[CubanJJ09]

haha, i dont know ill look it up and report back. pretty slow at work anyways

[Darkcyd_Turbo]

Originally Posted by CubanJJ09

haha, i dont know ill look it up and report back. pretty slow at work anyways

dude you're always slow at work!

[CubanJJ09]

Originally Posted by Darkcyd_Turbo

dude you're always slow at work!

after the holler-days it always is

[ajvee]

Originally Posted by AFV335i

Is Dinan publically traded? I could check but I gotta run. I'd be interested in their financials. That may give me some insight into my warranty theory.

Good morning! As of the moment, Dinan is still a private entity. However, there were a few press releases about a potential acquisition and Dinan going public. Here is the link to the thread:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...t=dinan+public

Cheers.

[CubanJJ09]

ha nice!!

[Ricer X]

BTW - last nite was the test drive OP, no?

[ajvee]

Originally Posted by AFV335i

BTW - last nite was the test drive OP, no?

I apologize for not updating. We decided to move the test drive to tomorrow morning due to terrible weather. I've been waiting to ride in a tuned car for a while and I assure you I will post my review immediately following the ride. Stay tuned.

[ajvee]

Good morning to all of you guys and hope you are enjoying the weekend thus far.

I just got done with my Dinan 2 test drive and wanted to post my review while the experience was still fresh. Winston Wolf was kind enough to give me a ride and even let me drive his car.

The car is a 2007 335xi sedan 6mt with the first version of the Dinan flash. He had his car flashed at the time where Dinan did not distinguish between the different stages and his car is flashed with what is now the stage 2 software. He has not updated his flash as he has had no issues with it whatsoever. The weather was really cold (3 or 4 degrees) with some slick roads and we both had our winter tires on.

I want to point out a couple of things that were positive to begin with.

1) The car had close to 30k miles on it and he had it flashed pretty much from when it was new, at about 1.5k miles. He has had no issues with the car or the tune save for scheduled maintenance. This is a plus in my mind, as a tune's consistency, longevity, and reliability are very important.

2) The car was very different from mine in stock form. I drive a 135i coupe with few options, while his is a 335xi, which is heavily optioned. The reason I point this out is because his car is significantly heavier than mine. So, according to my reasoning, if I could tell his car was significantly faster than mine, rest assured the tune would make a significant difference in mine.

3) His car has a boost gauge as does mine. At peak, I've noticed between 7.8 and 8.5 psi in cold temperatures which is quite indicative of stock boost. His car having a manual boost gauge would allow me to keep an eye on boost build up and peak by virtue of having the tune.

The ride:

1) The first thing I noted and commented upon was the exhaust note during startup and idle. The note was significantly deeper, such that I inquired if he had a performance exhaust. His car runs a stock exhaust. Overall, the sound was a nice, aggressive improvement over stock.

2) Though the car took a while to warm up, he mentioned that his oil temperature is consistently about 15 to 20 degrees lower than when the car was stock. This is probably due to the increased water pump speed as part of the tune.

3) During mild acceleration and cruising, I could definitely tell the weight difference between the two cars. I felt that his car drove a lot smoother, whereas my 135i felt a little stiffer.

4) During aggressive acceleration, I could tell a huge difference between stock power in the first and second gears. The power was significant enough for the car to break traction and the front wheels were struggling to grip. I noted this as a significant difference from stock, specifically because I feel that the power in the 1st and 2nd gears in my stock car is a bit flat. I also noted significantly improved throttle response. I am certain that this would be amplified in a rear wheel drive car.
As we got up to higher speeds, the power was really smooth and I could tell a marked difference between 60 and 100 mph, where my stock car feels sluggish in comparison. The significant point here is that the power comes on silky smooth, without any jerks or flat spots. Winston Wolf's driving style mirrors mine as he keeps the car in the lower and mid rpm ranges. Going WOT with the car rolling at 40 mph in 3rd, as a passenger, I got the "pushed back into my seat" feeling that is absent in my car. The car went faster than stock past 100 and was eager to keep going. As he let it reach redline, I did notice the power taper off a little bit. A glance at the boost gauge during this pull showed boost building from 2-3 psi comfortably to about 11 to 12 psi. Winston Wolf mentioned that in cold weather, he regular sees about 15 psi at peak, whereas in the summer it is about 13 psi. Though significantly more powerful than stock at this range, I did feel that the car could have used a little more power. However, bear in mind that the same tune may be magnified in my smaller, lighter, and RWD drive car.

The Test Drive:

Winston Wolf was kind enough to let me take his car for a spin and needless to say I was thrilled at the opportunity. I first had to run through the gears really quick to get a feel for his BMW short shift kit. The throws were shorter than my 135i's stock shifter, but felt a bit more notchy.

1) During mild acceleration, the power delivery felt stock. I did not notice a significant difference while gradually getting upto 60 mph. However, as I got on the throttle more aggressively, the car pulled faster than stock all the way past 100 mph. The same held true when I got on the throttle aggressively at 40 mph in 3rd gear. At this point, I commented that while the power was more and delivered better than in stock form, the car could have used a little more. Essentially, I wished that it had even more of a "pushed back in the seat" feeling. In response, he suggested that I slow down almost to a standstill and run through 1st and 2nd aggressively.

2) I felt a significant difference between stock Dinan 2 during aggressive acceleration. The car was quite a beast in 1st and 2nd and it was much faster than stock while being driven aggressively in these gears. The throttle response is improved and the power does not feel saturated as you get to the higher rpm range. I took this as a significant take home point, as this is the area that I feel my car has room for improvement. Practically, since I don't get much past 80 and 90 mph, I value this low and mid range punch that the Dinan 2 offers. As a final test, he suggested that we take both our cars out and do a few pulls.

Highway Pulls:
We first scoped out a relatively free highway. I want to emphasize that high speeds were not involved. The plan was to roll in 3rd gear at about 40 mph to gauge the difference in acceleration past this point.

1) I got a bit of jump in the first run, but as we neared about 55 mph, his car started to pull ahead comfortably. I will admit that given the cold weather and my winter tires, I was probably a little hesitant to be too aggressive.

2) The second start was more even and in third, his car instantly took off and was ahead by at least 3 or 4 car lengths and the gap was increasing all the way to 75 mph. I had a bit of grin at this point at the prospect of how the tune would feel in my car. However, keep in mind were that his car is AWD, which entails that he puts the power down a little better.

3) It was a no contest launching the cars from a standstill, as his car left my car behind immediately. I think this is a testament to the tune aggression and improved response in the first 2 gears.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed my test drive of the Dinan 2. It is best described as an elegant tune, and It excels in the dimensions that I consider important, which are smooth power delivery and improved throttle response in the lower gears. Winston Wolf's positive experience from a reliability and longevity perspective is also encouraging. However, though significantly faster than stock, I did feel that the tune could have used a bit more power throughout the rpm band. I hope to get rides in cars with other tunes for comparison purposes. In any case, I love the feel of the Dinan 2 tune and I appreciate Winston Wolf's willingness to let me experience it in his car.

Cheers.

[CubanJJ09]

Niiice. Big ups to wolf for letting u drive his car. Wolf u should get the updated ecu flash which incorporates the newest version of progman. Really made te car feel more aggressive. I too had the orginal flash before that 29.x progman which supposedly robbed power. I was unsure at first because why fix something that isn't broken. But after reading bubbles review I went ahead and did it. really changed the delivery of the power.

[airwolf878]

Nice, looking forward to the comparison. Also cool to see some tuned cars in the area.

[ajvee]

Guys,

I hope all of you had great weekends. As luck would have it, the day after my Dinan 2 test drive, Nick let me take his car out for a spin to get a feel for the PROcede. Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled, especially since my Dinan 2 experience was still fresh in my mind.

Nick's Car

As you can tell from the pictures, Nick's car is absolutely gorgeous. The M6 wheels perfectly complement the car and in my mind, the stance is perfect. I want to note a couple of things:

1) Nick's car is a 6AT, which won't necessarily reflect how the tune will feel in my 6mt, but I did feel that I would be able to better judge the smoothness of the power delivery.

2) I have driven a 6AT 335i convertible many times, so I felt that I would be able to judge the significance of the power difference offered by the PROcede.

The Ride

1) Similar to the Dinan tune, the exhaust note was deeper upon startup and idle. However, I will note that the Dinan tone was deeper and a little more aggressive.

2) As with the 335xi sedan, as soon as I sat in the car, I could feel the additional weight in comparison to my 135i. The car definitely feels more like a cruiser as opposed to a nimble sports coupe.

3) We first rode in DS mode. As Nick turned off the DTC, we got a CEL on the first run and he has addressed that in his post above. However, to the PROcede's credit, a re-start cleared it and the car was running perfectly again.

4) In DS mode, the power delivery and smoothness were beautiful. The car felt like stock, which eased my concerns about sacrificing power delivery if I were to potentially choose a piggyback. The car was smooth during gradual acceleration and felt strong all the way to red line. The car was very similar to the Dinan 2 tune in terms of power delivery, but with a little more meat throughout the range.

5) To help compare to my Dinan 2 run, Nick slowed to about 40 in D and went WOT. The car immediately came to life. The throttle response was significantly improved over stock and the car roared all the way to the redline. Specifically, the band from 60 mph to about 110 mph is where I could tell a discernible difference from the Dinan 2 tune. I felt that the acceleration within this speed range was better, and the "pushed back in the seat" feeling was more pronounced than the Dinan 2 in this range.

6) As a final ride test, Nick went WOT pretty much from a stand still. I want to point out that it was difficult for me to compare this to the Dinan 2 because of the car being 6AT. The car was ridiculously quick, and for the few moments, I completely lost sight of the fact that this car was significantly heavier than mine. If I had to speculate, I would say that the improved throttle response and acceleration would be just as pronounced in the 6mt. In fact, I would like for 6mt PROcede owners to comment on this if possible.

The Drive

I really appreciated Nick's willingness to let me take his car for a spin. I was quite cautious as his car was on summer tires and the roads were quite bad.

1) I put the car in DS mode and took it to a cruising speed of about 60 mph. I want to point out that the 135i's exhaust note is more aggressive, so it does create an illusion of superior speed and acceleration. I tried hard to correct for this bias in my review. Getting on the throttle aggressively at 60 mph, the car felt transformed. It almost seemed as if I tapped into an additional power reservoir and the needle swiftly went past 100 mph. As with my ride, it confirmed the PROcede's superior strength over the Dinan 2 tune in this band.

2) At slower speeds, using the paddle shifters, the car had much improved throttle response and power. The car's weight is immediately dismissed by the power, as it powers to triple digit speeds. However, if any, the difference between the Dinan 2 tune in this realm is subtle, though the difference between stock is vast. Again, given the car was a 6AT, it was difficult to get an apples to apples comparison to the Dinan 2.

In conclusion, my experience with the PROcede completely erased my concerns about smoothness and power delivery with a piggyback. In my mind, the tune essentially picks up where the Dinan 2 left off with an added injection of power during acceleration from 60mph+. However, the difference between the 2 is not as discernible in the lower end of the band.

Based on my experience, I really don't think the power difference between the Dinan 2 and the PROcede is as prominent as is made out to be. There is a difference, but not significant enough where it is a no-brainer to pick the PROcede over the flash (I am disregarding price and solely considering the power gains). I think the N54 was designed to deliver lag free, smooth power delivery, so any tune would have to do something drastically different to fundamentally alter this trait. In this regard, I assume that the Jb3 would also be quite similar and comparable.

My Choice

As I expressed to Nick, I am not very mechanically capable and I don't want to deal with the stress of having to remove the unit prior to every dealership trip and having to connect it to the computer to scan and clear codes from the ECU. Prior to my test drives, I was willing to take on these tasks if hands down, the PROcede offered a drastically different experience from the Dinan flash. In my mind, this is not the case with the PROcede on the stage 1 map. In addition, my 135i is smaller and lighter than both the cars that I drove, so either of the tunes in my car would make it significantly faster than it currently sits. So, I would probably go with the convenience of the Dinan, but prior to making a decision, I want to check out the GIAC stage 1 to add to the mix.

On a side note, hands down, the 335i coupe is one of the most beautiful cars ever built. The shape is absolutely timeless and BMW is going to be hard pressed to come with a better looking car for the next generation.

Cheers.

[ajvee]

Originally Posted by Nick.CBR

FWIW here were the codes I got today when I threw a CEL:

10700 - 29CC - misfire several cyls
10706 - 29D2 - misfire cyl6
12140 - 2F6C - exhaust flapper
10705 - 29D1 - misfire cyl5

Nothing out of the ordinary for what happend; just cleared them out. I also decided to plug the exhaust flapper actuator back in.

Nick

Hey Nick. That is interesting. Did you get the CEL for the exhaust flapper immediately after you unplugged the flapper actuator or did this happen during our run?

Cheers.

[Darkcyd_Turbo]

Originally Posted by ajvee

Hey Nick. That is interesting. Did you get the CEL for the exhaust flapper immediately after you unplugged the flapper actuator or did this happen during our run?

Cheers.

Odd, I wonder if its only with the stock exhaust...I have had mine unplugged for months because my UUC Corsa exhaust eliminates the need for it so i capped it off and tucked it out of the way. Never got that code before...