[slubu]

What a great write-up by this gentleman (Laszlo):

When it was time to trade in my aging BMW e46 M3 for the newest craze, the BMW e92 335i, it became very clear that the decision I made would become a heartbreaking and emotional experience. Of any car I've ever owned from the juvenile age of 16, letting go of my e46 M3 I coined "Betsy" was as gut wrenching as breaking up with my high school sweetheart. What seemed to be a practical thing to do turned out to be many months of separation anxiety.

What was it about this new BMW that made me feel so empty? I've owned a few and never felt this way before. How could such a wonderfully refined automobile with so much horsepower and sophisticated technology be so…. should I say, humdrum? It was quite puzzling to say the least and not even a box of Advil could cure this woe.

After many sleepless nights and hearing buyer's remorse knocking at the front door, I realized it was time to face the reality that my e46 M3 was gone and that this new BMW would require some major relationship building, much like a first marriage. But what scared the hell out of me was I was already on my second one.

What followed were many emotional ups and downs and although I was confident I'd overcome it, the feeling never quite hit any zenith. Sure, the bimmer is fast, but not fast enough and couldn't be because it would compete too closely with the new e92 M3. The brakes were far more amazing than my old M3, but unfortunately overkill for a car with 300 hp. And the handling was far too predictable and monotonous with no sense of excitement or danger. My new BMW felt like a summer movie flop and the only thing my mind could conjure up as any sense of relief would be to wait for the new M3. I'd have to stick with this marriage for a little while longer and be as patient as one man can be, and we all know that ain't easy.

Then the holidays trickled in. What a blessing in disguise. I could finally ponder other things rather than my bimmer and the sudden and surprising rants about how disappointing the new M3 is. It was one thing to be disenchanted about my 335i but now the M3? What was going on here? Was this a conspiracy my wife created so I'd stop obsessing over BMWs? A superpower that I didn't know about? More pondering.

Planning a Thanksgiving feast for friends and family isn't easy and nothing is more insane than hitting the malls on Black Friday. What is it about Black Friday that makes people so nuts? Is it the 50% off sales or is it a primal thing that goes with hunting for food? What ever it is, I know for me, it's the build up of something great to come. And this Christmas something wonderful came along and it was Dinan's press release on December 10th, 2007.

Dinan announces their new BMW 335i warranty covered software reprogram that delivers a stunning 384 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 421 lb-ft torque at 4300 rpm! What incredible timing. Could this be the reprieve I've been yearning for? Now, I've read about aftermarket chips and so on over the years and didn't take any of it too seriously. But this announcement really hit me like a drunken punch at a bachelor party gone wrong. Could a simple DME reprogram really produce such incredible results and actually not risk my BMW warranty? One call to Dinan and then to SFBMW validated my findings and before I could even ask my wife permission the appointment was made and it was as hastily as the day I traded in my e46 M3.

Today I cautiously picked up my BMW with the Dinan software and within a quarter of a mile from the dealership I knew my bimmer had been reborn - much like Darth Vader at the end of Episode III. Although it's not speaking like James Earl Jones the exhaust sounds like him, honestly. It's throatier and the throttle mapping is smooth and absent of the jittery and jerky touches as it once had.

The sheer horsepower and torque is so shockingly sudden that the 335i rides on the edge of insanity. The hefty brakes feel in complete harmony with the power and the heavy steering and stiff chassis have now become synchronized. I knew after I hammered the gas pedal at 50 mph and lost traction that I had power under my control that was like nothing I had ever experienced in my e46 M3. My once humdrum BMW is now an animal that's thrilling and unpredictable.

After the rain broke this afternoon there were some mind-blowing moments driving through the twisties near Moss Beach. I felt like Jeremy Clarkson test driving the new BMW M5 which I saw on youtube.com a few months ago. How exhilarating and imaginable. I'm baffled that just a simple software installation can produce such amazing results and I can truly say that I have finally found the perfect marriage of engineering, power and me.

My only criticism is now my neck hurts and you need to keep both of your hands on the steering wheel.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=250685

[stressdoc]

So far the Dinan reviews are from folks with stars in their eyes. Looking great, but so far it's a data-free zone.

[Park2670]

This guy must write novels! Very well written!

I agree with stressdoc however.

[slubu]

From what I can gather, any tune really will bring such a review from people including the modest gains of an SSTT. Regardless it is nice to see a unanimous positivity eminating from this tune.

[jpsimon]

I just want to see some dyno numbers

[sflgator]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

So far the Dinan reviews are from folks with stars in their eyes. Looking great, but so far it's a data-free zone.

+1. Very well written; he may very well be some sort of writer (career-wise). However, as others have said, we haven't seen any 3rd party dynos or 1/4 mi. timeslips yet. My feeling is that anyone going from a stock 335i will feel much like this OP here when getting the Dinan ECU Flash; a nearly identical feeling many of had when we went from a stock 335i to a PROcede, XEDE, JB2, or SSTT 335i's. All these tunes make decent power over stock, and when you drive a stock 335i (like a loaner car) after driving your modded 335i for a while, you just think a stock 335i is just slow (which it surely is not ).

[radgator1]

Originally Posted by jpsimon

I just want to see some dyno numbers

+1

Glad you are enjoying the flash, but so far the things that seems to be consistent about most of the folks reviewing the Dinan flash are:

1. They are coming from, and comparing to, a stock 335i.
2. They have a tendency to be verbose and on the melodramatic side, not that there is anything wrong with that.
3. They aren't in a hurry to get the car Dynoed and give us some meaningful data.

[HPIA4v2]

Originally Posted by radgator1

+1

Glad you are enjoying the flash, but so far the things that seems to be consistent about most of the folks reviewing the Dinan flash are:

1. They are coming from, and comparing to, a stock 335i.
2. They have a tendency to be verbose and on the melodramatic side, not that there is anything wrong with that.
3. They aren't in a hurry to get the car Dynoed and give us some meaningful data.

+1, if Dinan comes close they maybe the $#*it.

[Archibald Donnington]

Haha. Dyno schmyno.
C'mon friends, it's really not all about the numbers. We all should know that the procede is more powerful. What we really need to do is get a comparo from someone in the know; ie jonmartin, LACA, and anyone else who has a good opinion on the Procede, JB2, SSTT, or any of the rest. Heck, perhaps someone with a DINAN tune can get over to Shiv and let him take it for a spin. That's what I want to read.
aaron

[e46e92love]

I don't care about dynos or official numbers, never have and never will, to me that stuff is used to say, "Hey, guess what, I got a bigger dick".

Numbers have no affect on my driving experience on and off the track. I don't care if someone tells me my car has 100whp, if it hauls ass and leads to first in my races, that is all that matters

[radgator1]

Originally Posted by e46e92love

I don't care about dynos or official numbers, never have and never will, to me that stuff is used to say, "Hey, guess what, I got a bigger dick".

Numbers have no affect on my driving experience on and off the track. I don't care if someone tells me my car has 100whp, if it hauls ass and leads to first in my races, that is all that matters

So for you a 1500 word essay that says "the car hauls ass now" is what's important, but for the rest of us we are looking for more objective data such as independent Dyno Numbers, direct measure of performance such as 1/4 ET's & trap speeds or even GTech results, and direct comparison to at least one, and preferably as many as possible of the other tunes out there.

Until we get some of the above, the rest is just hot air (even if well written).

[jpsimon]

When you're dropping $2000 + labor on a flash, you're crazy if you don't care about real world numbers and how it compares to cheaper options.

Originally Posted by e46e92love

I don't care about dynos or official numbers, never have and never will, to me that stuff is used to say, "Hey, guess what, I got a bigger dick".

Numbers have no affect on my driving experience on and off the track. I don't care if someone tells me my car has 100whp, if it hauls ass and leads to first in my races, that is all that matters

[canesr1]

Originally Posted by Archibald Donnington

Haha. Dyno schmyno.
C'mon friends, it's really not all about the numbers. We all should know that the procede is more powerful. What we really need to do is get a comparo from someone in the know; ie jonmartin, LACA, and anyone else who has a good opinion on the Procede, JB2, SSTT, or any of the rest. Heck, perhaps someone with a DINAN tune can get over to Shiv and let him take it for a spin. That's what I want to read.
aaron

I volunteered to take my reflash over to helix so they can compare it to the attache`. I haven't heard back from them.
If any of you are willing to pay for my dyno I'll do it. Otherwise I have no interest in dyno'ing the dinan flash.

[5soko]

i agree. for 2k, i want to see some dyno numbers. the market has too many options right now to just go and spedn 2k. if u dont like it, there nothing u can do, not even re-sell it used. ur just out of luck. im not sure many people want to gamble like that.

[radgator1]

Originally Posted by canesr1

I volunteered to take my reflash over to helix so they can compare it to the attache`. I haven't heard back from them.
If any of you are willing to pay for my dyno I'll do it. Otherwise I have no interest in dyno'ing the dinan flash.

That's the part that seems strange. Tons of folks who bought the SSTT, JB1 and 2, Procede, and AA Xede couldn't wait to get our cars Dynoed after the unit was installed. And we all paid much less for for the tunes.

I just can't understand wanting to drop the substantial cash on the Dinan Flash and then not being curious enough to spend 50-80 bucks to see what kind of power it was making

[O-cha]

Can I get cliff notes? Interested but thats a lot to read through.

[stressdoc]

I'm looking for side-by-side seat of pants comparisons. Purple, Orb, canesr, Laszlo, etc. all seem to feel that the flash kicks ass in comparison with stock, and perhaps a mild piggyback. It will be nice to see 3 or 4 cars with the different tunes & stock swap drivers around and see what they think. Dynos and 1/4 miles will be interesting too, but direct seat of the pants and 30 - 100 runs are much more relevant for everyday driving.

[sdwilly]

Originally Posted by radgator1

That's the part that seems strange. Tons of folks who bought the SSTT, JB1 and 2, Procede, and AA Xede couldn't wait to get our cars Dynoed after the unit was installed. And we all paid much less for for the tunes.

I just can't understand wanting to drop the substantial cash on the Dinan Flash and then not being curious enough to spend 50-80 bucks to see what kind of power it was making

+1 I'd get it dyno'd just to make sure it's around where it should be.

[jpsimon]

Someone with the dinan flash will just say "omg fastest thing since SRT4". We need real dyno figures to be able to compare it. "direct seat of pants" comparisons are 100% biased.

Originally Posted by stressdoc

I'm looking for side-by-side seat of pants comparisons. Purple, Orb, canesr, Laszlo, etc. all seem to feel that the flash kicks ass in comparison with stock, and perhaps a mild piggyback. It will be nice to see 3 or 4 cars with the different tunes & stock swap drivers around and see what they think. Dynos and 1/4 miles will be interesting too, but direct seat of the pants and 30 - 100 runs are much more relevant for everyday driving.

[BoostedBMW]

I don't know if this post was written by someone working in a dark corner of the Dinan marketing department, but that was an extremely well written review. So far everyone with this flash has reported that it has transformed their car and they seem to be amazed. While I don't want to doubt that it is a good tune, I can't help but wonder how many of these people have modded their previous cars? In any case, i'm glad to hear that you like it. Now i'm looking forward to seeing some dynojet #'s.

[Ruff Rider]

Originally Posted by e46e92love

I don't care about dynos or official numbers, never have and never will, to me that stuff is used to say, "Hey, guess what, I got a bigger dick".

Numbers have no affect on my driving experience on and off the track. I don't care if someone tells me my car has 100whp, if it hauls ass and leads to first in my races, that is all that matters

I wonder how many people have read the warranty exclusions from Dinan. If your are even thinking about taking your car to a race event you better not if you want your Dinan warranty. I quote from Dinan warranty exclusions "any vehicle operated in any competitive event."

I think a lot of people will be surprised how many loop holes Dinan has in denying warranty service.

Being married to a lawyer has taught me one thing. Always read the fine print

[slubu]

Originally Posted by Ruff Rider

I wonder how many people have read the warranty exclusions from Dinan. If your are even thinking about taking your car to a race event you better not if you want your Dinan warranty. I quote from Dinan warranty exclusions "any vehicle operated in any competitive event."

I think a lot of people will be surprised how many loop holes Dinan has in denying warranty service.

Being married to a lawyer has taught me one thing. Always read the fine print

Do you have a link? I may as a service do a read and post my analysis of it.