Dinan Supercharger System

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
My M3 has been in the shop since 8/06 due to Dinan's problem with overheating with the intercooled supercharger for the E46. I've spent a fortune for this thing and it has been nothing but trouble. Finally, they have admitted a design defect and are working to correct it, but it will soon be winter here in the Midwest. Yet, they still advertise this product! The dealership has been supportive. I have e-mail and voice mail documentation for all of the above.

Strengths:
Great horsepower.

Weaknesses:
Unusable defectice, high cost waste of time and money.

Price Paid:  $5000.00 from Dealership

Year / Model Reviewed:
1993 BMW 3 Series

Summary:
This is the most complete and trouble-free supercharger kit availible for the E36 3 series, E39 5 Series, and the Z3. BMW. Others out there may make more power but are nowhere near as reliable. This kit in a few forms has been in production since 1996, and Dinan has the kinks worked out. Software is flawless and safe, hardware is excellent. The hardware has been through a few revisions (Originally a Powerdyne supercharger, then a Vortech SQ-V1, and finally a Vortech SQ-V2), and the current version is top notch, using the bulletproof and relatively quiet SQ-V2. It is also the ONLY supercharger kit on the market for a BMW that is 50 State emmissions legal. It's CARB certified, something that can be very important for California residents. Power is exceptional. Since it's a centrifigul supercharger, it builds boost with RPM. That means that the power is very linear, and feels very similar to driving the same car without a blower. No sudden slams of boost like you'd get in a turbo car, just more and more power as the engine turns more RPMs. The only realdownside to the Dinan kit is that it is not intercooled, which can be a bit of an issue for those that like to track their cars, or otherwise spend long periods at high RPM. There's no danger to the car, but horsepower gains drop as the engine gets heat soaked. The Vortech blower can handle up to 20psi, so there's room to make more power with a pully swap.

Strengths:
Bulletproof, CARB certified, excellent dealer network, excellent warranty. Room to expand if you don't mind voiding the Dinan warranty. Stock unit makes about 6psi boost, but a pulley swap can increase that. The V2 is able to handle 20psi, most BMW engines can run reliably at 6-15psi. The trick is charge cooling and proper software tuning.

Weaknesses:
No intercooler, price is on the high side. Competing product for the 3 Series from RMS can make more power at the cost of reliability, and expense. Active Autowerkes has a Rotrex kit that comes with intercooler and oil cooler in the same price range, though it does not have the long history of the Dinan kit.