Dinantronics Performance Tuner Stage 1 For X5 35i & 50i

[Kzang]

http://www.dinancars.com/product/d44...ries&mid=1210/

Price from both Dinan directly or getbmwparts.com is $2,059.00 for the 35i and $2,574.00 for the 50i

According to Dinan on the 35i models:

Max HP Gain 77 @ 5000 RPM
Max Torque Gain 81 @ 5000 RPM
Peak Horsepower 360 @ 5500 RPM
Peak Torque 392 @ 3000 RPM

BMW Factory Rated HP 300 (315 Measured)
BMW Factory Rated Torque 300 (330 Measured)

Torque gains is very close to the diesel territory

And for the 50i models:

Max HP Gain 73 @ ?
Max Torque Gain 67 @ 5500 RPM
Peak Horsepower 506 @ 5500 RPM
Peak Torque 547 @ 4500 RPM

BMW Factory Rated HP 445 (446 Measured)
BMW Factory Rated Torque 480 (511 Measured)

Who wants to try it and report back? Also if anyone has had this installed care to provide some feedback?

[roadkillrob]

Or you could just get one of the many other choices that do the same increases for $500 and lot's have people have already tried the Dinan tuner if you search.

[Kzang]

Yes, I have the MPPK and RCU installed.
Looking for some feedback on the dinan tune.

[onfireX5]

Put Dinan on my wife's 35 that already had MPPK. Might be a vbox log on this site. Was worth about 0.50 second reduction in 0-100 from memory. Easy install. Very good design. I do not like the packaging on the 50. If you already have RC I would not change out. I like RC on the non n63tu engines. (BMS for n63tu). RC for everything else.

[Jesse E93]

I just installed DINANTRONICS on the 50i and it feels the same or maybe a bit better than bms..drives super smooth with no lag or dips. I went through Kevin @ EAS.

[alphaod]

Maybe the same as BMS doesn't really sound like that great of a value... not to mention it's not legal in CA.

[taken]

How to they keep it BMW friendly and not void the warranty? I've researched tuners for every vehicle I've owned and every one of them would void the manufacturer's warranty if the dealer found out about it.

[X5Jouster]

Originally Posted by taken

How to they keep it BMW friendly and not void the warranty? I've researched tuners for every vehicle I've owned and every one of them would void the manufacturer's warranty if the dealer found out about it.

in essence it does void your warranty...but Dinan will cover you if BMW denies coverage and they will pick up the tab....dont know if there has been any cases of this but i believe its stated on their website.

[X5Jouster]

Originally Posted by Jesse E93

I just installed DINANTRONICS on the 50i and it feels the same or maybe a bit better than bms..drives super smooth with no lag or dips. I went through Kevin @ EAS.

this was my thought process.....the question is if it is more similar to RC over BMS....i have BMS on my 50i and it does increase feeling of power(adjusted a few clicks over BMS settings) not sure on a dyno what numbers it would pull over stock, but it definitely works...i just feel the dinan may communicate with the vehicle better? i mean the BMS is a single in line control box with one connection...the dinan is a whole slew of connections and a large ECU type Box...it cant be just a dinan tax and there must be Merritt to their system...although RC is built the same? are they in fact the same product? and then how does it accomplish the same as BMS with single connections

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by X5Jouster

in essence it does void your warranty...but Dinan will cover you if BMW denies coverage and they will pick up the tab....dont know if there has been any cases of this but i believe its stated on their website.

Yeah lots of people hear from others saying that DINAN products keep the BMW warranty intact and they just repeat what they hear without really researching it for themselves. I guess when customers see that BMW dealers install DINAN products and they assume it is warrantied.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by X5Jouster

this was my thought process.....the question is if it is more similar to RC over BMS....i have BMS on my 50i and it does increase feeling of power(adjusted a few clicks over BMS settings) not sure on a dyno what numbers it would pull over stock, but it definitely works...i just feel the dinan may communicate with the vehicle better? i mean the BMS is a single in line control box with one connection...the dinan is a whole slew of connections and a large ECU type Box...it cant be just a dinan tax and there must be Merritt to their system...although RC is built the same? are they in fact the same product? and then how does it accomplish the same as BMS with single connections

I was looking at the Dinan chip, to me the design and chip box looks very similar to my RCU. I may be wrong but I think Dinan's additional cost is just insurance to cover their warranty work

[roadkillrob]

Originally Posted by Kzang

Yeah lots of people hear from others saying that DINAN products keep the BMW warranty intact and they just repeat what they hear without really researching it for themselves. I guess when customers see that BMW dealers install DINAN products and they assume it is warrantied.

Exactly it will void your warranty as much as anything else, but Dinan offers their own warranty to cover you if BMW denies the claim due to the tuning box. This is where it gets a bit interesting if you search around as there have been several instances in the past of he said she said where BMW blames it on Dinan and Dinan blames it on BMW and have left the customer in the middle trying to get an issue covered. My advice if you go Dinan would be to get it done at a BMW dealer that is also a Dinan dealer and hopefully in that case the dealer will take care of you if you have an issue and get it repaired one way or the other without leaving the customer in the middle.

Dinan also used to flash the ECU in the past, now it is just a piggyback like everyone else, so that may make things a bit easier as the ECU is not going to show up with bad checksums instantly tipping off BMW that it was tuned.

[onfireX5]

I have used all 3. Dinan is very smooth and makes good power over the MPPK on the 35i. Very good packaging. Easy install.

Racechip does not work on the N63tu engine. The DME is load based and requires a Dinan style or BMS style box.

Racechip is very smooth on the S63tu and makes great power.

BMS makes good power on the n63tu at 2:00 but is not as smooth down low as stock.

Dinan packaging on the n63tu is awkward. It works but your putting 5 lbs of stuff in a 2 lb can.

Racechip is my "overall" favorite because it makes great power, is stock smooth, great build quality and easy install/packaging. On map based DME's it is the real deal. On MAF based DME's it does not work.

Ben at RG Sports is a great guy for all of these products.

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by onfireX5

I have used all 3. Dinan is very smooth and makes good power over the MPPK on the 35i. Very good packaging. Easy install.

Racechip does not work on the N63tu engine. The DME is load based and requires a Dinan style or BMS style box.

Racechip is very smooth on the S63tu and makes great power.

BMS makes good power on the n63tu at 2:00 but is not as smooth down low as stock.

Dinan packaging on the n63tu is awkward. It works but your putting 5 lbs of stuff in a 2 lb can.

Racechip is my "overall" favorite because it makes great power, is stock smooth, great build quality and easy install/packaging. On map based DME's it is the real deal. On MAF based DME's it does not work.

Ben at RG Sports is a great guy for all of these products.

Wait, opasha my buddy with an F15 50i has been using RCU for 2yrs now

Otherwise I agree, on every model there's someone on the forum who has it.. Dinan guys 9/10 don't dyno dont drag it so they're happy to believe "Dinan Marketing" but we've had ppl who were curious how it compares to similar car with diff tuned. The answer is clear, even a conservative ECU Flash tune will cost less, provide more consistent smoother delivery and even more gains than what the Dinan offers thats not to say what the other piggyback system will provide too.

I always say apart from providing drivability enjoyment what do they improve over stock in the 1/4 ($15-$25) and you can test out your speeds if you're not into Dyno lol.

[onfireX5]

I tested 2 different Racechip boxes directly from RaceChip for the N63tu. Not a seat of the pants "ohhh this feels good or bad". Actual test data. It does not work because the DME is very different. It is Maf controlled. So the RC alters the tmap signal to increase the boost and the DME cuts it back again due to Maf max values. You will not find one Dyno of the RC on a n63tu that shows a power increase because it can not. Terry found the same thing at BMS on the JB1 and had to change his design from the typical tmap intercept to a Maf intercept. I am using the RC on a S63tu and recommend it for any map based Bmw DME because it makes very smooth big power. RC knows they have an issue with the n63tu and refunded my $ after I tested both of their boxes.

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by onfireX5

I tested 2 different Racechip boxes directly from RaceChip for the N63tu. Not a seat of the pants "ohhh this feels good or bad". Actual test data. It does not work because the DME is very different. It is Maf controlled. So the RC alters the tmap signal to increase the boost and the DME cuts it back again due to Maf max values. You will not find one Dyno of the RC on a n63tu that shows a power increase because it can not. Terry found the same thing at BMS on the JB1 and had to change his design from the typical tmap intercept to a Maf intercept. I am using the RC on a S63tu and recommend it for any map based Bmw DME because it makes very smooth big power. RC knows they have an issue with the n63tu and refunded my $ after I tested both of their boxes.

This is interesting stuff, yet RC still sells these boxes for the N63tu motor. There is even a new version with BT and an app!

[onfireX5]

It is a shame that some parts do not work as advertised. Wheels that crack, exhaust that does not bolt on ,etc. I've been stuck with some parts that do not work without a refund.

[spike5150]

Dinan on wife's 35i definitely an improvement over stock. Less turbo lag and crisper response. But still not even close to my stock 50i. Both 2015 F15's.

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by onfireX5

It is a shame that some parts do not work as advertised. Wheels that crack, exhaust that does not bolt on ,etc. I've been stuck with some parts that do not work without a refund.

Not sure if RC really works or not, but the car definitely feels less sluggish especially in Eco Pro mode.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by alphaod

Not sure if RC really works or not, but the car definitely feels less sluggish especially in Eco Pro mode.

Are we talking about RCU for V8 or i6?

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by Kzang

Are we talking about RCU for V8 or i6?

onfireX5 was talking about the N63tu so V8. I was pointing out that regardless to if it was working or not, I can definitely feel a difference.

[Bigb348]

I've been running bms stage 1 on my n63tu since just after break in. I disconnected for a couple of days while bringing for service. That was first time driving without it, and could definitely notice a difference. Not sure on hp numbers, but I feel for the $500 it was a good entry level, daily driver tune. With a difference of about $2k between bms vs Dinan, it was a no brainer.