To Dinan or not to Dinan
 

Hey guys,
I own a 06 4.4i that i have totally altered on the outside. she began as a pedestrian jet black 4.4i with all packages BUT sport, meaning chrome window trim, black lower grilles, and 18in wheels :(

now shes a totally different beast as you can see from these pics, as well as others i have posted before on this site.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7945/img0455vi.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1377/img0457mr.jpg[/URL]


shes got 70k miles on her and just ran out of CPO warranty. My BMW dealer here in NoVa sold me on an aftermarket warranty that will take me until about 120k miles, meaning Ill have the beast for a couple years at least. Under the warranty contract, performance modifications can only be made by a BMW dealer (so only Dinan for me). It just also happens the dealer i bought the warranty from is an authorized Dinan dealer/installer.

Now that I have completed my project on the outside, I am definitely looking to upgrade performance, and am thinking about exhaust, CAI, and ECU. Anyone done any of these Dinan mods to their post facelift 4.4 and have two cents :dunno:?

Input is greatly appreciated:thumbup:

She looks great! I think you did an excellent job on the exterior. How did you replace the chrome trims? Vinyl? New trim?

I think most people who have done Dinan mods have been pretty happy with them. There's not a ton to be done but most guys have gone with the CAI, strut tower brace, ECU, and exhaust or some combination thereof.

Dinan CAI $549
Dinan Throttle Body $899
Dinan Stage 3 Engine Software $599
Free Flow Exhaust to suit $$
Claimed hp increase 13 (when you do all of those)

Getting 7 point towards your Dinan trunklid badge - Priceless.

Actually, I like Dinan. Decent quality. If I was doing ECU mods to a turbocharged BMW, they would be near the top of the list. But for a Valvetronic engine like yours, there really isn't much gain to be had. You already have a CAI from the factory. If you want to see the hp effect of a low restriction air filter, just take out the one you have, drive it, and see if you notice a difference. You will get some of that gain with a low restriction filter, but it generally isn't measurable. The claimed power gains are at 5700-6600 rpm. How much time do you spend with your engine in those rpm ranges?

If you want to have any measurable hp difference, you would need to do all the mods listed, as the engine is balanced at the moment. There isn't something glaring to fix in terms of flow restriction. If you want to let more air in, you have to let more exhaust out, and then you have to drive it at 6000 rpm to realize the gains from a more freely flowing system

I have a 06 as well. stock on engine mods, I'm looking to add just the exhaust and xpipe and dinan chip stage 1, I'm wondering would that be balanced still ?

I have a lot of Dinan stuff and while I love it, it's all over priced. The exhaust is always a great mod, not for any minor power gains but because it's a blast to listen to it around town.

Beyond that you are better off dumping money into some preventative maintenance and funding your "when the transmission fails" account.

Eventually you can move up to a 4.8 or E70...

did the trim with vinyl :thumbup:
as far as saving money for maintenance and tranny failure, as i said before my car is under warranty for another 50,000 miles so anything that needs replacing will be done so at no cost to me....

will i really only get 15hp increase? I thought 5-10 for cai, 10-15 for exhaust, and then at least 15 for ECU? my only option is Dinan becuase all mods must be dealer installed

No problem if you just want the stage 1 software. Dinan list an 8 hp gain, but only if you take out the BMW air filter. You still get the top speed limiter removed, which can be helpful on the autobahn. And the rev limiter is raised by 100 rpm, which is good if you normally drive up around 7000 rpm. The exhaust is a benefit if you don't like the sound of the stock exhaust.

They aren't cumulative. You need to do all of them to get anything measurable.

I did Dinan stage 3 tune, CAI and throttle body on my e46 330i... damn if I can tell the difference.. I expected a little for my $2000 +

Ah I see. So sounds like everyone says its not worth it? Would love some more comments from those who have Dinaned their cars

No, only you can decide if it is worth it to you. Dinan parts are generally high quality, well engineered, and expensive. You aren't going to see any appreciable difference in hp if that is your only criteria. People buy parts such as these for other reasons, though, and for some the cachet of having something more exclusive is worth it.

I have a Dinan throttle body and MAF sitting on my coffee table. The tb is MAYBE 2mm bigger, and if you remove all the checkered crap from your stock MAF housing, it too is about the same. Buy an Eisenmann or Supersprint exhaust, An AFE CAI, mod the MAF housing, and get a tune from ESS or something. You'll be better off.

P.S.- I'm on vacation, but when I get home I'll send pics for everyone to laugh at.

P.P.S.- JCL, the Dinan TB has a freaking rubber band on it to cover the mods done to it (I have confirmed that it isn't just mine). They do next to nothing and charge A TON OF MONEY FOR IT. Unless you get a used one for cheap, not worth it.

P.P.P.S- Previous owner did the Dinan stage 1 tune on mine, couldn't tell a difference. If I were you, CAI and exhaust (which will not void a warranty) and call it a day.

Just get a 4.8is. You will notice that difference.

Nice, but not an option.

My warranty covers all work done at my dealer, which leads me to think dinan only. I'm leaning towards exhaust and cai. Anyone have a video of a facelifted 4.4 with dinan exhaust? I know there are a bunch of the 4.6 or 4.8 with it just haven't been able to find one of the 4.4

As for exhaust, check this thread for Eisenmann vs. Dinan exhaust

Dealers don't have warranty issues with aftermarket exhaust. I have taken my cars with Eisenmann exhaust for years to several dealers and no issues.

Thanks for the forum link LeMans, but won't my 4.4 sound quite a but different than those 50i's and M///'s??

The dealer warranty issue for me only pertains to the fact that my AFTERMARKET warranty states that all performance mods must be done by the BMW dealer. From there I went ahead and took this to say that since BMW dealers would only install Dinan parts, that that was my only option. Is this true or will they install other brands as well?

A BMW dealer will install any part you wish. However, if you read the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the burden of proof lies with the warranty company should anything fail on your car.

Here's the Eisenmann: www.Sport-Wheels.de BMW X5 4.6l Eisenmann Auspuff Exhaust - YouTube

Here's the Dinan: Dinan x5 4.6is - YouTube

I've heard both in person and prefer the Eisenmann, FWIW.

I think you'll find that what is commonly called an extended warranty is often actually a service contract, regulated under state rules governing insurance, and therefore not subject to the provisions of Magnusson-Moss.

The link was not for sound. ;)
The link was to show the pics in that thread which display the build quality of Dinan vs competition. Dinan has clearly the worst build quality of the 3 exhausts discussed in that thread.
And those are pics for X5 M, exhaust of which is "supposed to be built" even better than E53 X5 4.4i.
I do own a Dinan BMW, but when it comes to exhaust others are better than Dinan.

So what is the appropriate pricing for the Eisenmann? I have seen them listed for over $2k. I am all about quality but I just don't see two grand in any exhaust system not made from titanium. They must be impossible to find used as well.

Talk to Nate at iND Distribution Group & Eisenmann North America | Custom Vehicle Solutions for BMW, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Ferrari | Eisenmann, Motorsport24, 3D Design, iND Parts and Accessories, Victory Road

I have an '03 Dinan 4.6is with all the treatments minus the supercharger. It's rated at 370hp, up 30 from stock. It was a $12k upgrade installed at the dealer when new - before my ownership. I haven't driven a regular 4.6is or 4.4i for that matter but my engine revs freely, the power delivery is effortless and it sounds like a 700hp racebred engine. I often get compliments on the sound. I'm sure all parts are needed to get the 30hp and that price seems extreme but Dinan charges more because they cover the factory BMW warranty that's voided when they make all the changes, which shows their engineering and quality commitment. I don't know any other company that does that. If you're looking for sound, I would probably just do one of the popular exhaust systems but that won't do anything for performance (Dinan included). If you a want performance vehicle, it's best to start with a performance vehicle - 4.8is. Best of luck on the journey!