AVAILABLE GRADES

  • 0.25mm(.010in) repair grade; used for crankshaft grinding


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COMPATIBILITY

BMW engines

  • N54B30
  • N55B30
  • S55B30
  • N20B20
  • N26B20


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DESCRIPTION 

A high-performance connecting rod bearing kit for the BMW N54, N55, S55, N20B20, and N26B20 engines. The bearings are made using superior materials compared to the OEM BMW bearings and they are cheaper as well. OEM BMW bearings are soft in comparison and not made to take the abuse of a high-performance turbo engine. This bearing set comes with heat-treated steel backs, hard sintered copper overlay for an increased load-carrying capacity, and slightly increased bearing crush height for increased clamping in the connecting rod bore. OEM bearings are not made with these superior materials or design features. 

Until now, when shopping for performance bearings for your BMW engine, you had three options: 

  • Buy OEM bearings from the dealer, or online reseller
  • Buy OEM bearings that have been Calico coated from the likes of VAC
  • Buy OEM bearings that have been WPC treated from Bimmer World. 

Let's break down all three situations, both from the performance and financial standpoints.

  • OEM bearings from the dealer: New set of 12 bearing shells for the N54 engine will cost you about $36 per shell. A 12 bearing shell set will cost you $432. Online resellers offer slightly better pricing than the dealer but even then, the likes of ECS Tuning and FCP Euro still charge about $31 per shell. That's $372 per set. This is the cheapest option out of the three and the most readily available one. You can go to any dealer or reseller to place the order and have it within days. From the performance side, this is an acceptable solution for a stock vehicle. From the financial side, it is still more expensive than our bearing kit option.
  • OEM bearing with Calico coatings: New set of 12 bearing shells with Calico coating from VAC will cost you $449.95. This option retains the inferior quality OEM bearings which get coated by Calico. Calico offers an exceptional bearing coating and we use it in-house on most of our performance engine. The problem arises when you try to band-aid an inferior OEM bearing and make it last longer with a coating. The foundation, the bearing shell itself, should be of better quality for Calico to be the end-all solution. Another problem with Calico coating OEM bearing is the coating adds to the bearing shell thickness and reduces the rod bearing clearances. When building engines in-house, we always try to use an undersized bearing shell and Calico coat it so the bearing clearances are correct with the coating, NOT before it. The idea is good, the Calico coating is great, but it is applied to a bearing that is not intended for high-performance use. The cost of this option is significantly higher than our bearing set.
  • OEM bearings with WPC treatment: Bimmer World sells this option 'per cylinder' as a pair of bearing shells for $75.98. For a complete engine, you need to order quantity SIX for a total cost of $455.88. WPC is not a coating. WPC is a treatment which works similar to shot-peening on a microscopic level and applied in a fashion similar to sandblasting media. The media used is extremely fine, almost like powder, shot at a very high velocity, and this creates micro-compacting of the substrate surface. This compacting of the substrate surface is hardly measurable on a bearing shell and does not affect bearing clearances. WPC is very effective at reducing friction and preventing seizure and we use it in-house on oil pump gerotors and oil pump relief valves. The problem with this options is again using the inferior OEM bearing shell as a foundation for a performance product. The idea is good, the WPC process is good, but it is applied to a bearing that is not intended for high-performance use. The cost of this option is significantly higher than our bearing set. 

These bearings use the same tri-metal metallurgy, technology, and coating process regularly found in motorsport quality bearings. The bearings are available in standard clearance or 0.25mm(0.10in) oversize used when grinding the crankshaft rod journals undersize; repair size #1. 


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KIT CONTENT

  • 2 high-performance tri-metal connecting rod bearing shells; enough to service one connecting rod 
If you are servicing a 6-cylinder N54/N55/S55 engine, you must order quantity SIX to receive enough bearing shells for one engine job. 

If you are servicing a 4-cylinder N20/N26 engine, you must order quantity FOUR to receive enough bearing shells for one engine job. 

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TRI-METAL BEARING ADVANTAGE

A combination of design, metallurgy, and engineering to deliver what engine builders expect from high-performance tri-metal engine bearings. Designed to withstand higher RPM conditions, our high-performance bearings are available for many of the popular 4, 6 & 8 cylinder BMW applications and feature: 

  • High strength overlay plate with reduced thickness for improved fatigue properties 
  • Hardened steel backs on all rod bearings to improve the support of the bearing lining and assist with bearing retention in the housing 
  • Increased crush for improved bearing retention 
  • Elimination of flash plating on the back of the bearings to improve heat transfer through the bearing sand to maximize the grip between the bearings and its housing 
  • Increased eccentricity to compensate for bore distortion at high rpm and to assist in the formation of hydrodynamic oil films
  • Tight consistent wall tolerances to help you maintain consistent clearances 
  • Enlarged ID chamfers on bearing edges, where required, to accommodate large fillet radius on performance crankshafts

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SHIPPING

All parts are shipped ground with a tracking number. Expedited and overnight shipping service available at an additional cost. International shipping available at an additional cost.
 Please contact us before ordering to discuss arrangements.

We offer international shipping via eBay Global shipping program.

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DISCLAIMER

Due to the nature of high-performance applications, all products are sold without warranty of merchantability or fitness or purpose, expressed or implied. I shall not under any circumstances, be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages, including, but not limited to, damages or loss of other property or equipment, loss of profits or revenue, cost of purchased or replaced goods, or claims of customers of the purchaser which may arise and/or result from the sales, installation or use of these parts.