Anyone else full stage 3 Dinan on their ZHP?

[sna77]

As of this Tuesday, I will be. The good news is that one of my go-to BMW shops in Boston was just awarded the Dinan franchise, Bavarian Performance Group:
http://bavarianperformancegroup.com

When i bought my car, I immediately had the following Dinan stuff installed:

Exhaust (3 points)
High Flow Intake (3 points)
Stage 2 Software (2 points)
Front Brace (2 points)
----------------------------------------
Total 10 points

On Tuesday I'm going to have the throttle body installed as well (additional 2 points) and the software upgraded to Stage 3 (1 extra). Technically, i already qualify for the Dinan badge with 10 points, but at 13 points, the car is a true Dinan car.

So the question is: Do I apply the Dinan badge or not? Currently, I'm debadged as the truck was just resprayed...

Actually, posting a poll:

[Hornung418]

Definitely. If you qualify, why not?!

Sent from Louisville, KY.

[webster]

i say rock the DINAN badge for a while, see if you like it.

btw, what are the benefits of the throttle body mod?

[nike001]

They have a points system in order to receive the badge anyways in order to shoo away posers anyways.. but you qualify TO DINAN to have their badge. So why not man?

Badge her up!

[bimmeryota]

Heck yeah! That's probably the most expensive badge you can put on a car so rock it for sure...

[328ioc]

Duuuhhhh eeettt

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[UdubBadger]

Do you need the badge to feel accomplished about what you've done to the car for your sake or others? If others than sure, you paid so its certainly justified.

I personally would leave it as a sleeper but thats just me. The people who need to know whats on the car will notice and the others well who cares?

[sna77]

i say rock the DINAN badge for a while, see if you like it.

btw, what are the benefits of the throttle body mod?

The throttle body controls how much air is going into the engine. It sits under the intake manifold on your car. It pretty much, for conversations sake, opens in direct relation to where you have the gas pedal. The Dinan Unit has a larger diameter opening in it so that it does not restrict the air on the way in. Any way that you can decrease the amount of effort that is required to pull in or expel air (call pumping loss) you increase the efficiency and conversely the performance of the engine.

[sna77]

Do you need the badge to feel accomplished about what you've done to the car for your sake or others? If others than sure, you paid so its certainly justified.

I personally would leave it as a sleeper but thats just me. The people who need to know whats on the car will notice and the others well who cares?

My old 325i was Dinan stage II... I didn't badge the car then and was fine with it. Just thinking of doing something different this time...

[Hornung418]

The throttle body controls how much air is going into the engine. It sits under the intake manifold on your car. It pretty much, for conversations sake, opens in direct relation to where you have the gas pedal. The Dinan Unit has a larger diameter opening in it so that it does not restrict the air on the way in. Any way that you can decrease the amount of effort that is required to pull in or expel air (call pumping loss) you increase the efficiency and conversely the performance of the engine.

Doubtful. The Head is still very restrictive on the M54 and would need some intake and exhaust port polishing and exhaust valve diameter increase to truly see a major gain with the TB.

Sent from somewhere in Kentucky.

[zhpnsnv]

I earned the dinan badge with my mini but never put it on because I found the products lacking in quality for the $. Exhaust tips rusted twice, intake was poorer quality than oem jcw. Tune/reduction pulley were nice. I'd only put one on a BMW if it were the dinan S (supercharged) model. Mmmmmmmm

Matter of fact I have some sweet dinan floor mats for a mini of anyone wants them. Black with red stitching.

[sna77]

Doubtful. The Head is still very restrictive on the M54 and would need some intake and exhaust port polishing and exhaust valve diameter increase to truly see a major gain with the TB.

Sent from somewhere in Kentucky.

Well in order to do the Dinan Stage 3, you need to do the:

throttle body, intake, exhaust and software. I'm fairly sure their engineers have this covered.

[Hornung418]

Is your intake the box filter or the CF long tube.

Sent from somewhere in West Virginia.

[sna77]

box filter. The tube was discontinued a while back. everything is about a year old, installed new.

[JupiterBMW]

Well, I say definitely do it. I personally want to build a true Dinan car, so if I was in your shoes, I'd for sure rock the badge. Why? I don't know, I just feel like there's a certain mystique of the Dinan badge. Nobody says you're out to 'prove anything' but if you've earned it and you like it, then who gives a damn what others think...

That's my $0.02 anyway... :biggrin

[nike001]

Is your intake the box filter or the CF long tube.

Sent from somewhere in West Virginia.


box filter. The tube was discontinued a while back. everything is about a year old, installed new.

The long tube doesn't fit the ZHP because of the inability to relocate the ZKW ballast that the HID equipped cars come with.. granted the ZHP in question in fact has HIDs and not halogens

[Hornung418]

Steve has ALs remember...he paid $1,000 for them. So that is a matter of getting the M3 relocation bracket.

Honestly, Steve, if you can find a Dinan Long Tube you'll see major gains with the TB. They pop up for sale every now and then.

Just food for thought :)

[sna77]

Steve has ALs remember...he paid $1,000 for them. So that is a matter of getting the M3 relocation bracket.

Honestly, Steve, if you can find a Dinan Long Tube you'll see major gains with the TB. They pop up for sale every now and then.

Just food for thought :)

Interesting... I'll be on the lookout for one. My 2 concerns:

- I've al;eady cut into the brake ducts for the airbox intake... Wonder if the tube hole would line up, and if not would I have to replace the brake ducts to install the new intake.

- Am I more likely to hydrolock the engine with the tube than the box intake? We get some crummy flooding in the Boston area every spring.

[BimmerWill]

I've always been wary of installing a tube intake down into the brake duct..considering how low your car is if its been lowered the filter could end up under water causing hydro lock. I know a number of people who do have them and say their aren't any problems with it and that it would take some serious carelessness to cause a hydrolock but in reality all it takes is one careless mistake and that's all she wrote.

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[JupiterBMW]

I've always been wary of installing a tube intake down into the brake duct..considering how low your car is if its been lowered the filter could end up under water causing hydro lock. I know a number of people who do have them and say their aren't any problems with it and that it would take some serious carelessness to cause a hydrolock but in reality all it takes is one careless mistake and that's all she wrote.

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I definitely understand the concerns of hydrolock, and I actually did suck up water once in a previous car with an intake. The intake went down and placed the filter about 4" from the car. Great intake, but damn if you ever hit a big puddle, be careful. The one time I did suck it full of water, I just quickly turned the car off and pulled over... Then all I did was pull the spark plugs and roll the engine over on the starter a few times. Eventually all the water blew out and I was able to put the plugs back in. It still took a lot of cranking, but she did restart... it blew white smoke for a few hours until it FULLY dried out, but no ill effects afterward...

That all being said, the plugs on this car do NOT look easy to pull, so I would say this theory wouldn't be so practical. I'm just saying, it has worked in the past. If you can be 100% aware of the potential hazard, having the long tube wouldn't be so bad. Down here in Florida where the rain drops are like basketballs sometimes, I'll pass on the long tube.. The extra couple of HP isn't worth the constant headache potential.

[BimmerWill]

I say leave debadged just for the sleeper effect but its really up to you. You spent enough money for it. I personally just love the clean look over badges but that's just me.

[Hornung418]

Although I'm not in a major flooding area like Boston, I've had a long tube intake on my car for over a year and have had no issues. In order for the engine to inhale water, you'd have to completely submerge the filter element. You can install a valve that opens if there is negative pressure in the intake tract. Check out the bottom half of the stock intake and you'll see a spring loaded element facing the rear of the car and you'll see what I'm referencing. I've avoided a few major flooded roads in Morgantown, WV, but it's very hilly there and flash flooding was a semi-common occurrence during the spring months.

But the power it makes over stock is about 8-10 legit horsepower. In the end, it's up to you. Just letting you know that the option is out there.

[johnrando]

If you earned it, might as well rock it. Dinan doesn't seem to have the panache that it used to though, so I'm not sure that badge carries the same weight that it used to. Not exactly sure why, but I think it's $$/performance and the quality, as someone else alluded to. I get the impression that they don't have the market corned like they used to, but that could just be my interpretation of what I've seen on a few forums.

[UdubBadger]

no thats pretty much how it is. Plus about 80% of the dealerships dropped them after all the turbo cars came out.

[sna77]

Throttle body installed... adaptations reset... Stage III software installed. Ordered the badge--though haven't decided if I'll use it or not... Regardless, looking forward to opening her up.

[Hornung418]

In for results from the buttdyno!

[sna77]

Left for work at 5 AM today so I could open her up a bit on the highway... My buttdyno approves.

It's hard to tell a difference from individual pieces of the kit... For instance the car doesn't suddenly feel faster when you install the exhaust... But the combination of everything makes a noticable difference.

[sna77]

comparison of Dinan throttle body vs stock

4717

[derbo]

visually the walls are thinner! :D

[terraphantm]

If you earned it, might as well rock it. Dinan doesn't seem to have the panache that it used to though, so I'm not sure that badge carries the same weight that it used to. Not exactly sure why, but I think it's $$/performance and the quality, as someone else alluded to. I get the impression that they don't have the market corned like they used to, but that could just be my interpretation of what I've seen on a few forums.

Well back in the day, a proper Stage 3 Dinan car would have a supercharger, not just a few bolt-ons. They used to offer JRZ shocks, while now all they offer are rebranded Konis. Their springs are basically Eibach pro-kits. Etc... they just don't have nearly as many "cool" things for BMWs anymore.

[sna77]

So I decided to give the badge a try...


http://bigpatsfans.com/dinanb.jpg

http://bigpatsfans.com/dinana.jpg

[johnrando]

looks good to me.

[danewilson77]

looks good to me.

+1

Sent from Williamsburg, VA USA

[JupiterBMW]

Hah, you know I love it!! Looks good!

[BimmerWill]

Looks good man. Congrats!

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