Since I've seen some confusion from people about what "Twin-Power" means, I thought I would post a decent little tech article along with a video.

Twin-Power simply refers to the design of the turbo which is known as "twin-scroll." This differs in a few ways to traditional single scroll turbochargers, but the primary benefit that most people will notice is significantly reduced turbo lag. It isn't really new technology, it was used on the RX-7 back in the late 80's, and then cars like the Mitsubishi Evolution in the mid-90's.

correction: The previous generation MINI also used a twin-scroll turbocharger.

Here is a decent overview tech article:

http://www.modified.com/tech/modp-09...n/viewall.html


Now the video is a little more technical than the article, but it's great information.


Just some fun FYI learning. Enjoy!

 

Correction, the R56 S engines DO use a Twin-Scroll turbo. There is little to no perceived lag...

 

Oh, apologies, I'm still learning about the R56, but I thought I read before that they use a traditional turbocharger system. I'll correct my mistake, thanks.

I think it's the "twin-power" name that is throwing people off, I've even seen automotive websites reporting it as a twin-turbo car.

 

Better learn directly from BMW, instead of some kid on u-tube:

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t...y/engines.html

http://paultan.org/2014/02/25/bmws-n...e-255hp-400nm/

http://blog.caranddriver.com/first-l...engine-family/

http://blog.caranddriver.com/bmws-ne...ntient-robots/

a

 

Those are good information, but none of them really go into the "how" it works, they just explain what benefits it has.

I prefer diagrams, drawings, explanations, animations, etc even if they are from "some kid on YouTube."

 

It is definitely NOT a twin turbo. I had a 335i before I bought my R56S and the 335i did have twin turbos and zero turbo lag. That made the switch to the R56 difficult for me. The R56S (and the F56S which I test drove) did have a turbo lag but the F56S was somewhat more responsive than my R56S. Putting it into Sport mode does help, but does not eliminate the lag.