BMW Tuning Chips 2023 – Top 5 Review/Buyer’s Guide

Horsepower and torque. Is it truly possible that we can add more power to our BMWs without taking them to an expensive performance shop? The answer is yes...well...kind of. The bottom line is it depends on what model BMW you own and what type of increase in power you are looking for.

The tuning in all modern BMW engines is controlled electronically. In other words, there is an engine control module (also known as the DME, ECM or ECU) under the hood of your BMW that uses complicated calculations to determine how much air, fuel and spark is administered in the cylinders at different RPMs. These calculations are flashed (or "hardcoded") into the control module and can only be accessed with professional diagnostic equipment. In other words, the horsepower and torque of your BMW is pre-determined at the factory and coded into your vehicle. But what many people don't know is that these factory tunings do not unlock the full potential of the engine - there is hidden horsepower and torque that can be set accessed by simply bypassing the engine's control module with an aftermarket tuning chip.

Before purchasing a BMW performance chip pay close attention to the reported power gains and decide whether it makes economic sense.

A tuning chip is actually a mini-control module that when plugged into your engine's wiring harness, overrides the vehicle's factory settings. Its often referred to as a "piggy-back" tune. Tuning chips unlock the hidden horsepower and torque in your BMW's engine by bypassing the ECU's calculations with their own. What's great about this system is that the tuning chip can easily be installed by any do-it-you selfer and is completely reversible. The downside is tuning chips can raise false hope in BMW owners that they can turn their 4-cylinder daily driver into a Formula 1 race car.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

One thing BMW owners should be aware of is that not all BMW models and engines are supported. And those that are supported do not always produce the exact results claimed by performance chip manufacturers. Then there is our famous "cost per horsepower" equation; how much does that extra performance cost and is it worth it? Ask yourself...is it worth spending $600 on your 2016 BMW M2 to gain an extra 32hp (we will withhold the manufacturers name on this one)? Will you even notice a difference (probably not)? That's a cost of approximately $18 per horsepower for only an 8.7% increase in power...too much money and too little gain in our opinion to justify purchasing. On the other side of the coin is a 2011 335i - you can purchase a performance tune from RaceChip for $500 that unleashes 80 extra horsepower and 113 more pounds of torque. That's a whopping 25% increase in power for a mere $6.25 per horsepower. You will definitely notice some extra kick in your 335i's acceleration so this may be a worthwhile purchase.

There are several key makers of BMW plug-and-play tuning modules that have years of experience and field testing of their equipment. We have reviewed the top 5 below - all of our choices are manufactured by reputable companies that stand behind their product. The BMW Repair Guide strongly suggests that our readers stay away from cheap "knockoff" tuning modules that find their way onto the market - they are not researched and developed by a reputable tuning company and make a lot of false claims about their results.