Good news from Dinan
 

So I've got the Dinan fever and am getting ready to do some gradual mods for my '05 X5 4.4i Sports. First, the throttle body. Then the exhaust. Then the CAI and somewhere during all this a software update. Spoke with Dinan rep earlier this week and they are looking to finilize and release the Series 3 engine software and the CAI for '04+ by the end of the year, which is great news! The install prices are moderate and it's not a big deal financially installing them one or two at a time, rather than everything at once. Plus that way I will really see what adds how much HP and report back.

f@#$ zoom-zoom, it's all about CHVROOM-VROOOOOOM now! :bustingup

Did they tell you how much the software would run?
I still laugh when I see the price for the TB :bustingup

That would be great to know the best bang for the buck!

Good news, indeed... I have the strut brace and camber plates (thread here), and I just got the TB and exhaust last week (thread here). VERY happy with the mods... I will def. be interested in the engine and trans s/w when they're available. :thumbup: (Possibly the CAI too, depending on the HP gains)

any news on any 4.8 mods?

DinanX5, let me ask you something, as I'd like to get input on this from Dinan customer versus that of Dinan salesman. After installing the strut bar, do you really feel the difference and is it worth the money? Also, sorry for the newbie-ness, but what are camber plates and are they really useful like Dinan says they are - "get the most bang for your buck?" And lastly, are any of these easy enough to install for a DIY?

The strut bar from what I remember is easy. The camber plates you need to disassemble some suspention to get in there though.

The strut bar, when I drove with it on, I felt a massive difference. Possibly because I was trying to feel a difference... just my thoughts.

The strut brace does pretty much what Dinan claims: keeps the front end of the vehicle more settled and planted when changing direction rapidly. On the X5, it's not as dramatic an improvement as it was on my old 328Ci, but it does help appreciably, and for this reason it's well worth it IMO. As far as installation, if you're handy you can def. do it yourself... but for $45, I had my Dinan guy do it :o
Camber plates add more angle, or 'negative camber' to the front wheels. (Picture looking at the front of the vehicle... addiing a LOT of negative camber would make it go from |--| to /--\ Dinan camber plates actually only add -.5 degrees of additional camber above what can be adjusted from stock, but a little goes a long way!) Camber plates are very difficult to install, so expect to pay about $350 for labor on top of the $250 for the parts, but they are ABSOLUTELY worth it. They make the front tires grip better, effectively removing pretty much all of the excessive understeer BMW built into the X5. I would recommend them to anyone who's interested in driving enthusiastically.

Can one expect any increase tire wear/uneven wear with the camber plates?

Really depends on the driver... I generally corner aggressively, so after about 4000 miles with the camber plates, my tires are wearing dead-even. If your front tires are worn a bit more on the outside shoulder now (a tell-tale sign of excessive understeer), then camber plates will actually give you more even tire wear. Unless you do a LOT of straight highway driving, or corner like a grandma, you'll be fine :thumbup: