Engine: Dinan bored and stroked the stock 2.5 liter motor to 3 liters, and added a larger Dinan throttle body, Dinan custom chip and Dinan exhaust kit. In adding the supercharger, it was discovered that the supercharger would function only with a variable timing head (Vanos), which was available on 1993 and newer cars. The 1992 325i came with a non-vanos head. Dinan swapped the head on this car, upgrading the head to a Vanos head. The process involved swapping out the ECU, and numerous wiring harnesses, as well as adding a knock sensor, which was not included in the 1992 325. M3 cams were added as well, and along with the Supercharger, brought the power from 189 hp stock to 341 hp. This car is CARB legal. The supercharger is a Dinan stage 1 upgrade. As soon as it becomes available, Dinan will be installing a stage 2 supercharger, bringing the power up to around 400 hp. The stage 2 upgrade involves adding an intercooler, which will be located behind the front mesh grill between the foglights in the front bumper.
The supercharger has thus far been reliable for me. However, other owners have had problems with the early installations. The early installations had internal bearing problems caused by excessive heat. This made itself known if one used the car on the track. The combination of high revs and high temperature caused the bearings to fail. As an fyi, Dinan uses Powerdyne superchargers. The fix was to use different bearings that could withstand the high temperature, and putting vent holes where the internal supercharger belts are. The vent holes allowed air to cool the internals of the supercharger. If ones does not "push" the supercharger all the time, this problem will not make itself known. Since my car is used on the street and sometimes for autocrossing, it has not failed yet. I'm told by Dinan that should the unit fail, it will be covered under warranty by Powerdyne. An upgrade to the stage two supercharger will also involve updating any older unit with the new bearings and vent holes. Current installations of the stage one supercharger incorporate the bearing and vent upgrades. I'm told that no units have failed with the upgrades.
UPDATE: My supercharger suffered a bearing failure 4 weeks ago (February 21, 1999) after a hard run at an autocross. The car still ran, but there was a high pitched noise from the supercharger and no boost was present. Dinan replaced the failed supercharger (old style), with the updated style as explained above. A new chip program was also installed, which resulted in boost being available lower in the rev range. The car drives as before, but has more power down lower in the rev range due to the new chip program.
Suspension, wheels, and brakes: This car has a Dinan stage 3 suspension, which includes Koni adjustable shocks, and Dinan 17 x 8 inch wheels, with 245 40VR 17 Yokohama AVS. A Dinan front shock tower brace and rear trunk brace has also been added. The front brakes are Dinan M3 Floating rotors and calipers. Prior to installing the floating rotors, I had Brembo rotors and calipers. If my experience is any indication, I would recommend against using Brembos. I know they are advertised quite a bit in the Roundel, Road and Track, European Car, and other magazines. However, my Brembo rotors warped after a few thousand miles and the replacements warped again after three thousand miles. The Brembo rotors are drilled out to reduce heat buildup, but I suspect they use a softer metal or alloy to make the rotors. For $2000 a set, they should have certainly lasted much longer then they did. Because they are drilled out, the rotors cannot be resurfaced. So, while Brembos look "cool" from a visual viewpoint, go with function here and upgrade to the floating rotors if you need a brake upgrade.
I have not had any rubbing problems with the 17 inch tire and rim combination. I did have 255s once and they did rub on the rear. The camber had to be adjusted (toed in) to eliminate the rub, but of course, they created abnormal wear on the inner portion of the tires. The end result is the tires did not last very long. So, in upgrading, stick with 245s as the upper limit on size.
Body: The body kit is an actual BMW M3 kit. There were no problems installing this kit since it was a factory body kit. It was pretty much bolt on. There are BMP Carbon Fiber trim pieces on the door pillars, handles, and "twin kidney" in front grill.
Interior: Recaro leather seats, BMP short shift kit, BMP gauge panel with VDO gauges, CFT carbon fiber dash kit, Momo carbon fiber look knob and boot. Motorola Microtac Cell phone cradle.
Stereo/Navigation System: Alpine CVA 1000 headunit with 12 disc changer mounted in trunk. MB Quart speakers in front door, ADS speakers in rear deck, two Pioneer 12 inch open air subs. ADS PH 15 amp with ADS 645 crossover, Alpine ERA-G320 Sound Field Processor, Alpine Navigation system with in-dash popup display.
Two interior shots. In the first, you can see the Alpine CVA 1000 headunit open. In the second picture, the unit is closed. You can also see the CFT carbon fiber dash kit, the phone, and the BMP gauge panel with the VDO gauges. The VDO gauges going from left to right are oil temperature, boost, and oil pressure.
New Items: I just recently added the Dinan lightweight flywheel and clutch assembly. The lightweight flywheel reduces unsprung weight and makes acceleration response immediate. This is very apparent under hard acceleration and in fourth and fifth gears while on the freeway. The lightweight flywheel and clutch upgrade is a good combination with the supercharger and makes it very easy to go fast quickly and effortlessly! I certainly recommend it.
The above picture shows the latest addition to the car, Milos Klacko's carbon fiber shift console piece. This two piece kit is easy to install and gives the interior the final touch. It looks great by itself or with the rest of the kit. Highly recommended. If you like what you see, email Milos (milos@bigfoot.com) to get one for yourself!
Vendors:
150 South Whisman
Mountain View, Ca 94041 (650) 962-9401 (Supercharger, all performance parts and installation)
Autobahn Body and Paint
778 Yuba Drive
Mountain View, Ca 94041 (650) 966-1840 (Body Kit painting and installation)
3208 Park Center Dr.
Tyler, Tx, 75701 (800) 648-7278 (VDO gauges, carbon fiber external parts, Momo shift knob)
Peter's Auto Radio
2128 Lombard Street
San Francisco, Ca (650) 567-4678 (Stereo and Navigation System)
