[850tgul]

Hi All,

Getting the itch to increase the performance of my mostly stock '18 M2 6MT. Not looking to go crazy or decrease reliability, just hoping for a nice bump in usable power.

Having used Dinan performance parts in the past, I'm tempted to go with them and, after doing some research, I'm a bit baffled by the numerous tuning options they have available. It also seems that their tunes (and methods of how to tune) have evolved over the years, so many older threads about their stage 1 is out of date with their current offerings.

Hoping the brain trust here can help me narrow down my choices.

Looking for stage 1 at this point in time as I am not yet in the mindset to add a bunch of bolt ons outside of the Dinan muffler and CTS intake I currently have.

On Dinan's website, I see the following:
Stage 1 performance software
Dinan + performance software
Dinantronics X
Dinantronics sport performance tuner

The stage 1 performance software at $500 seems like the best deal for my use case, but looking for feedback on this.

My hopes:
Increased torque
Increased top-end
No CELs
Absolutely no additional turbo lag
Reliability
"set it and forget it" tune

Past reviews of Dinan's software mentioned power falling off after 5500 rpms and CELs on the track with extended acceleration runs but, again, not sure if those are outdated issues.

Don't want to touch my catalytic converter and don't want to add a larger intercooler which may introduce more turbo lag. I'm in New England, not Texas, and will never track this car, so I'm thinking additional cooling is not a requirement for me at stage 1 levels of power.

Any insight on the above would be much appreciated. Thx

[ThreeStripes]

The stock intercooler needs an upgrade regardless of where you live if adding power. Steve Dinan sold the company and now runs CarBahn. Dinan of yor is no more.

Grab a VRSF intercooler, a charge pipe if you haven’t already, and load a MHD tune on it and enjoy.

[850tgul]

Originally Posted by ThreeStripes

The stock intercooler needs an upgrade regardless of where you live if adding power. Steve Dinan sold the company and now runs CarBahn. Dinan of yor is no more.

Grab a VRSF intercooler, a charge pipe if you haven’t already, and load a MHD tune on it and enjoy.

Thanks for the insight. Would the VRSF increase turbo lag? I'd honestly rather keep the stock power rather than add 30/40hp and increase lag.

Also, is the redesigned LCI charge pipe worth upgrading? Thx

[ThreeStripes]

Yes on the charge pipe. It’s cheap and ensures it’s never a problem.

Generally the tune offsets any impact the intercooler brings. That said, a few folks perceive minor increases in lag. Personally, I run a Bootmod3 (BM3) “Stage 2” tune and a CSF intercooler (another solid option) and don’t feel the car is any laggier than before. Your mileage may vary.

This stock turbo is small, so when people discuss lag increases it’s all relative. An intercooler isn’t turning this car into a laggy 2000s era big turbo Supra in other words.

The biggest impact you’ll get from a intercooler and stage one tune is a nice shot of torque which suits the car well imo. It just improves an otherwise great car.

[VGSON]

If you want a cheaper and really safe alternative..I have the dinan tuner i took off my car when i went to mhd.. it takes about 30 min to install and gives a nice lil bump. No fooling around, no codes, etc..

Regarding mods; definitely get a charge pipe. The stock ones break and it sucks, end of story. Getting a aftermarket intercooler too is a good idea even if stock. Theres no lag difference with adding a intercooler

If i was getting aftermarket software; I would get mhd or bm3..Inwent with mhd and ran stage 2 for a while and it was only slightly more power than the dinan i took off

[3t3p]

You won't feel any lag with bigger intercooler. Do a sports cat and turbo inlet from MST (ver 2/hybrid) or pure turbos though there are more choices now it seems.
Defbchange charge pipe for piece of mind. I'm fact before I did anything to the ECU tuning wise, I drove with upgraded intercooler, turbo inlet, charge pipe and turbosmart DV. Madea a surprisingly big difference all added up.
More throttle response, more power and more noise!

[McGary911]

I know, old thread but have some input. I have a Dinan sport tuner on my ‘17. I got on it in the Ocala national forest (beautiful drive if transversing Florida) and What the FACK was that??? noise. A big clank. Blew the charge pipe where it connects to the intake. I limped to Tampa. Dealer replaced it under warranty. Shortly after I got a VSRF pipe. A bit of a pain to install, but a really solid piece. That was a few years back and I’m fine ever since.