My new Clubman S is on its way from the factory and I am strongly considering installation of a Dinah Elite when I take possession as the dealer is a Dinan authorized installer.

I am a bit concerned about the long term implications of increasing the turbo boost on the b46 motor which has different internals than the b48 in the JWC model. I believe the b48 has a slightly lower compresssion ratio and different pistons to name a few differences, obviously to manage the higher output of that engine.

If the "boosted" b46 will generate almost as much hp/torque with the Dinan as the JCW motor is there any legitimacy to my concerns? I intend to keep the car long after the warranty expires.

I have looked at several threads about the Dinan addition, but nobody seems to mention anything beyond the power increase. Nothing about over stressing the motor.

Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

you are talking about Dinan. They are pretty well entrenched with the BMW stuff at dealerships all across the country. They have gotten back into the game with Mini and im pretty sure they will offer the same level of quality in their products for our cars as they do on that side. They have been around a long time and the warranty they have in 2nd to none. I have their sport and love it, have considered upgrading to the Elite myself, if I had a brand new car I would have probably gone that route. Their tuning tends to be on the conservative side anyway, so I think you will be fine

 

I had both Dinan Sport and now Elite. As subzero05 said Dinan's boost is slightly lower than other tuners. You can definitely feel the additional power once the boost kicks in while Elite will give you more linear power

 

FWIW, I had similar concerns as expressed by OP. I had extensive communication with Dinan and with Jerry at NM. I was particularly concerned about lean fueling. Both were confident that the DME is so fast at processing and adjusting the engine that there should be no issues.

Use only premium fuel of course.

I've been happy so far -- almost a year. Did tick it down from "Race" to "Sport+" and I think the driving dynamics are better.

Dinan claims the Elite is more refined and improves the seamless feeling that isn't quite as seamless with the Dinan Sport box.

Good to have dealer support and you are buying the good Dinan "warranty" with the Elite.

But, as always, if you stick something on the car, it's buyer beware.

I love my Dinan Sport -- really adds to the performance and fun of our Clubman.

 

Would love to hear more about the Dinan elite vs sport, is it quicker? They mentioned it should make more power. Is there a bluetooth app for the elite yet?

 

Just a quick question since 1) I don't know much about tuning and have never modified any of my cars aside from aesthetics and 2) this is my first JCW:

I recently took delivery of an '18 Clubman JCW and looking to add the Dinan tuning since my dealer is an authorized installer and this won't void the warranty. When i look at the Dinan website it mentions a 51hp increase. Can I expect to see that (up to around 279), or is the JCW simply an 'S' engine with a minor tune - meaning that 30+ hp gain would be 'erased ' before being replaced by Dinan?

Forgive my ignorance on how this works.

 

i sincerely doubt that adding a Dinan Elite piggyback unit would undo the underlying DME programming. It is my understanding that piggyback units from Dinan and others intercept the OEM DME signals and send a signal on that more boost is needed. It is a form of override, not a reprogram like some tuners do. Therefore, it augments the power, not degrading it. It should add another 30 (+/-) hp to a JCW.

Most people with the Dinan Elite system report a more linear power boost than the Dinan Sport system that apparently is somewhat more ragged in power delivery, kinda like the lag in turbo power of years gone by.

Now, the Elite system is 3x more expensive than the Sport, but it does carry a full guarantee against engine damage that parallels the Mini factory warranty but doesn't last any longer than the factory warranty. That alone accounts for a significant part of the cost differential.

My main concern is what impact the increased boost might have on the CooperS motor which isn't quite as beefy as the JCW unit. Further inquiry into the motor indicates that it has much more power potential than Is possible to accomplish with the Dinan Elite and since I don't want to mess with the DME or tempt fate with other tuners that don't offer guarantees, I'm good with the Dinan Elite. It will be installed on my car after about 1,200 miles.

 

So, be sure to read Power Up in the JCW Garage section for more than you ever wanted to know about tuning boxes.

Also, a PM to Dinan will start a conversation that should answer any specific questions you might have. If you are considering NM, Jerry takes phone calls and is very responsive.

Now, as to the concept. The box "tricks" the DME into calling for more boost. The signal from the manifold air pressure sensor is intercepted and adjusted by the tuning box and then sent to the DME. The Elite adjusts/monitors more parameters than the Sport box but the concept is the same.

With the JCW engine, the same thing will happen as on the S or the Justa, just more so in the lower power band. The only flatness in power gain would occur if the turbo is asked to push so much boost that other sensors tell the engine to do things that would actually reduce max power.

Dinan claims that over-lean fueling isn't a problem because the DME adjusts the engine so quickly. I say buyer beware, if you flog the engine hard and a lot. Really hard and really a lot.

Bottom line, you will get more boost, and you will feel the power if you add any of these boxes. Look at the graphs on the Dinan web site for BMW B48 engines, because that's basically the engine you have in a JCW.

And yes, these 2 liter BMW engines, in all of their configurations, are built to handle much more power than the MINI software produces. Fuel economy and smog laws influence how the various tunes are packaged, as does the marketing department's need to make sure there is a distinction -- hard to justify selling $50,000 BMWs with less power than $35,000 MINIs!!

I have found my $300 Dinan Sport to deliver smooth added boost at +3psi in all weather and at various altitudes using top tier 91 pump gas. Coming up on a year with no issues. I ran in Race mode for awhile but the dynamics were a bit less refined and, one time, I got a little knock on a hot day in stop and go, so I went back to Sport+ and have enjoyed plenty of zip and smoother running.

Final comment about all this. I've had cars that smoked the rear tires on the way to 60MPH in under 5 seconds. Once I did it a few times, to prove I could, I found the excessive power useless most of the time. Sure, nothing is like the buttery-smooth, seamless torque from a high performance V-8 that just keeps on pulling in a linear fashion from zero up to stupid, suicidal, go to jail fast.

Much, much more fun throwing my MINI around in situations where quickness and handling trump straight line acceleration every time. I have more fun in the 20 ~ 60 MPH world, from stop light to stop light, getting great gas mileage all the while. Just sayin'....

 

Very well said. I enjoy my little JCW much more than my 16' 750ix on the street Either way you will not regret on the Dinan

 

So ... took the time on my Sunday afternoon to read through the 400 + posts in that Forum. I didn't time it, but it had to be north of two hours worth of reading; or at least 60% of my phone's battery.

Thank you for the info/guidance.

 

So now you know more than you ever wanted to, as promised

 

Can't really say the car is quicker, but if the max torque comes earlier and harder, then I guess you can say it accelerate faster. There is no Bluetooth App yet, and I understand they are working on it. For the meantime, it comes with a bypass plug so you can go back to stock map without removing cables and plugs

 

looks like Dinan has a couple specific options for the ELITE version on the website for the JCW variant now.

 

280hp on the JCW version! I'm in.
Anyone interested in buying my Dinan sport? ��