[S4to335]

I took my recently flashed 335i to Infineon Raceway this past weekend with the Audi club. I was driving in the dedicated instructor group so, for the most part, I could go pretty hard on a consistent basis.

Conditions:

Temp: 65-74 degrees F
Partly cloudy with slight breeze
Elevation: 500 ft
Gasoline: 91/100 octane mix (probably about 95-96 most of the time) <---- REVISED

Other modifications to car:

- Ultimate Racing Catback
- Alcon 365mm BBK
- Bilstein PSS9 coilovers
- SSR 18X8.5 wheels (all four corners)
- Pilot Sport Cup Tires (235/40/18)
- stock sway bars/intercooler/oil cooler/intake/rear differential

Impressions: This car can really move now. I was having difficulty with grip on the right rear due to more power and tire size. It is apparent that for getting the power down the rear tires have to be much wider. And because of the increased power..I need bigger rubber all around. I think I might buy some SSR 18X9.5 wheels for the rear..and put on 265/35/18 tires (if they make those). As for the front..245/35/18 is the smallest I think I should go...and I will try to see if I can find a decent 255/35/18 to try with my SSRs. Ok..back to the Dinan discussion. Basically..I could slightly inch away from my friends stage 3 B5 platform Audi S4 in the straights..but he would eat me alive in exiting sharp right hand turns since he could get the power down..and I definitely could NOT. I had to haul butt thru the esses...Turn 8-11 to catch up..lose him a bit going from T11-1, but then catch up on braking into T2. It was definitely the yoyo type of experience..reeling him in..then losing him in the tight turns. Overall, his lap times were slightly better than mine (0.5-1.5 sec). But, I think if I get wider tires..and maybe adjustable camber plates..I will be even...maybe slightly ahead. He just put 2.8L heads on his 2.7L biturbo Audi..so his is breathing real nice right now. The other thing is that my exhaust SOUNDS different with the Dinan tune...I have no idea how/why that is happening. The other surprising bit of info was that I was getting much better than expected mpg on the track. I was really surprised at that. I had three sessions on track..driving hard..and I wasnt even to half tank. Lastly, oil temps NEVER got over 270 degrees the whole two days..I was also surprised at this one..since I have hit 295 degrees with another tune..and had to shut down that track session early. I got no limp modes..no check engine lights...

All in all, I am very happy with the performance of the Dinan Stage 2. It is flashed..has a warranty of sorts...and can be reflashed by my Dinan reseller if the dealership by accident writes over the tune. I have no visible cues that it is in the car..no wires..no little black boxes..no crap from dealerships on tuning my car. I am very pleased. Yes, this baby is not cheap..but overall..I would do this purchase again in a second. If anyone is in the SF Bay Area..and wants to talk to a Dinan reseller...contact Robb or Bruce Todd at BR Racing (in Los Gatos CA) ..they can surely give you all the details about the Dinan experience.

Steve-out.

[Gen_E92]

Nice review...the tires does seem to be abit narrow for road racing and the power you're putting down. I think that's the main issue, and 18x9 all around with 255/35/18 would be perfect.

[jeho]

Am i reading it wrong or are going to move to a stagger setup?

also what is the benefit of going with the 35 profile over the 40 profile in the fronts?

[S4to335]

very slight stagger is a possibility..fitment issues...the 35 may have a tiny bit more room than the 40 series

[jeho]

I should have thought about that...
1 Benfit of the 35 > 40 would be no rubbing the OC cover!
w/e some of the plastic fins on my OC cover are so thin to a point it looks like theres no more

[5soko]

Great review man!

[superlubricity]

very nice. love the photo.

[Bubbles]

Thanks for the review. Did you run 100 octane, if so what did your exhaust tips look like at the end of the day, did you blow off the carbon build-up? Did it look like it was running lean? The power is there for the track (with curves), it is very easy to get up to 140mph on a back straight

Nice compression btw.

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by Bubbles

Thanks for the review. Did you run 100 octane, if so what did your exhaust tips look like at the end of the day, did you blow off the carbon build-up? Did it look like it was running lean? The power is there for the track (with curves), it is very easy to get up to 140mph on a back straight

Nice compression btw.

I didnt check my tips...but I did run a mixture of 91/100 octane..probably 95-96 after mixing.

[adc]

Aren't you riding on the bumpstops in that picture? Is it time for sways, or higher spring rates?

Just curious...

[ybbiz34]

Thanks for the review. Good to hear you are happy with the tune.

[elwoodwffw]

i was leaning that way, glad to hear its worth it...

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by adc

Aren't you riding on the bumpstops in that picture? Is it time for sways, or higher spring rates?

Just curious...

Nah..I would know if I hit the bump stops..cause it would feel like a 1600 lb spring. Slightly higher springs rates are being considered...but sourcing of them to fit my PSS9s is where I have issues. I have been trying to avoid bigger rear sway bars..but may have to convince Hotchkis to sponsor me.

I think the next level is wider tires all around..wider wheels in back..and maybe a test evaluation of adjustable sway bars. I am running out of fundage..so this may not happen.

[kaleb]

If your goal is power delivery, why aren't you considering a LSD?

[clark192]

Kaleb, read up at the top, he lists a diff as one of his tunes..

[AndreyATC]

Originally Posted by clark192

Kaleb, read up at the top, he lists a diff as one of his tunes..

Hm..
Where do you see that?
All i see is stock diff

[Steage]

Originally Posted by kaleb

If your goal is power delivery, why aren't you considering a LSD?

This. It doesn't matter how big your tires are if they aren't being fed an appropriate amount of power

Edit: Also, for a track setup you don't want to stagger your wheels- that leads to more understeer.

[kaleb]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

Hm..
Where do you see that?
All i see is stock diff

Yeah, he says it's a stock diff. OP is an experienced track driving enthusiast, it seems a no-brainer to me that he would put in the limited slip differential to get the power down instead of complicating his tire/wheel situation. As a (almost) beginner track enthusiast, I am eager to hear his thoughts on this.

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by kaleb

Yeah, he says it's a stock diff. OP is an experienced track driving enthusiast, it seems a no-brainer to me that he would put in the limited slip differential to get the power down instead of complicating his tire/wheel situation. As a (almost) beginner track enthusiast, I am eager to hear his thoughts on this.

You havent been around long enough to hear my exploits with the quaife LSD. I bought one..and couldnt get it installed due to the new "welded" diff type that is on my Feb 07 build car. I thought about what was needed to make that work..and said forget it. I sold the never-installed quaife to another e90post reader (magna3) and he has it on his car now. I have about 120+ track days under my belt..so I definitely know what the quaife/Dinan/Turner Motorsports LSD could do.

The wheel situation still needs to be addressed with or without getting the LSD.

[335timb]

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...L-TIRE-PACKAGE

I'm still trying to figure out if this for the M3 only or if they're also marketing this setup for the 335. 18 x 10 with 275 rubber on all four corners. Wow!

(It shows up as an option when you search for items for the e90 335i...)

[Park2670]

Steve I have Kosei K1s with 255s all the way around and I love it. I would try and put that wide all the way around on your 18s and see how it goes.