I did read all the info on the Dinan site. And the discussion regarding fueling interested me.

So, Dinan was clear that the D440-0012 Sport Tuner works with the DME in such a way as to 'optimize' performance by causing re-mapping of boost, fueling and timing. Dinan says:

"DINANTRONICS Sport plugs into a single sensor which lends itself to a very quick and and discrete installation, or removal, should the need arise. Not only does this connection method offer a simplified install but also effectively utilizes the factory DME, in tandem with itself, in order to re-map boost, fueling, and timing for optimal performance." -- and, in Sport+ mode that certainly has been my experience thus far. BUT they seem to be saying the ELITE solves fueling issues and optimizes DME adjustments for the added boost -- issues Dinan has said aren't there with the Sport Tuner.

So, Dinan does the ELITE solve problems that Dinan claims are not there with my D440-0012? A bit confused here.

With my 0012, I did experience, on one day in stop and go when it was over 100 degrees and I was in Race mode, a wee bit of knocking -- an issue which has not recurred since I've keep the car in Sport+. Also, I've found that Sport+ is smoother than Race, and the car seems quite happy. It's especially fun with the car in Sport mode -- the auto tranny loves the Dinan Sport+/Sport mode combo.

I've been telling myself all day, "I don't need more power, " but I would LOVE to experience the ELITE just to see how it feels/what it does that's different in everyday driving. But my Clubbie feels wicked quick as it is, so I don't need more power, I don't need more power, I don't .... well, maybe I do. Gotta sleep on it. Maybe if I put my Sport Tuner under my pillow tonight I'll wake up tomorrow and the speed fairy will have left 900 bucks under my pillow....

 

Only if you drive on the other side of the road.

What level of octane is your fuel?

 

Or maybe Dinan, or ECS, or somebody will offer full trade in credit of 0012's toward the new ELITE -- as in turn in your Dinan Sport Tuner along with $600 and get an ELITE.

 

Lol I was asking as this unit has been tweekd for your emmisions for carb. We run 98 Ron fuel over here.

 

Thanks
For the reply us poor Brita always miss out on the waranty side

 

SPORT ties into a single boost sensor and then relies on the factory DME to adjust other parameters on the fly. The DME is being reactive which for some that are super sensitive (factory computer is insanely quick at making adjustments) may notice some hiccups here and there in drivability. ELITE on the other hand ties into more sensors and basically eliminates a fair share of the reactive nature the DME has to do (namely in fueling) and basically adjusts those additional parameters with the boost so that the factory DME is not playing catchup.

The additional data input allows us to get a bit more power out of the car by simply having more control while also improving drivability (albeit it is a bit subjective for most).

 

Thank you so much. Lovin' the Sport Tuner -- hoping the next release for the iphone improves the interface. Can't wait to hear about the generous trade up special

 

So I wonder how this Elite compares to a full on ECU Manic type of tune?

 

a full tune will always be better than a piggyback for so many reasons.

Dinan's elite adds the fuel rail connector just like the JB4 has. I wonder what advantages the Dinan elite has over the JB4 (not including the warranty thing that Dinan offers)

Dinan - with the elite what boost levels are you targeting for S models and JCW models?

I see "stage 1" on the product page. What exactly does that mean and will there be further stages?


What I always find funny about Dinan is that there is a video with Steve Dinan basically poo-pooing piggybacks but now piggybacks are all they sell for newer bmw/mini models. Guess they went with the quick and easy solution instead of the best solution when it comes to ecu tuning. Granted Steve no longer works for Dinan, I believe, so that probably explains the shift in ECU tuning attitude

 

Yeah I was looking at the JB4 last night and trying to figure what Dinan is giving you for the extra $370 ? The warranty is great, but mine is going to be gone next year anyway so it doesn't mean much.

 

I have the JB4 and love it. It provides more functionality and allows for map switching, etc.

Due to it connecting to the OBD2 port it is monitoring values from the engine and you can also log pretty much anything to find out what the engine is actually doing. You can switch to different maps, run e85 mixture up to 30% if you have the fuel sensor wires, use the fuel gauge and a very simplistic boost gauge (pretty gimmicky if you ask me, but others love it). Oh and it's cheaper to boot!

If you are going to be out of warranty soon then going with a Bytetronik tune is the best option out there imo.

 

I have been waiting a month for my dealer to get the Dinantronics Sport unit for my car then suddenly see this Elite unit for $600 more! Power differences seem nominal, $600 difference? Is the previous version still sold?

 

Previous version is still sold. Works well in my Clubman S All4. The Sport has been a great addition to the car.

I would love to 'test drive' the Elite version to see if there is a discernible difference when driving the way I usually do. Might be a bit quicker to respond and maybe a touch smoother. And maybe a little quicker in the 20 ~ 60 MPH range once the turbo is kicking.

I suppose even a bit more low end grunt, which the Elite claims to provide, would be fun, especially in my all wheel drive where torque steer is minimal and the extra torque gets to the wheels in a most entertaining fashion

But how much of the Elite price is for the warranty?? And why is it more than the JB4??

 

Nope, my standard dinantronics sport doesn't work still. sad panda.

 

Has Dinan been any help in the matter?

 

Call Outmotoring, they drop shipped mine immediately from a distributor.
Doesn't matter whom you buy from, they are never discounted.

Oh, yeah, Dinan, please update the iPhone app!!!

 

ECS had it on sale at one point.

 

Yeah, ECS tries hard. But reading Dinan's dealer MAP policy, they probably had to revert to retail. Like Apples policy!!

 

Can you still get 100 octane out here?
Last one was in Canoga Park, and Agoura.

So add $7.50 gallon to make the extra $600 work!!

I think Im fine with the Dinan Sport for now.
Smoked a Camaro on the onramp light today. Would have been more fun if I turned off traction control!!

 

They are listening. I'm going to try a full return of the Dinantronics Sport. Maybe I'll try to trade up to the elite instead. I will post here when I get the results.

 

We had it on sale last year as part of the holiday sale. Which was authorized by Dinan, so it was ok No news of any sale here soon. We did have a price drop in the F56, F55 Dinan exhaust a little bit ago which it is the new price now. You will have to contact Dinan to see if they can do a trade up deal on the new elite. They might be able to work with you. Worth a shot.

All tuners here:


https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2014-Cooper-F56-S-3_Door-B48A20A/Engine/Performance/Software/

Now the new tuner has a 12/2014 year split in it. So keep your eye on the part numbers and make sure you select the right one.

Always here to help.

 

Unocal 76 on Glenarm in Pasadena, CA - $9.29

Mixing 2-3 gallons makes a huge difference especially with the lousy gas in CA

 

Asking about the new Dinan Elite here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4322581

 

Steve only left Dinan to work for Gnassi racing in 2016 and they have been doing piggyback units since around 2013ish so him leaving had nothing to do with it since that changeover had already taken place while he was still very much involved. Personally there are more and more piggy units on the market which tells me this is the future of tuning in our marketplace + with the manufacturers getting so **** about doing anything to a car , they are itching to void a warranty anyway they can. perhaps Dinan was onto something early?. yes, they badmouthed the idea originally but progress and evolution tends to prevail. just a thought

 

Good to know! I decided to do a search on Steve's tech tip tuesday post from years ago where he was bad mouthing piggyback's and someone reached out to him and got clarification on what he meant in the video. It's an interesting response and the TLDR of it is:

He was "bad mouthing" existing piggyback units at the time because they just modify boost signal and therefore fueling is always off and in a constant adjustment state

Now the NM, JB4 WITHOUT flex fuel wires, Dinantronic Sport, and any other unit with no fuel connection are the type he was saying are not "good".

JB4 with flex fuel wires and the new Dinan elite can adjust fueling so the ecu isn't in a constant adaptation state.

Read the response from Steve from 2014:

Steve Dinan:

Hi Joseph,

We recently saw your post regarding our new Turbotronics project and wanted to clarify a few points to make sure your readers have the correct information. I stand by my comments on "Tech tip Tuesday". Even though we are making an ECU we are still believe software has superior performance and reliability when compared to an ad on ECU. Having said that the new Bosch ECU has proven more difficult to crack than previous models so we have been forced to go the ECU route. BTW this is Dinan's 16th Turbotronics ECU because we used to make them a long time ago but when we got very good at software we went away from them because of the obvious advantages.

“Tech Tip Tuesday” was also referring to the existing piggy back boxes on the market. Our goal wasn’t to imply that a piggyback box wasn’t a viable tuning solution, but rather the current ones lack sophistication in which is why they make less power, have more drivability issues, are more prone to setting faults and are not emissions legal. I also mentioned that a box would have to be much more sophisticated in order to work properly and not risk any damage or malfunctions with the vehicle long-term.

The reason our software is more expensive than current piggyback systems on the market is the level of work and research that is required to “crack” BMW’s factory computers, the additional cost of the 4 year 50k mile warranty and emissions certification. The cost our R&D, warranty and emission testing when compared to manufacturing the piggy back boxes I see on the market it is more likely they are making more money than Dinan soit is not about money as the person implied it's about doing it right. Most people assume that BMW gives us complete access to the computers, but that is not the case.

We have a team of 5 engineers that do nothing but read through every line of code on each ECU to make sure that all of our software allows the car to function properly, doesn’t interfere with other electronics and keeps factory system safeguards in place.

As far as the new “Turbotronics” units are concerned, (still in development) they essentially are more than a piggy back box they are a powerful ECU that has many more capabilities that the existing piggy back boxes. To help you understanding the additional capabilities as I said in "TECH TIP Tuesday" the existing boxes send a an adjusted signal to the BMWECU telling it he boost is too low and the ECU then raises the boost to what it thinks is the correct value as does ours. This false value creates errors in Fuel mixture and ignition timing. This can causesmore faults, high catalyst inlet temperatures and a loss of power.In addition when you increase power exhaust temperature will increaseand this must be countered with a slightly richer mixture. Our ECU will have the capability of setting a richer target lambda (fuel mixture) as well as correcting short term trip which is the difference between target and scheduled fuel mixture just to mention a couple of it's capabilities. By matching these two correctly we can reduce knock sensor activity which will make smother performance,protect the catalyst, increase power and allow us to make it emissions legal.

We have a lot of exciting new product in the works for N55 powered cars along with products being created for the M235i. Keep an eye on our social media channels for announcements on sales, new products and more of our Tech Tip Tuesday series.

Thanks again for your time and we hope this is helpful. If you’re interested, we would love to have you out to the facility to see our operation first hand.

Sincerely,
Steve Dinan