The BMW M3 Faces Of Against A Dinan Modified 335...Who Wins The Showdown?

So, would it be better to have a sunroof instead of the carbon fibre top on the M3....does it make a difference in performance?

cf roof means:
1) less weight-> lower power to weight ratio/better acceleration/top speed.
2) lower center of gravity-> better handling.

so yes. it would make a difference. whether or not you are going to notice it depends on how good of driver you are and how often you will track the car. on a highway/street driving, i bet you won't notice anything...

A proper, nice review.

This company sells "reviews". It's a marketing fluff piece.

So? Are you telling me car magazine not selling review?

the conclusion of this video was perfect. total logic, no bias. every compario should be done in this order

Dinan 335i > M3

another thing, are the audio clips really necessary? definitely a "corny" idea

So all the money you spend on Dinan upgrades you could really just go purchase the M3 instead.

Your conclusion is wrong. The M3 cost way more for only a slight improvement in performance. The videos conclusion was it's better to buy the Dinan

Ahh, but that M body kit, side vent, rear exhaust, extended leather interior option, carbon fiber roof, carbon leather dash, etc....mmm,mmm, GOOD!

Gotta spend your money on something!

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You can get the M kit on any standard 3 Series for less than $2,000, which is what I'll do if I get a 335. I might also get this Dinan chip. I think Dinan BMWs are far cooler than "M"'s.

S4, I just got the Dinan upgrade on my 335i and the difference is HUGE. I'm feeling a lot more confident taking on some much faster and more exotic cars now. I'm currently at 385hp, 421 lb-ft torque. Including install it came out to $2,500 and my warranty is still good.

One of my buddies thought I'd installed a different engine, because the rush of adrenaline is double what it used to be.

And to make my car alert others, I added the DINAN logo on the left side of the bootlid.

Haven't driven an M3 yet, but I'm 100% satisfied with this mod.

Almost forgot.... to help with traction, I dumped the runflats and put on some ultra sticky, ultra fat Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s on the stock 18 inch Sport Rims. Difference is like night and day.

Wow, awesome. Thanks for letting me know.

How has the Dinan Chip effected your mileage?

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bulldogz ... If you get a Sport Package 335i with 18" wheels, then BMW provides an oil cooler. This will allow you to install a stage 1 or stage 2 dinan chip. In order to get the Stage 3 package, you have to install Dinan's oil cooler. Stage 3 oil cooler is 2x the size and the stock BMW one, plus it costs about $3k to install.

I haven driven both cars, I would go with the M3. In regards to price the gap is only $5k... A 335 coupe with the sports package, Manual gearbox, Premium Package & Heated seats would come to about $46,900 + Dinan Stage 2 w/ dinan oil cooler $13,984 installed = $60,884 vs... stock M3 19" wheels, premium package, heated seats, manual gearbox, aluminum trim = $63,275 .....

M3 hands down.

FYI, all 335i's come with the oil cooler as of early 2007 production.

adone ... no they dont.

Mileage is suffering a little (2-3 mpg less) but it mostly depends on my driving. I'm still using my stock oil cooler since this is not Stage 3. And bulldogz, you are flat out wrong about the DINAN logo, Ive got it.

Once I have time, I'll get some pics taken and post em.

BMW4me4ever, I just confirmed with our Service manager and shop forman that YES all 335i regardless of options have the oil cooler as of last year.

I think you need to get your facts str8 before questioning me in regards to a BMW 335. Open up the hood of a 2008 335 coupe w/ a sport package that has the 18" wheels. You will see the hoses for the Oil Cooler up towards the front of the engine. Now go and pop open the hood on a 2008 335i sedan, 335xi sedan, 335i coupe, 335i conv, 335xi coupe that doesnt have the Sport Package on it. You will notice there are no Oil Cooler hoses on the front part of the engine.

According to BMWNA, the only way a 335 includes the Oil Cooler is with the 18" wheels ( part of the Sports Package ) or with a 6-speed Manual Transmission.

Congrats Chip,

That's well worth it for that money. 2-3 mpg less won't even cross your mind because you'll be too busy enjoying the performance upgrades!

Very... Top Gear-like filming style.

IMHO the Dinan is a much better buy for the Enthusiast, and is a better highway cruiser. The M3 is the car for the Show-off/Track star, or the M fanboy.

I rather get the Dinan 335i for two reasons.

1. Faster performance.
2. Exclusivity of the Dinan 335i over the M3 which will be dime a dozen in a few months.

Case closed.

Case re-opened

But what about resale?

Dinan stuff takes gas on the used market because everyone thinks the warranty is voided (it's not on some of their products) and that it's been driven long and hard.

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This is a reply to agent001 post from below.

As opposed to the M3 not being driven long and hard?
Sorry but everyone knows that the M3 will be more expensive to maintain and wastes more Gas.

As far as resale, if most people keep the car stock looking, which is what I would do, no one could tell that it has been Dinan Modified so the resale should not be affected. If it is affected the difference really will be marginal. There is always a market for everything out there.

This is a reply to agent001 post from below.

As opposed to the M3 not being driven long and hard?
Sorry but everyone knows that the M3 will be more expensive to maintain and wastes more Gas.

As far as resale, if most people keep the car stock looking, which is what I would do, no one could tell that it has been Dinan Modified so the resale should not be affected. If it is affected the difference really will be marginal. There is always a market for everything out there.

bimmerguy ... that is not correct in regards to resale. You will lose the money you invested in the Dinan products in order to get M3 like performance. You do understand that the Stage 3 KIT for a 335 coupe will set you back about $13,500.

I priced out both cars and the difference in cost is only $4k between a stage 3 dinan 335 coupe and a similarly equipped M3 ... M3 all the way

Look for someone who can afford these cars without having to worry about price, etc etc etc I defiantly would much rather get a 335i and upgrade it through Dinan and enjoy the better performance through more power turbo induction. If you have to worry about resale after buying these cars, you definatly should not even be considering one since cars are hardly an investment.

Case Closed.

for $4k more why would i pay for a souped up 335i that still doesnt handle as well as the M3. In regards to affording them. I currently own a 2006 330xi and a 2008 535i. I can hold my own.

more like wheres BMW's R8?

i can make smart comments too if you'd like.

U'll never get the sound or the name of the M3.

Place your priorities in order. Even with all those modifications the Dinan won´t be as good on chasis or materials. The M3 is not only a CF roof, it is spread in all the car providing a lot of rigiditity pluss light weigth, Chasis is also engineered for high performance driving. Of course Dinan is a good performer due brute force, but beyond that point you can´t compare those cars. Definitely it have an excelent engine, in fact I prefer it over the M3 V8 due it perform better on the tracks, but beyond the engine you can´t compare it....M3 is avobe it.

i dont know if this is true but i asked my bmw dealership about the dinan package and they said that they discontinued their relationship with dinan. is this true does anybody know? the dealership was in nj

Believe me, I understand why they came to the conclusion. However, the M3 was quicker through the slalom, quicker on the track, and quicker through the quarter mile. It has a better exhaust note, better seats, and a more aggressive look, yet the Dinan was judged the winner. Ok then...

It all comes down to this. These guys obviously haven't priced M3's. I price the one I want at $56,300. Gee that's $300 more than the modded car.

So it comes down to this:

Having $14,000 to spend, would you rather spend it on Steve Dinan's mods (whom I respect), or would you rather spend your $14k on the Motorsport engineers mods?

Considering that 80% of the parts are different on the M3 versus the 3 series, I think I'd go with the guys who did it from the ground up.

Dinan is great, but he cannot build a car from the ground up the way the M guys can, and do.

If the M3 "you want" is $56K, it's stripped. You can't even get an M3 coupe for that.

>>If the M3 "you want" is $56K, it's stripped. You can't even get an M3 coupe for that.

Alcantara, a moonroof, and the upgraded wheels. That's all I want. Who needs Bluetooth? Ohh, it's a 4 dr.

Why would you even want a moonroof? It restricts headroom and adds weight. On a car like this I wouldn't get it. If you really want an open air experience buy an M3 convertible, or a 335i DINAN ;-)

M3 all the way, and that's from a 335i owner.
Whoever says that would choose a modified 335i over a M3 is heavily biased or never drove the new M3. The way that NA V8 engine sounds and revs, the amazing seats, the stiffness of the body put the M3 in a completely different league vs a 335i. If the 335i would go 0 to 60 in 3 seconds flat I would still take the M3 over it, just for the way it feels and sounds. There is simply no comparison.
Plus of course the resale for a modified 335i is going to be bad in comparison with the M3 especially since there will be plenty of modified BMWs 135i roaming the streets in addition to the 335i which will make the 3 liter twin-turbocharged engine look really common vs the unique high revving V8 masterpiece found in the M3. Come on, we are talking about an M BMW vs a normal production BMW with a few tweaks. Let's stop the BS.

LOL

M3 all the way.
There are so many upgrades in the M: the sports seats are amazing and muuuch better than the 335 sports seats. Leather is softer and nicer. Steering wheel is awesome. You can control ride settings. Like someone mentioned, a fully modified stage 2 335 is not cheap.

so i guess dinan 335i > m3 > gtr > 997 turbo

what a strange bmw fanboy world.

do you need a hug?

DOn't forget the markups on M3s. At my local dealer it is $10k. Makes a $2k Dinan chip sound pretty appealing.

You can buy an M3 for under sticker price. Almost every car on the market has a markup on the sticker but that doesn't mean it actually sells for more than the sticker.

What car do you drive again?

3rd thread I'm asking you from.

I mentioned the 335i in my previous comment. I also have a VW R32 and a Honda S2000.

You drive a Japanese car???