BMW Dinan S3-R M3 ***Pic's & Info***
12-19-2006, 10:03 PM
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BMW Dinan S3-R M3 ***Pic's & Info***
•Layout
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
•Engine
3.2-liter inline six, dohc, four valves per cylinder, supercharged and intercooled Dinan S3-R supercharger package [Vortech supercharger, front-mount intercooler with integrated automatic fan, high-flow cold-air intake, high-capacity aluminum radiator and oil cooler, high-capacity fuel pressure regulator and injectors, Dinan software]
•Transmission
Six-speed manual, 3.91:1 limited-slip differential
•Suspension
Dinan springs, adjustable JRZ dampers, adjustable front anti-roll bar, adjustable front camber plates, front and rear shock tower braces
•Brakes
Dinan/Brembo calipers, vented and slotted rotors, Ferodo pads, Goodridge braided lines
•Wheels and Tires
Dinan alloys, 9.5x19 (f) 10x19 (r)
Michelin Pilot Sport 2, 275/30-19 (f) 285/30-19 (r)
•Performance
Peak Power: 462 bhp at 8000 rpm
Peak Torque: 328 lb-ft at 5500 rpm
0-60 mph: 4.3 sec.
Top Speed: 189 mph
When we last visited Dinan to test its supercharged M5, we noticed a black M3 sitting in one of the workshop bays with an experimental supercharger installation attached to its motor. It was not until nearly a year later that Dinan declared the S3-M3 engine project officially 49-state emissions legal and ready to roll, with California emissions certification just around the corner. The complete car with engine, chassis, and wheel and tire modifications is known as the Dinan S3-R M3.
From past experience, we can attest to the fact that Steve Dinan does not do things by half. He has built up his company slowly and steadily over the years, and today this organization has visibly more research, development, and testing resources than just about any other American tuner of European cars. Dinan makes a lot of its components in-house, where it can keep a very close eye on quality control. In fact, Dinan fabricates everything on this car on-site, apart from the springs, anti-roll bars, and brake components.
The basis of the Dinan conversion is a Vortech gear-driven supercharger, attached to the motor by CNC aluminum and steel mounting brackets for rigidity and precise drive-belt alignment. An automatic belt tensioner ensures consistent drive. A high-efficiency intercooler, high-flow cold-air intake system, 1.5mm larger-diameter throttle bodies, larger fuel-injectors, and free-flow exhaust are added. More power means more heat, and Dinan replaced the factory radiator with its plastic top and bottom tanks with a 35 percent larger capacity race-spec aluminum unit, as well as adding a larger oil cooler.
ECU recalibration for forced aspiration is not easy, since the program has to control not only fueling and ignition but also the drive-by-wire throttle, double VANOS, and a host of other functions. The software adjustments have been carried out to perfection, including losing the top speed limiter. The OBD II functions also work correctly with the new parameters, so no check lights come on and the factory diagnostic systems remain intact.
At 5.5 psi, boost pressure is relatively low and indeed has to be considering the high 11.5:1 compression ratio. Nonetheless, the gains are impressive. Power moves up from 333 bhp at 7900 rpm to 462 bhp at 8000 rpm and peak torque climbs from 262 lb-ft at 4900 rpm to 328 lb-ft at 5500 rpm.
The zero-to-60-mph time of 4.3 seconds and zero-to-100-mph in 10 flat are matched by a claimed 189 mph top speed, but as top speed is an autobahn thing, one component not normally changed by European tuners is the final drive. With relatively low speed limits in the United States, it is more important to go from zero to 100 mph very rapidly, and Dinan does a roaring trade in lower final drives. The only real downside is a fuel consumption of 17 mpg, since it is hard not to constantly dip into the rich powerband.
Replacing the stock 3.64:1 diff with Dinan’s 3.91:1 limited-slip unit effectively delivers 7.4 percent more torque to the rear wheels, further enhancing acceleration both from a standing start and on the fly. Part of the ECU software reprogramming raises the rev limit slightly in the first two gears so that the car can reach 60 mph in second gear.
Exhaust notes are a subjective thing, and while some like the high frequency rasp and tizz of the factory M3 silencer, we prefer a deeper, more baritone straight-six soundtrack. In full battle cry, the Dinan sport exhaust has just such a deep voice. Overlaid by a slight whistle from the supercharger and the roaring fan attached to the intercooler core up front, this totally changes the aural character of the car to something more seriously weapons grade.
“We had many requests from customers for a new rear box to get rid of the tinny rasp the stock one makes under acceleration,” Dinan tells us. “In flow testing, we quickly learned that the factory cross-flow design was a power loser. Our replacement unit sends the gases straight through two of the outlets, but since you could never sell an M3 exhaust without four big outlets, the second pair are dummies.”
Dinan found that increasing the size of the front tires to 275/30-19, matched to the 285/30-19 tires at the rear, significantly reduces understeer. Consider this: The standard front rubber is 225/45-19, so there is now 50mm more rubber on the road at each front corner. In parenthesis, the rears go up by just 30mm per corner over stock, so the influence of the wider front rubber is significant, noticeably improving front-end bite and reducing the car’s inherent understeer most evident in slow and medium speed bends when you are pushing hard.
The 9.5x19- and 10x19-inch alloy wheels are Dinan’s own. forged for exceptional strength and lightness, at 19.8 pounds, they weigh about 4.4 pounds less than the same-size offerings from certain other respected manufacturers. Steve Dinan believes that road cars need decent spring travel and as near perfect as possible relationship with damper rates to work on public roads. This is why you will never see a Dinan car looking like an escaped DTM racer. “Not only do you limit spring travel by lowering a car too much, you will also run into problems with the larger rubber touching the wheel housings and suspension components when you are cornering hard and bottoming out on bumps,” Dinan explains.
Although Dinan’s springs are stiffer than the factory ones, matching to the specially valved JRZ dampers is well nigh perfect. These dampers are 12-point adjustable for bounce and rebound. While you would never describe the ride as being anything other than taut, the secondary ride is good enough to take the sting out of short, sharp bumps. On the sinuous and undulating hill roads near Dinan HQ, we found a measure of progression and control that goes beyond the factory suspension, and if anything, suspension performance seems to get better the harder you push the car.
All the suspension experts we have ever spoken to agree that anti-roll bars should only be used for fine-tuning. Dinan leaves the factory rear bar unchanged but swaps the front bar for a larger adjustable one. Normally a larger front bar promotes understeer, but this is mitigated by a combination of the wider front tires, the relationship between the new front and rear spring rates, softer low speed damper settings, and more negative camber with -1 degree front and -5 degrees rear. Dinan use camber plates on the front top shock mounts to achieve its settings and a strut brace to improve rigidity. A rear shock tower brace is optional for the really hardcore drive, although that admittedly eats into trunk space.
Dinan’s big brake kit is made by Brembo and uses 14.9-inch and 13.6-inch slotted, vented floating discs with aluminum bells front and rear. The four-pot alloy calipers with Ferodo pads are plumbed in to the factory brake wear sensors. As you would expect, the brake pipes are Goodridge metal hoses.
All that extra power and torque would create a point-and-squirt scenario in many other cars, but with its upgraded chassis abilities, the Dinan M3 feels totally at home with its newfound power. In combination with the extra front-end bite, this setup enables effective deployment of the extra power and torque, and the M3 was devastatingly fast on the demanding hilly roads where we drove it.
That said, there is more than enough power to wag the tail at will now, so the best way to keep things neat and tidy is to moderate your entry speed, establish a neutral balance on constant throttle right up to the apex, and then steadily increase throttle, unwinding the wheel as you add power on your way out of the bend.
The resulting strong lunge for the horizon really gets into its stride once you are pointing down the straight with the throttle pedal buried in the carpet and the rapid build-up in speed is simply intoxicating.
As we trickled into Dinan’s car park at the end of our hard run, we considered what the Dinan S3-R M3 represents. For $42,500 for a full spec conversion on top of the base car, you get a very comprehensively re-engineered M3 that bears comparison with much more expensive supercars and many of the best tuner cars we have tested over the years.
In Germany, a tuner this size and with Dinan’s technical abilities would be able to apply for manufacturer status and thus be eligible to apply its own engine and chassis numbers to its cars. Dinan has been called America’s answer to Alpina, and we’d have no hesitation in drinking to that.
European Car Web
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
•Engine
3.2-liter inline six, dohc, four valves per cylinder, supercharged and intercooled Dinan S3-R supercharger package [Vortech supercharger, front-mount intercooler with integrated automatic fan, high-flow cold-air intake, high-capacity aluminum radiator and oil cooler, high-capacity fuel pressure regulator and injectors, Dinan software]
•Transmission
Six-speed manual, 3.91:1 limited-slip differential
•Suspension
Dinan springs, adjustable JRZ dampers, adjustable front anti-roll bar, adjustable front camber plates, front and rear shock tower braces
•Brakes
Dinan/Brembo calipers, vented and slotted rotors, Ferodo pads, Goodridge braided lines
•Wheels and Tires
Dinan alloys, 9.5x19 (f) 10x19 (r)
Michelin Pilot Sport 2, 275/30-19 (f) 285/30-19 (r)
•Performance
Peak Power: 462 bhp at 8000 rpm
Peak Torque: 328 lb-ft at 5500 rpm
0-60 mph: 4.3 sec.
Top Speed: 189 mph
When we last visited Dinan to test its supercharged M5, we noticed a black M3 sitting in one of the workshop bays with an experimental supercharger installation attached to its motor. It was not until nearly a year later that Dinan declared the S3-M3 engine project officially 49-state emissions legal and ready to roll, with California emissions certification just around the corner. The complete car with engine, chassis, and wheel and tire modifications is known as the Dinan S3-R M3.
From past experience, we can attest to the fact that Steve Dinan does not do things by half. He has built up his company slowly and steadily over the years, and today this organization has visibly more research, development, and testing resources than just about any other American tuner of European cars. Dinan makes a lot of its components in-house, where it can keep a very close eye on quality control. In fact, Dinan fabricates everything on this car on-site, apart from the springs, anti-roll bars, and brake components.
The basis of the Dinan conversion is a Vortech gear-driven supercharger, attached to the motor by CNC aluminum and steel mounting brackets for rigidity and precise drive-belt alignment. An automatic belt tensioner ensures consistent drive. A high-efficiency intercooler, high-flow cold-air intake system, 1.5mm larger-diameter throttle bodies, larger fuel-injectors, and free-flow exhaust are added. More power means more heat, and Dinan replaced the factory radiator with its plastic top and bottom tanks with a 35 percent larger capacity race-spec aluminum unit, as well as adding a larger oil cooler.
ECU recalibration for forced aspiration is not easy, since the program has to control not only fueling and ignition but also the drive-by-wire throttle, double VANOS, and a host of other functions. The software adjustments have been carried out to perfection, including losing the top speed limiter. The OBD II functions also work correctly with the new parameters, so no check lights come on and the factory diagnostic systems remain intact.
At 5.5 psi, boost pressure is relatively low and indeed has to be considering the high 11.5:1 compression ratio. Nonetheless, the gains are impressive. Power moves up from 333 bhp at 7900 rpm to 462 bhp at 8000 rpm and peak torque climbs from 262 lb-ft at 4900 rpm to 328 lb-ft at 5500 rpm.
The zero-to-60-mph time of 4.3 seconds and zero-to-100-mph in 10 flat are matched by a claimed 189 mph top speed, but as top speed is an autobahn thing, one component not normally changed by European tuners is the final drive. With relatively low speed limits in the United States, it is more important to go from zero to 100 mph very rapidly, and Dinan does a roaring trade in lower final drives. The only real downside is a fuel consumption of 17 mpg, since it is hard not to constantly dip into the rich powerband.
Replacing the stock 3.64:1 diff with Dinan’s 3.91:1 limited-slip unit effectively delivers 7.4 percent more torque to the rear wheels, further enhancing acceleration both from a standing start and on the fly. Part of the ECU software reprogramming raises the rev limit slightly in the first two gears so that the car can reach 60 mph in second gear.
Exhaust notes are a subjective thing, and while some like the high frequency rasp and tizz of the factory M3 silencer, we prefer a deeper, more baritone straight-six soundtrack. In full battle cry, the Dinan sport exhaust has just such a deep voice. Overlaid by a slight whistle from the supercharger and the roaring fan attached to the intercooler core up front, this totally changes the aural character of the car to something more seriously weapons grade.
“We had many requests from customers for a new rear box to get rid of the tinny rasp the stock one makes under acceleration,” Dinan tells us. “In flow testing, we quickly learned that the factory cross-flow design was a power loser. Our replacement unit sends the gases straight through two of the outlets, but since you could never sell an M3 exhaust without four big outlets, the second pair are dummies.”
Dinan found that increasing the size of the front tires to 275/30-19, matched to the 285/30-19 tires at the rear, significantly reduces understeer. Consider this: The standard front rubber is 225/45-19, so there is now 50mm more rubber on the road at each front corner. In parenthesis, the rears go up by just 30mm per corner over stock, so the influence of the wider front rubber is significant, noticeably improving front-end bite and reducing the car’s inherent understeer most evident in slow and medium speed bends when you are pushing hard.
The 9.5x19- and 10x19-inch alloy wheels are Dinan’s own. forged for exceptional strength and lightness, at 19.8 pounds, they weigh about 4.4 pounds less than the same-size offerings from certain other respected manufacturers. Steve Dinan believes that road cars need decent spring travel and as near perfect as possible relationship with damper rates to work on public roads. This is why you will never see a Dinan car looking like an escaped DTM racer. “Not only do you limit spring travel by lowering a car too much, you will also run into problems with the larger rubber touching the wheel housings and suspension components when you are cornering hard and bottoming out on bumps,” Dinan explains.
Although Dinan’s springs are stiffer than the factory ones, matching to the specially valved JRZ dampers is well nigh perfect. These dampers are 12-point adjustable for bounce and rebound. While you would never describe the ride as being anything other than taut, the secondary ride is good enough to take the sting out of short, sharp bumps. On the sinuous and undulating hill roads near Dinan HQ, we found a measure of progression and control that goes beyond the factory suspension, and if anything, suspension performance seems to get better the harder you push the car.
All the suspension experts we have ever spoken to agree that anti-roll bars should only be used for fine-tuning. Dinan leaves the factory rear bar unchanged but swaps the front bar for a larger adjustable one. Normally a larger front bar promotes understeer, but this is mitigated by a combination of the wider front tires, the relationship between the new front and rear spring rates, softer low speed damper settings, and more negative camber with -1 degree front and -5 degrees rear. Dinan use camber plates on the front top shock mounts to achieve its settings and a strut brace to improve rigidity. A rear shock tower brace is optional for the really hardcore drive, although that admittedly eats into trunk space.
Dinan’s big brake kit is made by Brembo and uses 14.9-inch and 13.6-inch slotted, vented floating discs with aluminum bells front and rear. The four-pot alloy calipers with Ferodo pads are plumbed in to the factory brake wear sensors. As you would expect, the brake pipes are Goodridge metal hoses.
All that extra power and torque would create a point-and-squirt scenario in many other cars, but with its upgraded chassis abilities, the Dinan M3 feels totally at home with its newfound power. In combination with the extra front-end bite, this setup enables effective deployment of the extra power and torque, and the M3 was devastatingly fast on the demanding hilly roads where we drove it.
That said, there is more than enough power to wag the tail at will now, so the best way to keep things neat and tidy is to moderate your entry speed, establish a neutral balance on constant throttle right up to the apex, and then steadily increase throttle, unwinding the wheel as you add power on your way out of the bend.
The resulting strong lunge for the horizon really gets into its stride once you are pointing down the straight with the throttle pedal buried in the carpet and the rapid build-up in speed is simply intoxicating.
As we trickled into Dinan’s car park at the end of our hard run, we considered what the Dinan S3-R M3 represents. For $42,500 for a full spec conversion on top of the base car, you get a very comprehensively re-engineered M3 that bears comparison with much more expensive supercars and many of the best tuner cars we have tested over the years.
In Germany, a tuner this size and with Dinan’s technical abilities would be able to apply for manufacturer status and thus be eligible to apply its own engine and chassis numbers to its cars. Dinan has been called America’s answer to Alpina, and we’d have no hesitation in drinking to that.
European Car Web
12-20-2006, 08:15 AM
#5
Average GTcars Poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 466
Rep Power: 647
Originally Posted by Fabius
with all that money spent... better rims are needed.
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