motorsport coolant thermostat

Coolant Thermostat for BMW S50 & S54

Anyone who drives their BMW M3 on the racetrack or in a sporty manner is familiar with the problem: While the stock thermostat in the S50 and S54 engines begins to regulate at 80 °C, it does not completely separate the small and large cooling circuits until just under 100 °C. As a result, the radiator’s full cooling capacity isn’t utilized until much later.

The consequence: The engine runs significantly hotter than is desirable for track use, especially under heavy load. At the same time, there is little temperature headroom left for hot summer days, long stints, or performance-tuned vehicles.

The Ideal Alternative to the BMW Motorsport Thermostat

For a long time, the BMW Motorsport 55 °C thermostat (part number 11531417215) was available. This thermostat is no longer available and, in any case, is not an optimal solution for Tracktools.

Due to its very early opening point, the engine runs consistently too cold, especially under partial load. This leads to increased fuel consumption, greater wear, and a longer warm-up phase.

Our thermostat is based on the original BMW 80 °C thermostat (part number 11531318274), which we have optimized for use in performance-oriented street, track day, and race cars. This modification specifically lowers the coolant temperature earlier without having to accept the drawbacks of an extremely cold motorsport thermostat.

Three versions for every application

• Race version: Begins opening at 65 °C—controls 15 °C earlier than stock
• Track version: Begins opening at 70 °C—controls 10 °C earlier than stock
• Road version: Begins opening at 75 °C—controls 5 °C earlier than stock

The thermostat is compatible with the BMW E46 M3 (S54B32) and the BMW E36 M3 (S50B30 / S50B32—not compatible with E36 M3 US models).

- We also ship internationally upon request -