Hey all,

I'm about to get my feet wet with mods...
Have a 98 M3 automatic, and need more power...
so I decided to get a Dinan supercharger put in...that should be rockin...

so, I spoke with Dinan as well as BMW techs and all seems rosy as far as reliability and warranty coverage.

Now, I am not a 'racekid' but I want superior power and torque for weekend drives... no track stuff for me.

I'd love some feedback from anyone who has the same system as far as reliability, experience, everyday city driving, performance driving, fuel consumption etc, and anything that I should be aware of before I go ahead with this.

Thanks in advance for any info,

Klaus

Hi,

I have a 97 M3/4 auto and I had it charged July 2002. First you will feel HUGE difference in power. I really love it. As far as reliabilty, I have had no problems. I had 15-50 mobil one in the car and I noticed it shifted hard into 2nd, depending if I was already at 40mph or from a dead stop. I am going to see if it still does it with 0-30 mobil 1. I have read alot of posts saying the SC will be hard on the tranny, but I guess I will find out in time. Dinan said its fine. I am actually considering the Dinan installed Schrick manifold, throttle body and software for an extra 20-30 hp. You will get use to the 360hp and may want more, I know I do. As far as gas mileage, in the summer I was getting around 220 miles per tank, now I am at about 185-200, I am near Philly and we have that oxygenated gas now, so I eat it up more. I am going to look into the Dinan oil cooler eventually, I did notice when its humid the performance def goes down some. But the cooler is like $2500 before install fees. I don't regret getting mine, I really like it alot. I would look into an exhaust too, I have the AA Gen 3 and it is perfect, not too loud but not quiet and it sounds great. If you have any questions please email me or post back to me.

http://libertyphotography.com/1997_Dinan_bmw_m3.htm

RobDudley@comcast.net

Rob

Many thanks for your reply!!

You're exactly the person I need to talk to, since we have pretty much exactly the same car.

I did speak to a BMW service tech, and he said the auto transmission should have no problem handling the power, he said it's the same tranny as in previous M5 automatic models, so that's good to know...

My main concern was the fact that a SC overworks the engine a lot and that I don't want to burn the engine up. Called Dinan and they told me that a SC would only shorten engine life by maybe 5%. Assuming the E36 can run up to 250K miles, that seems ok with me.

Besides, we have to keep in mind that the original German M3's came with 321hp stock over in Europe, so our cars are designed for that kind of power.
Getting the SC makes much more sense that getting a Euro engine installed and it's cheaper.

Since I'm not the kind of fanatic who'll invest 10 + grand a year into my car each year, I feel very safe and confident that this SC operation won't give me any problems. The powertrain,brakes and suspension are the same as Euro models so the whole car should be safe with the power gain.

another question I had for you was, if the 'Sport' mode button will still have an effect. I assume it's a software feature keeping the rpms and shift points up, correct?

Thanks for writing, any more feedback would be terrific!

Another observation on the Dinan SC -

Mine is a '98 M-roadster, with a 5-speed. I'm not at all concerned about the effects on the tranny because it's a manual, but I would be a little concerned running more torque thru an auto.
The extra power from the SC is great. The car is very civilized - you are only aware of the extra power when your right foot dials it up. And then it's there, RIGHT NOW. Haven't noticed any change in fuel consumption - averaged 17 mpg before the mod, and it's about the same now. Don't know about extra wear on the engine - the SC boost is only there when you put your foot in it (bypass valve is part of the package). But let's face it, cars don't last forever. 200,000 miles down the road is a long way off, and by then, you'd probably be ready for soemthing else - maybe nuclear powered by then. The Dinan SC package is a somewhat more expensive than some of the others, and it is designed a little more conservatively (not as much power), but intentionally so. It's designed to be reliable. Also, if things do go wrong (as they sometimes do in mechanical systems) Dinan DOES stand behind their work.

I believe SilverStreak on the Z3 forum also has a Dinan Vortech V2 kit in his M roadster. He got a 1/4 time of 11.71 seconds! :D

stjobs

well, I'm happy to say that during the last 2 days I've gotten nothing but positive feedback re: Dinan S/C's and encouragement. Nobody had any concerns or negative stories...
Thanks for all your replies, especially Rob from Philly for his input.
I'll be getting my S/C probably next month when the $ are all there to be 'blown' (pun intended!)

:)

I may dare to say that I've never ever seen a negative experience with a Dinan setup. They know this and that's why you pay for it. In the end, most would say that they're glad to have paid the extra $$ for zero problems. I know I'm glad. Good luck with your purchase!

Dave's isn't an M Roadster, it's a 3.0 Roadster. But his car has IIRC a Dinan kit with RMS after-cooler and he also strips some weight (seat, tools tire) and slaps on drag radials:evil2

To top it all off he's a drag racer... If I ran his car I'd prolly take twice as long:D

So the fat lady has sang Mitch?:( Too bad:(... oh well, M3 next time:) or maybe M Coupe:evil2

One more thing, since you are from L.A.

Dinan is CARB legal.

No messing around with the SMOG Check II folks. You pass like Mom's mini-van.

Thanks Green M3
that was actually another concern of mine, since Cali has very strict smog laws, and it would suck to have to de-install the SC every 2 years ... ;)

101 here I come...

Actually, Dave (SilverStreak) has a RMS stage II kit. Dinan decided not to make a SC kit for the Z3 3.0s, so he had the Dinan Authorized BMW dealer install an RMS kit for him.

I believe he did manage to keep the dinan CAI... and he has custom software.... (It started out as RMS software, and was tweaked by some independent performance shop in NJ)...

He also has the Dinan throttle body, and exhaust..... But the SC kit is an RMS kit......

-Dave