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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Powertrain and Drivetrain Discussions > N54 Turbo Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications - 335i > Considered some Dinan mods but give me your alternatives



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      02-02-2011, 08:23 AM   #1
Dan_Q
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Considered some Dinan mods but give me your alternatives

I have begun looking to purchase an E90 335i. I've owned an E46 330i for the last 5 years and honestly I was looking to purchase another one because of my familiarity with working on the car. But finding a sufficiently low mileage one is proving difficult since I require a manual transmission and the performance package and the pickings are slim. I was initially turned off to the E90 because of reliability concerns and the claims that they are virtually impossible to work on yourself. I'm now not so sure that claim is valid.

So I'm now thinking of a low mileage (30-35k) 2007 or 2008 335i. Prices are low enough that I will pay cash and have money left over to make some improvements. I'm not looking to go crazy since I plan to own this car for 5-6 years which equates to 50-60 miles of use for me and I don't want to do anything that is going to seriously affect reliability. Plus this thing is going to be doing everything for me. Picking the kids up at daycare, winter in Colorado (albeit on the front range which is dry for 75% of the winter), and blasting down a curvy canyon road to work every day. The first place I looked for improvements was Dinan. The Stage 3 Software + the improved oil cooler and intercooler were capable of providing around 400hp 410 lb-ft. Everything about that modification looked reasonable except the price ($6100)! with nearly half the cost being software alone. I've still got to buy a second set of wheels/tires for summer so that I can use the stock wheels for winter tires. Plus it might be nice to get an exhaust with a little rumble. I haven't ridden in an E90 enough to see how the sport suspension handles yet but that is another potential mod I'd consider. If I were to go with Dinan then the mods would run half the price of the car!

So my question is what mods and from whom should I be looking at? I'll be happy with around 400hp and 400-450 lb-ft as long as it isn't going to cause the engine to fail in 2 years. The warranty concern isn't that big a deal for me since the age of car I'm looking at is only going to have max 1 year of warranty left anyway. And if it were CPO it wouldn't keep the warranty after the aftermarket parts (Dinan or not) were installed. My repair skills? I'm not not capable of replacing the crankshaft on my car, but in 18 years of driving I've never paid someone else to fix a car of mine. So I'm reasonably proficient at auto repair. On my E46 that was limited to a new cooling system, starter, suspension bushings, VANOS seals/valve cover gasket, brakes. Plus all the trans/diff/pwr steering/brake fluids/filters.

Many Thanks
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      02-02-2011, 08:30 AM   #2
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All your questions can be answered by searching.
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      02-02-2011, 08:37 AM   #3
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You sound like someone who would be happy with the stage 1 Cobb Flash. It's easy to install and uninstall through the ODB II port and I think it's about $1k. If you want to do more bolt on mods, then look to one of the others that already has options for higher stages of bolt ons. Cobb will come with higher stage maps in the future. Cobb is already released for the 2008 cars, but 2007 will be a little while longer.

BTW the Dinan numbers are at the crank, so make sure you don't compare crank to wheel HP when deciding.

*Edit - Cobb can be applied and removed by you at home, vs other flashes where you need to go somewhere to have it done.

Last edited by scottp999; 02-02-2011 at 09:17 AM..
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      02-02-2011, 08:43 AM   #4
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You can definitely work on your own on e90 cars if you are technically inclined. For maximum reliability and for your goals I would recommend GIAC Stage 1, a Stett (or Dinan - it's even better) intake and an AMS/ETS/Forge/ER intercooler (medium ones, not biggest because there will be additional lag - I know from experience). You will make around the same power as the Dinan Stage 3 with about $2000 with the same reliability.
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      02-03-2011, 03:49 AM   #5
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If you buy a CPO'ed car Dinan will honor the warranty. Dinan will not honor the warranty on non BMW warrantied cars. Just get stage 2 and call it a day. That way you have the peace of mind and speed. Stage 3 only gives you a little boost in power over stage 2.
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      02-03-2011, 09:11 AM   #6
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Procede, a decent intercooler, some nice used dp's a charge pipe with the synapse valve and maybe an intake(doesn't add really any power, but will let your car breath a bit better).
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      02-03-2011, 09:17 AM   #7
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for you, not Dinan.

Procede or Cobb

downpipes, intercooler

smiles
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      02-03-2011, 01:29 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sniz View Post
for you, not Dinan.

Procede or Cobb or GIAC

downpipes, intercooler

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      02-03-2011, 01:54 PM   #9
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Non-RF tires, tune, FMIC and down pipes.
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      02-03-2011, 03:31 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mflowt5 View Post
not sure I see a reason to go with GIAC these days

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian135i View Post
Non-RF tires, tune, FMIC and down pipes.
yes changing out of the run craps is a huge benefit. God I hated them.
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      02-03-2011, 08:12 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan_Q
...And if it were CPO it wouldn't keep the warranty after the aftermarket parts (Dinan or not) were installed.
This is not entirely true. I am in my CPO, 70k+ miles, I have never had an issues with a part going bad that wasnt replaced because of the Dinan software or modes. Anything else not Dinan then yes.

The Dinan warranty runs concurrent with your CPO or orignal warranty, depends on when you got the Dinan mode or software installed. It does not void your CPO or original warranty if applicable.

If the fault is found related to Dinan, then Dinan will foot the bill on replacing whatever it is while still maintaining you CPO or original warranty.

Just some word of advise though, buy your car from a BMW dealer that sells Dinan, and make sure to have Dinan installed by the same dealer. You will not have any issues once it is the same dealer or a dealer that also sells Dinan.

So if you go with Dinan mods then stick with Dinan mods trouble free and enjoy your CPO. Do not mix mods....yes some people do it, but Dinan mods were designed and engineered to be in sync with each other.

If you decide later that you want to go beyond Dinan stage 3 SW, then you can call Dinan an inquire about upstaging, they will work with you, if the price aint right then you have Cobb that will work perfectly with your already in sync mods.

Last edited by BQTuning; 02-03-2011 at 08:18 PM..
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