[chonko]

Originally Posted by Kanuc

I've had this upgrade in my 2009 X6 50i for about 10 days. Here are my thoughts.

Background: I've had this BMW since January 2010 - bought it lightly used. Has performed near-flawlessly. Beautiful machine. I drive largely city (90%), much of it rush hour. But I do let out for bursts, either in traffic or on highway or small roads.

My only problem is the accessibility of all of that factory-spec power. In "regular" transmission mode, there is a noticeable/annoying lag and the transmission gears down to access the power. So, not easily accessible and lotsa transmission work. Works fine for 90% of the time though. BMW are no dummies and they set it up pretty much right. In "sport" transmission mode, the power is more available. That factory setting makes this vehicle a beast!

But I want more, so having read lots of good things about Dinan in general, plus being attracted to the Dinan warranty side of things (and the fact that the upgrade is on sale to the eo 2010), I decided to get the upgrade.

How it went: Unlike "dmlgc" who got the factory performance upgrade, I did not have any issues - at least nothing yet. I suspect that it took all of 30 minutes. I was explained that they set up an appointment with Dinan, download the latest code from Dinan to their computers (done by Calgary BMW, an official reseller for Dinan), and then do the upgrade to my car. No mechanical intervention whatsoever - this is a USB-type fix.

Impressions: My simple take is this: The old factory "sport" transmission is now the the new Dinan "regular" setting - same feeling of power. A bit less hunting and pecking by the transmission when you floor it. But still laggy. Turbos? The Calgary BMW rep for Dinan said this mode would be enough for me, but he is wrong (or easily satisfied).

The Dinan "sport" setting is something else. It is often instantly available power. Essentially, I see the transmission down a gear (as was for factory settings), 1000+RPM higher than normal mode at same speed. Power is more available from starts and also when in motion. But not always - I dunno, can't put my finger on it.

Mileage is about 10% worse than before - depends how much you push the X6.

Am I happy - it's OK. I expected more. I wanted that juice available right there when I hit the gas. Sometimes it feels like the gas pedal is sending a slow fax to the engine. I don't feel that the extra HP and torque is always reliably available to me, and the max power is only available in pretty "outlier" situations: you need to go find it, at high range of RPM for instance.

Maybe there will be a tweak to the Stage 1 code to make things better. Maybe Dinan just tease you enough to want Stage 2...

Conclusion: Grade "B" (7/10). I expected more "magic". But when Stage 2 comes out, I will probably get it - but I'll ask a lot more questions.

How much did you pay?