[dselek]

I am getting Dinan Stage III Suspension installed over the weekend, I am picking up the car Monday. I just wanted to get some of your opinion who have them installed already. Is there any do's and don'ts upon taking the car?
I beleive the drop is not significante with Dinan suspension but I am told the car will settle further with couple more days of driving. Is there anything I should be careful with during that time? Adding half a degree extra negative camber to front wheels causes more tread wear they say, is this true? I will be using those horrible RFT tires with the new suspension for a couple of weeks more but later I am getting Yokohama Advan S.4 A/S UHP. I think only then I will be fully understand and appreciate what the stage III suspension is capable of doing.

So what is your overall opinon on Dinan Stage III Suspension upgrade other then being very expensive which we all know. So please let's just stick with the performance aspect of the topic if you guys don't mind.

[DaFish]

I would love to hear a review of this.

[sirantsE90]

to lazy to look it up! what does it consist of?

[e90pilot]

I have it installed and I posted a small review a while back. I have a 325 sedan though and it's a little different from the 335 coupe. I've had it on for a year now and I love it. Tire ware for me improved because I was chewing the outsides pretty bad. I do run a different alignment though. I have 2 degrees up front and 1.5 degrees in the back of negative camber. I also run .1 degrees of toe total up front and .2 in the back. There is something I really want to try. Instead of using the camber plates, I wanted to install the M3's front control arms and tention rods which do the same thing as the camber plates from Dinan. The thing I don't like about Dinan's camber plates the the fact that they raise the front ride hight slightly because it's just mounted between the top of the shock and the mount. The lower right high might improve the handling a bit.

I've had zero clunks or squeeks from the suspension. It's extreamly high quality and thoroughly tested. However, Dinan tested the suspension with their wheels which are lighter, wider, and have less front/rear stagger. I had a huge underseer problem that when away once I got a wider front wheel and tire. I just run 10mm of stagger instead of 30mm. Then again, I don't have 300hp and 300tq. You might actually be able to use your rear grip.

Lastly I HIGHLY reccomend the rear shock mounts. They're only $100 and improve suspension travel and are slightly stiffer. As for your runflats, they work with the suspension but the ride will be bone crushing. I have Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 all around. They're pricy but last the longest out of any tire I've used and hold grip all the way until the chords show. They also take well to abuse.

The car will ride much stiffer and you will be bouncing around on bumpy roads. But the sheer increase in mid-corner grip is AMAZING. You'll definitely be tightening the sidebolsters on your seat. The steering response is also vastly improoved as well as body roll. No more flopping about on transitions. There's a reason the suspension is pricy. A lot of people say you're paying more just for the brand, but I think it's more than that. You can really tell they did their homework on this because all of the components work in perfect harmony. I think you'll love it.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by sirantsE90

to lazy to look it up! what does it consist of?

It varies from coupe/sedan and turbo/non-turbo. Mine came with shocks, springs, bars, and plates. I think it now comes with the rear shock mounts.

[GaryS]

Stage 3 for 335i includes the rear shock mounts, which I agree are great. If you have any money left, I recommend the Dinan High Performance Bushing Kit, which is M3 rear subframe bushings and front lower control arms. Anyway, Stage 3 is awesome. It will feel like a completely different car, and you will love it.

[335isGuy]

What is the pricing on the Stage 3 kit. Not a fan of Dinan but always interesting to see.

[e90pilot]

$2397 for parts 10.2 hrs of labor. Dinan in CA is $140/hr. All said and done, you're looking at just shy of $4000 installed. The bushing kit is really nice especially on the turbo cars because they are much more powerful. Dinan's is $900 but you can get them from getbmwparts.com for about half that. Labor on the bushing kit is almost 8hrs.

[DaFish]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

$2397 for parts 10.2 hrs of labor. Dinan in CA is $140/hr. All said and done, you're looking at just shy of $4000 installed. The bushing kit is really nice especially on the turbo cars because they are much more powerful. Dinan's is $900 but you can get them from getbmwparts.com for about half that. Labor on the bushing kit is almost 8hrs.

hi e90pilot. I decided I would create my own thread rather than responding to this one.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424830

I would love to hear yours, and everyone's thoughts on the Dinan Stage 3 decision I made in my thread too.

I did just put on 235/265 non RFT 19's on, and with Dinan Stage 2 engine, with an up and coming Dinan Stage 3 suspension with M3 control arms and camber plates... I am really hoping for something good.

What did you set your shocks to? what setting out of 12?

PS: I did NOT do the sub frame bushings... is this a mistake?

Thanks

[e90pilot]

You have a 335 so I would think the rear subframe bushings are important when you stiffen the suspension. I have the suspension set on whatever Dinan had it set at by default. I would not do the camber plates and get the tension rods. They add .75 degrees of negative camber.

[DJKhan85]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

$2397 for parts 10.2 hrs of labor. Dinan in CA is $140/hr. All said and done, you're looking at just shy of $4000 installed. The bushing kit is really nice especially on the turbo cars because they are much more powerful. Dinan's is $900 but you can get them from getbmwparts.com for about half that. Labor on the bushing kit is almost 8hrs.

GOOD GRAVY. I'm all about getting DINAN stuff as I have their Diff installed but 4k for a suspension is just crazy.

But even so I wouldn't mind trying it compared to some of the other more popular suspension systems on this site.

[meepster]

Originally Posted by DaFish

hi e90pilot. I decided I would create my own thread rather than responding to this one.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424830

I would love to hear yours, and everyone's thoughts on the Dinan Stage 3 decision I made in my thread too.

I did just put on 235/265 non RFT 19's on, and with Dinan Stage 2 engine, with an up and coming Dinan Stage 3 suspension with M3 control arms and camber plates... I am really hoping for something good.

What did you set your shocks to? what setting out of 12?

PS: I did NOT do the sub frame bushings... is this a mistake?

Thanks

So I went for the Dinan Stage III Suspension upgrade + the high performance bushings (which is just the M3 steering parts and rear subframe bushing upgrade). I capped them with 19" Morr VS8s and 235 Front, 265 Rear Michelin PS2s. I was just back at Thunderhill recently and the car was far more stable w/ quick turn-in and basically no roll. The understeer was also practically non-existent and the car felt very balanced. You can see comparisons here:
- Original: http://e92hd.posterous.com/stock-spo...sion-w-18-rims
- Current: http://e92hd.posterous.com/dinan-sta...orr-vs8s-and-m

Overall, highly recommended and I think your overall reasoning was similar to mine.

[Yankees 2010]

Originally Posted by meepster

So I went for the Dinan Stage III Suspension upgrade + the high performance bushings (which is just the M3 steering parts and rear subframe bushing upgrade). I capped them with 19" Morr VS8s and 235 Front, 265 Rear Michelin PS2s. I was just back at Thunderhill recently and the car was far more stable w/ quick turn-in and basically no roll. The understeer was also practically non-existent and the car felt very balanced. You can see comparisons here:
- Original: http://e92hd.posterous.com/stock-spo...sion-w-18-rims
- Current: http://e92hd.posterous.com/dinan-sta...orr-vs8s-and-m

Overall, highly recommended and I think your overall reasoning was similar to mine.

Did you get the dinan s3 installed at the same time as the bushings? Wanted to see if the S3 was good enough by itself.

[DaFish]

Originally Posted by Yankees 2010

Did you get the dinan s3 installed at the same time as the bushings? Wanted to see if the S3 was good enough by itself.

Me too. I did NOT order the subframe bushing up grade.

Since Dinan didn't change the rear sway, I didn't want to spend on the 5 or 6 hours of labour to change the bushings.... I will if it isn't good after I get the car back with the Stage 3.

[DaFish]

Originally Posted by meepster

So I went for the Dinan Stage III Suspension upgrade + the high performance bushings (which is just the M3 steering parts and rear subframe bushing upgrade). I capped them with 19" Morr VS8s and 235 Front, 265 Rear Michelin PS2s. I was just back at Thunderhill recently and the car was far more stable w/ quick turn-in and basically no roll. The understeer was also practically non-existent and the car felt very balanced. You can see comparisons here:
- Original: http://e92hd.posterous.com/stock-spo...sion-w-18-rims
- Current: http://e92hd.posterous.com/dinan-sta...orr-vs8s-and-m

Overall, highly recommended and I think your overall reasoning was similar to mine.

Excellent ! Same car/color as mine too. Andy at MORR is PMing me trying to sell me the VS8.2s... did you notice the lighter rims in driving? I would love to hear your driving impressions.

Also, your car deosn't look that much lower than stock. 1/2" or 1/4"???? Did you measure before and after? Please let me know.

Also, what settings (1-12) did you put the shocks to.... after driving it now, did you change it after you had it for a while

Thanks

[DaFish]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

You have a 335 so I would think the rear subframe bushings are important when you stiffen the suspension. I have the suspension set on whatever Dinan had it set at by default. I would not do the camber plates and get the tension rods. They add .75 degrees of negative camber.

Hmmm... now am a bit unsure.....

The M3 bits do add .75 camber. PLUS the Dinan camber plates add a bunch too. How much is too much....

Also, I think the camber plates are adjustable so you can vary it.

Ideally, what is the most amount of camber you would need

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by DaFish

Hmmm... now am a bit unsure.....

The M3 bits do add .75 camber. PLUS the Dinan camber plates add a bunch too. How much is too much....

Also, I think the camber plates are adjustable so you can vary it.

Ideally, what is the most amount of camber you would need

I just meant tension rods only and no plates. They are not adjustable either. I use 2.0 degrees but that depends on how you drive. Look at your tire ware. If you chew the outsides more than insides then you need more camber.

[DaFish]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

I just meant tension rods only and no plates. They are not adjustable either. I use 2.0 degrees but that depends on how you drive. Look at your tire ware. If you chew the outsides more than insides then you need more camber.

well, right now before the Dinan S3 suspension, I am chewing the outside fronts badly. I can't wait to get the S3 on....

I am not sure about the rims. Currently 235/265 on 230 rims. the front is a bit swelled, you can see it slightly.

I noticed you got the dinan rims? so 265/275 on your car for rims and RE-11's? That will help enormously - probably the 10mm stagger is the best as well as the 265 up front. Did you try it with the standard stagger and see the diff after your dinan was on?

Thanks for all your posts, I really appreciate it. (and Meepster).

[DaFish]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

I do run a different alignment though. I have 2 degrees up front and 1.5 degrees in the back of negative camber. I also run .1 degrees of toe total up front and .2 in the back.

How did you get to these settings? Did you figure this out yourself? What does it do? Should I tell the alignment guys I should do this with my Dinan Stage 3?

Originally Posted by e90pilot

There is something I really want to try. Instead of using the camber plates, I wanted to install the M3's front control arms and tention rods which do the same thing as the camber plates from Dinan. The thing I don't like about Dinan's camber plates the the fact that they raise the front ride hight slightly because it's just mounted between the top of the shock and the mount. The lower right high might improve the handling a bit.

I am not liking the additional 1/4" or more on the camber plates... but I will try it. I am torn between keeping the M3 bits on for steering feel WITH the camber plates to remove the last bit of understeer. The additional camber may offset the larger stagger of 235/265.

Comments?

[e90pilot]

I actually don't have the dinan rims. I have stock rims but I got a set of rear wheels and mounted 245s on them. So I have 10mm stagger. 265/275 is way too much grip for only 215 hp. Your stagger might work since you have 300+ hp. As for the alignment numbers I just looked at the specs from Dinan and moved camber to the lowest I could go (it's actually as low as the car will go) and toe with the closest to neutral but within spec.

I'v tried the stock 17" all round with Dinan's recommended settings. Then I tried the more aggressive alignment, then I removed most of the front/rear stagger. Since you have a 335 try everything is stages. It might understeer a little but you have some serious power. An LSD might be all you need to fix the understeer. It's kind of pricy though.

[achien]

any updates or long term reviews on Dinan Stage 3 suspension?

Originally Posted by dselek

I am getting Dinan Stage III Suspension installed over the weekend, I am picking up the car Monday. I just wanted to get some of your opinion who have them installed already. Is there any do's and don'ts upon taking the car?
I beleive the drop is not significante with Dinan suspension but I am told the car will settle further with couple more days of driving. Is there anything I should be careful with during that time? Adding half a degree extra negative camber to front wheels causes more tread wear they say, is this true? I will be using those horrible RFT tires with the new suspension for a couple of weeks more but later I am getting Yokohama Advan S.4 A/S UHP. I think only then I will be fully understand and appreciate what the stage III suspension is capable of doing.

So what is your overall opinon on Dinan Stage III Suspension upgrade other then being very expensive which we all know. So please let's just stick with the performance aspect of the topic if you guys don't mind.