 10.2, exhaust diameter 75 mm. Engine output reaches 224 hp at 5200-6500 rpm, torque 310 Nm at 1400-5000 rpm.
5. B48A20O0 / B48A20B (2014-present) – transverse version for Mini John Cooper Works, BMW X1 xDrive 25i and 225i Active Tourer. Power equals 231 hp at 5000-6000 rpm and 350 Nm of torque at 1450-4500 rpm.
6. B48B20O0 (2015-present) is the version where the boost pressure is increased to 1 bar. Power is 252 hp at 5200-6500 rpm, torque is 350 Nm at 1450-4800 rpm. This engine is installed on BMW with the designation 30i.
7. B48B20O0 (2013 – present) – top modification with an output of 258 hp at 5000-6500 rpm, torque 400 Nm at 1550-4400 rpm. A similar powerplant is installed in BMW 630i and 730i.
8. B48B20O1 (2018-present) – modification for BMW Z4 sDrive 20i, which has 197 hp at 4500-6500 rpm, 320 Nm of torque at 1450-4200 rpm.

Problems and disadvantages of BMW B48 engines

These motors are not produced for so long and no special problems or blunders on them have not yet been noticed. These are reliable engines that drive quite well and do not fall apart early. The main thing is to pour good 98th gasoline, not fake quality oil and change it 2 times more often, then everything will go long enough. From the known problems it is worth noting the vibration, which is inherent in all B48. Also, closer to 100 thousand kilometers, can begin to make noise the flap in the muffler, which does not threaten anything, but if you want to eliminate this noise, then you need to change the entire muffler.
The approximate resource of this motor is not yet known.

Tuning the engine BMW B48

Chip tuning

You can flash the engine control unit of your car and pour Stage 1 firmware, which will give about 290-300 hp, torque increases to 420-440 Nm. These figures are achievable on both 330i and conventional 320i. The latter, because of the high compression ratio, should not be pushed to the end, or put the injection of water-methanol.
By installing a zero-vac filter, downtube, and pouring the appropriate firmware Stage 2, you will get about 310 hp and 430-450 Nm of torque.
BMW 320i to 330i

One of the most popular options (when the ECU has not yet been flashed) to increase the power of a regular 320i. With this option, power will reach the standard, for the 330i, 258 horsepower. You can add JB4, downpipe, exhaust on 76 mm pipe and water-methanol injection. All of this will produce in the neighborhood of 300 hp and 450 Nm of torque.

ENGINE RATING: 5