Redline Speed Worx (RSW) S55 Crank Hub Upgrade Information!!!

[SALES@RSW]

Are you concerned with a Crank Hub Timing Gear Failure on your F80 / F82 / F83 M3 or M4 BMW?

The Team at Redline Speed Worx (RSW) has recently completed the TPG Tuning Keyed Crank Hub Kit installation on our customer's BMW M4. We believe it to be a must-have upgrade to prevent the need for Crank Hub failure or repair.

The release of the most recent iteration of BMW’s iconic F8x M3 (and M4) was met with some trepidation…. Lots of purists were up in arms over the fact that it was going to benefit from forced induction, while others were happy that at least it was back to BMW’s tried and true inline 6 layout. No matter which side of the fence you rest on the outcome is impressive.425 hp, 406 ft lbs of torque, and 0-60 times hovering around 4 seconds flat for a rear wheel drive sports car is phenomenal.

The problem is for us enthusiasts, we can never have enough of a good thing..Unfortunately in all of BMW’s infinite wisdom it appears much alike the rods in the E46, and bearing wear issues in the E9X (E90,E92,E93), the current F8X( F80,F82,F83) generation is not without its flaws either. Luckily for owners, the fix is considerably less costly than the previous models.

The issue with the S55 arises from the factory crank hub for the timing chain.On most modern cars timing belts have been changed over to timing chains, allowing for greater reliability, greater longevity, and more exact tolerances. Having a metal chain riding on teeth allows for the timing between the camshafts and the crankshaft to be kept perfect, unless something goes wrong with the system.This article is not meant to scare M3/M4 owners but merely to let them know that this is an issue that has occurred on a handful of cars already, some stock, some modified, but it appears more likely to happen on a modified car. According to TPG Tuning they believe the issue is going to be more common on heavily modified cars where the rate of acceleration is higher. What we mean by a higher “rate of acceleration” is simply that the engine is progressing through the rev range significantly faster than a stock car. The redline doesn’t have to be any higher nor does the car have to rev higher for this to occur.

What happens is the nut that holds the crank hub on the crankshaft loses tension and the crankshaft and camshaft get out of time. If the hub spins enough, it can cause the piston to smash into the valves. Luckily the guys down at TPG Tuning have engineered and produced a worthwhile solution using OEM BMW parts and some ingenuity.

Here is where the Hub sits usually, it has been removed for replacement and upgrade in this photo:


The job isn’t extremely complex but does require a fair amount of diss-assembly, including the intake plumbing, fuel supply, and valve cover.



The solution is taking the OEM BMW toothed hub, and cutting a relief to provide room for a locating key to hold the gear in place.
The ingenious part of the design is that in case for some reason tension was lost, the key will keep the hub located in the correct position on the crank, saving both the rods and pistons from catastrophic damage.

Key on TPG Tuning Hub:



Keyway on Timing Gear:





The kit includes:
Keyed OEM Crank Hub
Keyed OEM Crank Timing Gear
New OEM Vanos Bolts (Optional )
New OEM Valve Cover Gasket
New OEM Oil Pump Drive Gear with Friction Disc
New OEM Crank Bolt


If you have any questions regarding your specific vehicle, the kit, or installing it please Contact our Service Team directly!

[VCP]

This great news! Very proactive

[SALES@RSW]

Originally Posted by VCP

This great news! Very proactive

We are trying!

We just did our first replacement yesterday.

Customer car, no signs of timing being off but being that his car was already modded he wanted extra insurance. He already had a tune on the car and downpipes, was looking to perhaps run some race gas at the track so better safe than sorry.

Have to say given the expense of replacing a motor TPG has produced a great piece of kit for a very reasonable price.

[sA x sKy]

Great post and definitely very informative for sure. Out of curiosity, how long did it take for you guys to do the install?

[dmk08]

What is your shop charging for this install?

[AM4ZING]

Originally Posted by sA x sKy

Great post and definitely very informative for sure. Out of curiosity, how long did it take for you guys to do the install?

Yeah, care to share the labor time on this job?

[Kr3st]

Originally Posted by dmk08

What is your shop charging for this install?

Originally Posted by AM4ZING

Yeah, care to share the labor time on this job?

+1

[SALES@RSW]

Quotes are given on a case by case basis, if someone has spun a crank hub the oil pump gear will need to be replaced at the same time.

If anyone here is curious for an exact quote for their car shoot me a PM or call us directly at 908- 223-7477 and ask for Sam.

Shooting PM's to everybody who inquired right now!

[SALES@RSW]

Originally Posted by AM4ZING

Yeah, care to share the labor time on this job?

Nice speaking with you, the rest of you guys have PM's and Sameet I hit you up on Face Book

[TPG Tuning]

Thank you everyone at RSW very much . Top notch shop and very happy to be working with you.

[sA x sKy]

Considering BMW book time is 20 hours.. And it's been 3 days without my car.. And I'm missing Slipstream tomorrow because of it.. And still won't have my car till Monday.

I probably should have had you guys install it lol.

[sA x sKy]

Originally Posted by 0-100 ninja real quick

and is this not covered under our warranty? probably more for tuned cars

It is covered by warranty but need to take out all the mods.

[Irishace]

The issue is not that cos of the part, its the ridiculous amount of labour required for install.

[E92 nick]

Originally Posted by 0-100 ninja real quick

and is this not covered under our warranty? probably more for tuned cars

But then putting the stock one back in and risking it to fail again

[M4 CSL]

Nice write up of the problem. I have ordered mine from TPG.

I want to put this worry to bed and mod with confidence.

[SALES@RSW]

Originally Posted by Nick f82

But then putting the stock one back in and risking it to fail again

This is I think the biggest reason why TO do this upgrade.

Modifying your car to keep it safe and running is probably one of the MOST sensible modifications for somebody to make, even if they don't have any other parts on the car.

Lets say you have this happen to you, the parts that the dealer are going to put back on your car are the same ones that failed. Until we know whether its the part or installation error, or something else that's causing this failure the only way to be sure it won't effect you is to install a keyed hub.

[mark5092]

STILL not enough failures reported for me to even be concerned or worry. I'm just going to be happy and enjoy my car!

[SALES@RSW]

Originally Posted by mark5092

STILL not enough failures reported for me to even be concerned or worry. I'm just going to be happy and enjoy my car!

That is the stance a lot of owners take, and frankly if the car is stock I understand why.

To some the potential of having the engine mash up, and being without his/her car for a few weeks, and or the thought of having the engine replaced in their brand new car by dealership mechanics is less than attractive.

[TPG Tuning]

It seems most people are offended that we are offering this kit. I think it needs to be understood that this IS an issue. How widespread we don't know and honestly it is irrelevant. We had this issue personally happen to us, instead of sitting back and blaming BMW we chose to remedy the issue ourselves. At that time we made this option available to the public. It is always a choice, however isn't it nice to have that choice?

Having companies continue to advance the platform you have chosen to invest is a good thing. Companies like Redline Speed Worx have taken it upon themselves to educate you even further on the topic and offer a hell of a deal on installation. This doesn't mean you are forced to do it, but it's great to know that well known and respected shops are on board and ready to assist you if you do unfortunately come across this problem.

[sA x sKy]

Here's an update on mine. Not going to get the car back today as originally thought. Tomorrow for sure now apparently. RSW to do the install in 8 hours sounds pretty good right now compared to not having my car for an entire week.

[SALES@RSW]

Originally Posted by sA x sKy

Here's an update on mine. Not going to get the car back today as originally thought. Tomorrow for sure now apparently. RSW to do the install in 8 hours sounds pretty good right now compared to not having my car for an entire week.

I'm sure you don't have an m3/m4 as a loaner either I assume Sameet?

Also you had to return your car to stock to have it done, right?

Thanks for the update, hopefully you get her back soon!

[SALES@RSW]

Originally Posted by TPG Tuning

It seems most people are offended that we are offering this kit. I think it needs to be understood that this IS an issue. How widespread we don't know and honestly it is irrelevant. We had this issue personally happen to us, instead of sitting back and blaming BMW we chose to remedy the issue ourselves. At that time we made this option available to the public. It is always a choice, however isn't it nice to have that choice?

Having companies continue to advance the platform you have chosen to invest is a good thing. Companies like Redline Speed Worx have taken it upon themselves to educate you even further on the topic and offer a hell of a deal on installation. This doesn't mean you are forced to do it, but it's great to know that well known and respected shops are on board and ready to assist you if you do unfortunately come across this problem.

We're trying!!!

As said in the original post, we are by no means trying to scare M3/M4 owners into doing this procedure, merely offering it for those who are concerned.

We also agree that this is a real issue, we believe there is no question we are going to see more fail.