DINAN throttle bodies

[fatmatt0116]

Are they worth the $1300?

[mpower03]

what is your car used for?

[03BeastCharmer]

Originally Posted by fatmatt0116

Are they worth the $1300?

As much as I appreciate what Dinan does for cars, no those are not worth $1,300. Plus time for labor. Those really are left over E46 M3 parts, and aren't really part of some fully thought out plan for the car regarding better intake and exhaust. There are much better Hp inprovements you could do around that price point. Software and diff being the most popular.

[fatmatt0116]

Originally Posted by mpower03

what is your car used for?

uuhhh...mostly for driving and the occasional fishing trip

But seriously it's used mainly to decorate my garage and to terrorize the local massholes on the weekends. I was thinking about taking it on the track for the experience although this won't be a regular use.

[mpower03]

your not going to get a lot out of it for the money. unless you have all the money in the world to spend on it that i wouldn't buy it. for that money i would buy software for the car. The best setup that i think you would benefit from would be kwv3s, with software, headers, tune, mufflers, rpi scoop, wheels, 3.91 or 4.10 gears, and maybe the gruppe m. That is the ultimate setup for this car in my eyes. I will try to achieve this on my car, probably no gears for me though.

[fatmatt0116]

Originally Posted by mpower03

your not going to get a lot out of it for the money. unless you have all the money in the world to spend on it that i wouldn't buy it. for that money i would buy software for the car. The best setup that i think you would benefit from would be kwv3s, with software, headers, tune, mufflers, rpi scoop, wheels, 3.91 or 4.10 gears, and maybe the gruppe m. That is the ultimate setup for this car in my eyes. I will try to achieve this on my car, probably no gears for me though.

what is the difference between "software" and "a tune?" I had assumed they are the same thing, no? I just got the ESS software upgrade and next will get the scoop, although as far as the next significant modification I am debating between headers and the dinan 4.10 lsd.

A mechanic I used recently to do my cdv said he feels like all the aftermarket exhausts for bmw are junk and not the same quality as oem. I was suprised to hear this given the apparent enthusiasm for aftermarket exhaust upgrades for the z4 m. Headers seem like a good investment, however I wonder if it is worth it if I decide not to do the rest of the exhuast? How are the headers working out for you?

[mpower03]

Originally Posted by fatmatt0116

what is the difference between "software" and "a tune?" I had assumed they are the same thing, no? I just got the ESS software upgrade and next will get the scoop, although as far as the next significant modification I am debating between headers and the dinan 4.10 lsd.

A mechanic I used recently to do my cdv said he feels like all the aftermarket exhausts for bmw are junk and not the same quality as oem. I was suprised to hear this given the apparent enthusiasm for aftermarket exhaust upgrades for the z4 m. Headers seem like a good investment, however I wonder if it is worth it if I decide not to do the rest of the exhuast? How are the headers working out for you?

Yeah the tune and software is the same thing. i just go my ess software two days ago. the 4.10 is going to be a lot more money than headers. If you don't wnat to spend that much on headers gor with the ebay ones. The quality on them isn't that great, but for my use it fit what i was looking for, i gave my the enhance sound, an extra kick, and was low cost. Other than ebay headers i would go with active autoworkes. The 4.10 would be a lot more noticable and more fun. Back to the headers, this is how the car should have sounded stock. It retains the stock sound just a little bit louder, deeper, and menacing. I would do mufflers to if you do headers though, which is my next mod. Ill wait to see what is going on with rpi for know and if nothing then rogue engineering. The headers are going good so far, and i am glad that i did them, if i didn't like them i was only out $150.00. I say do both, but which first? probably 4.10

[Dammmittt]

Throttle bodies are gonna be a waste of money and you won't notice any difference. In addition to that you'll just be making the throttle bodies more prone to failure.

[jarrow]

Originally Posted by Dammmittt

In addition to that you'll just be making the throttle bodies more prone to failure.

Please explain.

[MVF4Rrider]

Originally Posted by Dammmittt

Throttle bodies are gonna be a waste of money and you won't notice any difference. In addition to that you'll just be making the throttle bodies more prone to failure.

[Bigger] Throttle bodies can make a huge difference. The problem with Dinan is they don't tell you how much the bore difference is, nor provide a recommended package to complete the mod (as far as I can tell). But the more air you can flow into the motor can make an appreciable throttle response difference as long as the software can optimize the change. When I had a Ducati 748 I toyed with the idea of mounting 916 heads and throttle bodies (I forget the mm bore difference, but it was appreciable; heads were interchangeable but the dome was bigger to accommodate the difference in piston width). Should have increased the HP about 15% with a new EPROM. More importantly it would have really sharpened up the throttle response.

Ultimately: just because BMW decided on our throttle boby bore size, that isn't to say it is the optimum size for optimum performance. And are there bore differences between the butterfly section and down channel? In the motorcycle world, throttle body boring is choice enhancement. But, I don't know enough about our throttle bodies to know if there is room for improvement. I wish Dinan was more specific with exactly what they accomplish. I wouldn't be so quick to condemn this mod without knowing more about it.

[Dammmittt]

Originally Posted by jarrow

Please explain.

The problem I have with the Dinan throttle bodies is that they make the internal diameter bigger without increasing the external diameter, which means that your making them thinner and minimally increasing the cross sectional area which means you're barely increasing the mass flow rate, which ultimately means you're wasting your money and weakening a part that is already prone to heat expansion (warp) issues.

I think if you really want to increase the mass flow rate to the engine you have go increase efficiency and velocity ahead of the throttle bodies. But WTF do I know...