Dinan tune

[iride4u]

I have had the Dinan tune from day one on my 35 M sport. The car drives without any lag and is very responsive. I did not realize how good it is until I had the car in for the rest of the dealer installed items. I was given a standard 35 as a loner. When I left the dealers lot the difference was very noticeable, so much so I thought that I must have been driving a 4 cylinder not a 6.
The Dinan tune is money very well spent. It cuts down the turbo lag and the transmission seems smoother.

[squishy]

Sweet, thanks for the review.

Only think I'm concerning with is increased engine wear. Obviously, a tune must take a pretty big toll on the engine, and that's really the only thing preventing me personally from getting it installed right now.

I know there's a 4 yr./50,000 mile warranty, but if planning to keep the X1 for a longer period of time, this might not be such a good idea.

[JYohay]

Originally Posted by squishy

Sweet, thanks for the review.

Only think I'm concerning with is increased engine wear. Obviously, a tune must take a pretty big toll on the engine, and that's really the only thing preventing me personally from getting it installed right now.

I know there's a 4 yr./50,000 mile warranty, but if planning to keep the X1 for a longer period of time, this might not be such a good idea.

It really shouldn't be a serious concern.
Dinan is the most mild tune available.
Honestly everyone I know whose had it eventually got rid of it for a more aggressive tune.
These motors can handle way more boost then they get from the factory.
The injectors, sparks, coil packs and fuel pumps are what shit the bed.
And none of those are very expensive.
And would be changed under warranty and cpo as long as you remove the tune before going to the dealer
I can't stress enough that dinan is a huge waste of money.
You guys really should look into jb4 or Cobb (only 2011 is supported as of now)
People are running these engines very hard in 135/335s

[iride4u]

If I had wanted to get ultimate power and speed from a X1 I would have gone a different way. I got the Dinan because it was installed by the dealer. I am pleasantly surprised by how tractable and seamless the power has become. As a daily driver it is important to have a vehicle that does not have serious power fluxions through the power band. I had a Shelby CSX-VNT and while it was fun the power took a very steep step at 3000 RPM. The Shelby was undriveable in rain or snow as well as rough roads.
I did not want that again. If I want more acceleration I can always take my BMW K1600GTL or BMW R1200GSW both of the bikes have been modified for there intended purposes.

[squishy]

Originally Posted by JYohay

It really shouldn't be a serious concern.
Dinan is the most mild tune available.
Honestly everyone I know whose had it eventually got rid of it for a more aggressive tune.
These motors can handle way more boost then they get from the factory.
The injectors, sparks, coil packs and fuel pumps are what shit the bed.
And none of those are very expensive.
And would be changed under warranty and cpo as long as you remove the tune before going to the dealer
I can't stress enough that dinan is a huge waste of money.
You guys really should look into jb4 or Cobb (only 2011 is supported as of now)
People are running these engines very hard in 135/335s

Thanks for the response.

[JYohay]

Originally Posted by iride4u

If I had wanted to get ultimate power and speed from a X1 I would have gone a different way. I got the Dinan because it was installed by the dealer. I am pleasantly surprised by how tractable and seamless the power has become. As a daily driver it is important to have a vehicle that does not have serious power fluxions through the power band. I had a Shelby CSX-VNT and while it was fun the power took a very steep step at 3000 RPM. The Shelby was undriveable in rain or snow as well as rough roads.
I did not want that again. If I want more acceleration I can always take my BMW K1600GTL or BMW R1200GSW both of the bikes have been modified for there intended purposes.

i wasnt responding to your waste of money i was responding to the other members drive train wear concerns.
just because your car has power available doesn't mean your foot has to be smashing the accelerator.
Dinan is a overpriced under performing tune, while having warranty, that really means nothing with how easy and undetectable the tuning options are that are available for this platform.

[BlackJackel]

Originally Posted by JYohay

It really shouldn't be a serious concern.
Dinan is the most mild tune available.
Honestly everyone I know whose had it eventually got rid of it for a more aggressive tune.
These motors can handle way more boost then they get from the factory.
The injectors, sparks, coil packs and fuel pumps are what shit the bed.
And none of those are very expensive.
And would be changed under warranty and cpo as long as you remove the tune before going to the dealer
I can't stress enough that dinan is a huge waste of money.
You guys really should look into jb4 or Cobb (only 2011 is supported as of now)
People are running these engines very hard in 135/335s

Agreed. If you want max power check out these systems.
If you want a faster than factory sleeper that will cost zero dollars and stress for 4 years & 50,000 miles get the Dinan.
I see a bunch of threads calling people "crazy" for wanting a warranty. Here is reality. The more you push the envelope of the vehicle's maximum capacity the more often and quicker it will break. Period. Been there more times than I can count. If you want to go REALLY fast don't buy an X1, it is an SUV any way you look at it. And SUVs are slow vehicles compared to sports cars and bikes.

That said either system will probably not interfere with it as a daily driver. But when it does break (and it will, it's a machine). 100% of the cost, time, and stress is on you if it is not warrantied. I want to drive it every day, as hard as I want, day after day, without ever worrying if it is going to fail. And if it does BMW will apologize strenuously while giving me a free loaner. That won't happen when the other systems blow something up.

If you are going after maximum performance I highly recommend a backup car (aka a daily driver).

Not flaming, but I have done tons of mods to various cars and bikes and the racers adage holds true "If you want to see what part is weak, just add horsepower"

Good luck whatever you choose!

[BlackJackel]

To OP:

Glad you are liking the tune. I like mine as well and realize the trade off.
If I could get a worry free tune for $2000 that increased my HP and Torque by 20% and 35% (respectively) on my Hayabusa motorcycle I would take it in a heartbeat!

It's (Dinan tune) a very noticeable gain with almost zero risk. A win win as far as I am concerned.
I have raced recreationally for years now and the one constant among performance modders that race is the inevitable breakage, downtime, and $$ spent to add performance and then use it. So far guys on here haven't report breakdowns with the other tuning systems. Our X1s are newer here in the USA, so it may take time to come in.
Folks chime in on your experiences so far (good and bad) with these systems. I am not a hater, just a realist. I love that some of these X1s are pushing well north of 300 AWHP.

Only problem I have heard of with the Dinan at 6000 feet in Denver, CO (besides 20-21 mpg vs 23-24) is at very high speeds it kicks on the CEL warning and drops power. Resets immediately after cycling the ignition and I was told it just protects the turbos/etc.
BTW turbos have to run much harder up here, so you may not notice it. Plus it happens at speeds that are above the quarter mile or even 120mph zone, so it's a mute point for me...

[JYohay]

Originally Posted by BlackJackel

Agreed. If you want max power check out these systems.
If you want a faster than factory sleeper that will cost zero dollars and stress for 4 years & 50,000 miles get the Dinan.
I see a bunch of threads calling people "crazy" for wanting a warranty. Here is reality. The more you push the envelope of the vehicle's maximum capacity the more often and quicker it will break. Period. Been there more times than I can count. If you want to go REALLY fast don't buy an X1, it is an SUV any way you look at it. And SUVs are slow vehicles compared to sports cars and bikes.

That said either system will probably not interfere with it as a daily driver. But when it does break (and it will, it's a machine). 100% of the cost, time, and stress is on you if it is not warrantied. I want to drive it every day, as hard as I want, day after day, without ever worrying if it is going to fail. And if it does BMW will apologize strenuously while giving me a free loaner. That won't happen when the other systems blow something up.

If you are going after maximum performance I highly recommend a backup car (aka a daily driver).

Not flaming, but I have done tons of mods to various cars and bikes and the racers adage holds true "If you want to see what part is weak, just add horsepower"

Good luck whatever you choose!

i had a FBO N54 335 with CPO. had all my injectors, sparks, pumps, even turbos all changed without issues.
all i would do is take out the tune before i went in (and add a dp fix).
i understand with BOLT ONS alot of it is a relationship with your SA.
but with just a tune, the onlything your saving yourself is 15 minutes of removal time with a JB4, or 1 minute with a cobb.

i recognize i am not the average SUV owner.
i have a stage 2 (intake, downpipe, and tune) x5 xdrive35.
i just cannot fathom how anyone thinks $2000 is worth not having to spend 15 minutes to remove a better tune that also will not interfere with warranty.
the only valid argument that i cannot refute is that it can be rolled into your lease or finance payments.....but if you own it, your just being stubborn and ignorant. (IMHO)

[iride4u]

Originally Posted by JYohay

i had a FBO N54 335 with CPO. had all my injectors, sparks, pumps, even turbos all changed without issues.
all i would do is take out the tune before i went in (and add a dp fix).
i understand with BOLT ONS alot of it is a relationship with your SA.
but with just a tune, the onlything your saving yourself is 15 minutes of removal time with a JB4, or 1 minute with a cobb.

i recognize i am not the average SUV owner.
i have a stage 2 (intake, downpipe, and tune) x5 xdrive35.
i just cannot fathom how anyone thinks $2000 is worth not having to spend 15 minutes to remove a better tune that also will not interfere with warranty.
the only valid argument that i cannot refute is that it can be rolled into your lease or finance payments.....but if you own it, your just being stubborn and ignorant. (IMHO)

I think that we all realize that you are not the average X1 owner. My Dinan tune was part of the deal. As I have said before I am not after ultimate HP or torque. What I wanted and got is a well behaved vehicle that has more usable power than the stock X1. What I got as a bonus is a better driving unit that is smoother than the stock X1. In Colorado we have a lot of mountain roads and most cars with automatic transmissions hunt. That is something that I can not stand. Many very nice vehicles were removed from my list of possible replacements do to poor handling, poor hill climbing ability or just a heavy feel. This X1 has none of these problems and it also has the sport seats so Barb does not move around when I go into a corner a little hot. Would I like to have a sports car again? Yes for the performance but no because of the problems of ingress and egress.

[zznalg]

With the Dinan tune, does the transmission shift faster?

[BlackJackel]

Originally Posted by zznalg

With the Dinan tune, does the transmission shift faster?

According to seat of pants and what Dinan says, yes. But it isn't a huge difference, there is still some gear change lag (still faster than an "old school" manual though

That said, if warranty isn't an issue, I heard on here about an Alpina transmission flash that is supposed to be really quick...

[iride4u]

Originally Posted by zznalg

With the Dinan tune, does the transmission shift faster?

Having driven both the 6 speed with and without the tune. With the tune the transmission becomes smoother then even the 8 speed ZAP. I do not notice the shifting. I have to watch the tach to know when it is shifting in normal driving.

[Grovsnus]

Originally Posted by iride4u

Having driven both the 6 speed with and without the tune. With the tune the transmission becomes smoother then even the 8 speed ZAP. I do not notice the shifting. I have to watch the tach to know when it is shifting in normal driving.

I fail to see how this can be the case - surely the gear ratios don't change, and you should still feel a horizontal tug or pull whenever shifting gears without the rpm changing. At most, you should not feel the dip when gears change, but if you can't feel the kick anymore, nor hear a sound change, you surely can't step on it.

[Gort]

Originally Posted by iride4u

The Dinan tune is money very well spent. It cuts down the turbo lag and the transmission seems smoother.

Whenever pretty much anything is done in service, they end up doing a software download/update to the vehicle. I've always wondered how you could be sure that this process wouldn't overwrite the Dinan modification?

[iride4u]

Originally Posted by Gort

Whenever pretty much anything is done in service, they end up doing a software download/update to the vehicle. I've always wondered how you could be sure that this process wouldn't overwrite the Dinan modification?

Since it was done by my servicing dealer I expect that they will take care not to destroy the tune. If they do then they can reinstall it.

[iride4u]

Originally Posted by Grovsnus

I fail to see how this can be the case - surely the gear ratios don't change, and you should still feel a horizontal tug or pull whenever shifting gears without the rpm changing. At most, you should not feel the dip when gears change, but if you can't feel the kick anymore, nor hear a sound change, you surely can't step on it.

I am just talking about daily driving. If you are accelerating hard yes you will feel the shifts. Today getting on I-25 from a standing stop to over 80 before the end of the ramp I did not feel the shift points.

[CIWS]

As with most performance vehicles, after you drive them day to day for a while you begin to get used to its feel. It usually takes driving a loaner or normal vehicle to realize again and appreciate what you have.

There's a reason Dinan doesn't max out the full capabilities of the tune. It's to provide some degree of reliability. Most tuners do not warranty the vehicle once they do their work to it., flash and you own it all. Dinan is a compromise between added power and torque and keeping excess stress off the drivetrain in the longer term. Also it's some added piece of mind of something does go wrong. Especially if it was purchased through your dealership. There's a reason it costs more than the others. Just like the extended warranty, if no major issues are encountered during its period of coverage then that was a "waste" of money. If something does break then that piece of mind comes back into play.

If purchased through your dealer, they should reflash the tune whenever it's needed while in for maintenance.