According to dyno (see pictures in webpage) 234hp measured without DINANTRONICS and 258hp using DINANTRONICS.

Is that in whp?
if is, is ~ 25whp gain, is around the same using BMS Stage1.

 

spoke to Norcal Dinan rep it's 25 to 30+ hp gain it will not be able to clear any CEL codes if you have downpipes etc

 

I'm interested to see how the dinan unit performs. Seems easy enough to install and is cheap enough for what you get in return. Plus dinan name has pretty solid reputation

 

Only $299 for a Dinan piggy-back which delivers an increase of up to 30 HP, 40 lb-ft of torque...wow, now that's an awesome bang for the buck.

I hope Dinan comes out with something similar for the C450.

 

Went by my BMW shop (Dinan dealer) earlier this afternoon for some maintenance on my car and while I was there, ordered one. They mentioned it to me and by impulse I just did it. For $300, I guess thats what they are banking on. Ill pick it up and get it installed early this week. Maybe I'll do an impromptu experiment and just put it on while the wife isn't paying attention and see if she says anything when she drives it.

 

yep I saw this as well. Dinan is very well respected on the BMW side. Good to see they are branching out, top quality stuff they have. great price ! let us know how you like it

 

If you get an ecu flashed (tuned), is it possible that it will be deleted/cleared if the car when into the dealership for ecu updates?

 

yes IF the dealer installs new Engine ECU software it will overwrite the performance tune.


Many offer a limitied number of reflashes for the cost of postage etc, but certainly worth checking before hand.

 

OE Tune does free re-tunes if it gets cleared by dealer or if you require factory tune. you just cover the shipping cost.

 

Picked up the Dinan unit yesterday on the way home from work and installed it on the car in about 5 minutes. Spent more time trying to figure out where I wanted to ZIP tie the thing then the actual install which probably took all of 30 seconds.

Proceeded to install the Android app on an old phone as the iPhone app isnt out yet apparently. Went on a short cruise with it and played with some of the settings which was kind of fun. The app is a bit clunky but it serves its purpose and the boost gauge feature is a nice little addition although I don't see myself really ever using it. It's a cool little add though. Its obvious the thing is giving more power and I caught myself smirking a bit as I laid into the throttle. I didn't notice any negatives to the actual driving experience, a la jerkiness or throttle/turbo lag, but then again my time putzing around was pretty minimal. I can say though that it was just more fun. Probably my imagination but the throttle response seems to be significantly more responsive as well. Definitely feel more at home in the wife's car with the extra power with the Dinan unit.

I didn't tell the wife about installing the thing so I will see if she says anything when I see her again tonight... left it in the max setting for maximum potential enjoyment. She tends to complain about my cars so its a bit of a blind test to see if she just likes *****ing about me spending money or if she actually is that sensitive/afraid of more power.

All in all I can't complain and I can say I definitely feel it was worth the cheap cost of entry. Would recommend as an alternative to what already is out there. Makes the Merc enjoyable for me and I suppose that is all that matters. My only real gripe is the lack of the iOS app from a convenience stand point but if its in the pipeline I suppose that's just me nit picking.

 

thanks for the report !. This is indeed good news , especially at the price point its being offered at. for the guys who are looking for a quick and easy modest increase in performance and not break the bank, sounds like this is what people have been looking for.

 

thanks for the feedback. Is this item available in their stock? I'm in SJ i wanted to pickup and try this unit. I think they have 14 day money back.

Thanks

 

I'm in the East Bay but ordered it through my local dealer (M-Service) over the weekend but they didn't stock it. I got a call from M Service to grab it from them on Tuesday afternoon though so it appears it shipped right away. Leads me to believe they have them in stock but you may want to call over to them to make sure.

 

Nice, I will call them. Do you really feel the the 30whp? I'm hanging between ECU Tune VS Piggyback.


Thanks

 

Definitely feel the extra power. Its not earth shattering but for $300 I wasn't expecting a torque monster though either. For the cost I think its a no brainer. I look at it this way... OETuning flash is $800 for double the claimed power. So a little more then double the price for double the power but with the piggyback I have the convenience of taking off the box (again, about a 30 second process) before dealership visit or changing settings if I feel like it. I also don't have to worry about the flash tune being erased and having it put back on. Makes sense to me but this also isn't my main vehicle though either.

 

i would vote the piggyback as well also . Just ease of install makes it the right choice IMO

 

My dad had a stage 2 Dinan tune on an '08 335xi. Was faster than an M3. Most outrageously fun tuned car I've ever driven. Would be fascinated to see how their C300 tune is.

 

I just left a message with a Jim at Dinan asking if they plan on coming out with a piggy-back tune for a C450...

...I'll let you guys know the outcome if Jim calls me back...

 

my guess is they would do something if they have a car accessible to them ? Purely speculation and perhaps it's already under way ?

 

I just got a call back from Jim at Dinan, and you're exactly right...they're looking for C450 test vehicles. I wish I could help them out, but I'm up in Mass.

I also told Jim about this thread on MBWorld and asked if he could post their dyno results for the W205 C300.

 

So as someone who has never "tuned" my car before, I kind of wonder if there are potentially ill side effects to installing a "piggy back" tune like the Dinan chip? I mean long term effects - in 2 years will I discover engine or turbo problems, etc?


Note the disclaimer on Dinan's page:


WARRANTY: DINANTRONICS Sport does not carry the factory matching warranty that Dinan is known for. DINANTRONICS Sport's warranty is a 1 year product only warranty that does not cover consequential damages or labor reimbursement.

 

its a simple plug and play device that wouldn't over boost your factory turbo . You shouldn't even be concerned , get it !
as far as I know Dinan is the only company in the performance industry who offers a factory matching warranty on their bmw components , directly to the dealer and or consumer . That speaks volumes about their abilities and integrity . It's easy to understand why this inexpensive module wouldn't have that coverage . On the super high end Dinan stuff you are buying an insurance policy for your new 100k car!! No reason for a simple device such as this , but I'm certain the integrity of the product and engineering is still all Dinan

 

I haven't had a chance to drive the MB since I first did the install but I do have a minor update that made me smile.

I did the install and didn't tell the wife just to see if she said anything/noticed it. This was more of a personal experiment for myself then anything to see if the complaining about me doing power mods on other cars was based upon the actual mod and uncomfort she typically complains about with the higher powered cars or just the money I spend on the hobby. Well the answer is... shes a hypocrite and just doesn't like me to spend money. In short, shes enjoying it and approves, even if it is just because she got called out. The real question is how do I parlay this into letting her have her guard down so I can do more fun stuff...

 

Dinan is new to the brand so I can only assume they are trying to make a splash and the best way to do that is by getting a low cost solution to the market. With low cost comes some sacrifices though and you wouldn't be able to have a matching warranty like they have on the BMW side of things for $300. Given the history and philosophy of the company I'm not too worried about long term problems though.

 

Iv got my appt next week to diagnose the engine noise aka wrist pin. Once that's fixed I'm gonna be picking this up. Just wish they had the app available for iPhone