Has anyone used the Dinan Springs?

[KinoBoom]

Has anyone used the Dinan Springs and how do you compare them to the stock sport suspension and other springs out there. I am seriously considering them.

Thank you.

[GaryS]

I test drove a Dinan 335i. The springs look almost identical to the BMW Performance springs on my car, but I thought it felt a little stiffer. The Dinan rep said he thought so too. Maybe it was just firmer shocks, I don't know. Be sure to replace the bump stops with something shorter like E52 Z8 bump stops.

[KinoBoom]

Originally Posted by GaryS

I test drove a Dinan 335i. The springs look almost identical to the BMW Performance springs on my car, but I thought it felt a little stiffer. The Dinan rep said he thought so too. Maybe it was just firmer shocks, I don't know. Be sure to replace the bump stops with something shorter like E52 Z8 bump stops.

Thanks.
Did it feel a lot better than stock ride? they say on the Dinan site that it gets ride of body roll. I hate the feel of the stock suspension and wish it was a lot stiffer.

[GaryS]

The car I drove had a Dinan stage 3 suspension, which is Dinan springs, bump stops, shocks, rear shock mounts, camber plates, and front swaybar. It also had the Dinan high performance bushings, which is M3 front control arms and rear subframe bushings. It felt great - much firmer than stock, with very little roll and no bounce. Based on my experience with my car, I think the Dinan suspension without the M3 rear subframe bushings would probably still bounce a little over bumps at the back. I don't think the camber plates are important for street.

[MastaMind]

Originally Posted by GaryS

The car I drove had a Dinan stage 3 suspension, which is Dinan springs, bump stops, shocks, rear shock mounts, camber plates, and front swaybar. It also had the Dinan high performance bushings, which is M3 front control arms and rear subframe bushings. It felt great - much firmer than stock, with very little roll and no bounce. Based on my experience with my car, I think the Dinan suspension without the M3 rear subframe bushings would probably still bounce a little over bumps at the back. I don't think the camber plates are important for street.

Gary, you're pretty much dead on with your assessment.

My 135 has Dinan springs, bumpstops, standard Koni Sports/Yellows (non Dinan spec), M3 front control arms, front sway and rear subframe bushings. I don't have the Dinan camber plates, but I do have the M3 wishbones. It's definitely firmer than stock, but it's not, IMO, too harsh or unlivable.

Even after new springs and dampers, I still wasn't satisfied with the way the rear behaved. As Gary alluded to in his post, the rear subframe bushings are needed to keep it planted, regardless of spring/damper choice.

[KinoBoom]

Originally Posted by MastaMind

Gary, you're pretty much dead on with your assessment.

My 135 has Dinan springs, bumpstops, standard Koni Sports/Yellows (non Dinan spec), M3 front control arms, front sway and rear subframe bushings. I don't have the Dinan camber plates, but I do have the M3 wishbones. It's definitely firmer than stock, but it's not, IMO, too harsh or unlivable.

Even after new springs and dampers, I still wasn't satisfied with the way the rear behaved. As Gary alluded to in his post, the rear subframe bushings are needed to keep it planted, regardless of spring/damper choice.

Thank you for the information.
Is this a better route then AST coilovers with 600F/800R springs????

[Focusedintntions]

I would guess the AST setup would be better than the dinan setup... Best bet would be to talk to Harold at HP...

[MastaMind]

Originally Posted by KinoBoom

Thank you for the information.
Is this a better route then AST coilovers with 600F/800R springs????

It's difficult to quantify what's "better" when dealing with this type of stuff. What are you going to be using your car for? Do you do a lot of track time or do you mainly drive on the street? Do you need the extra adjustments that coilovers provide?

I'm sure that, from a technical standpoint, the AST coilovers are "better" for a track oriented person. I ran Koni Yellows and Ground Control coilover sleeves on my old daily driver, and I knew that I did not need the extra adjustments for the 135. On my old car, I treated it like a Ronco oven: set it and forget it.

Originally Posted by Focusedintntions

I would guess the AST setup would be better than the dinan setup... Best bet would be to talk to Harold at HP...

I second talking to HPA, and also talk to Dinan. Keep in mind that vendors will always try and sell you what they carry. Be honest with yourself about what you want out of the car and do research here on 1addicts. Then, you should be capable of coming to your own conclusions about which way to go.


Note: I am not a suspension guru and the above is just my opinion.

[fboutlaw]

I have the Dinan S2 suspension with vorschlag camber plates. It transforms the car. In california I wish I stuck with stock springs for daily driving as the roads suck so much, but for track/autox they are set well.

[KinoBoom]

Originally Posted by fboutlaw

I have the Dinan S2 suspension with vorschlag camber plates. It transforms the car. In california I wish I stuck with stock springs for daily driving as the roads suck so much, but for track/autox they are set well.

This is good news then, I want a stiffer ride than I got right now. Thanks for sharing.

[GaryS]

Afaik you need the stiffer springs and swaybar if you want to get rid of the body roll. If you just hate the bouncing, replacing the shocks should be enough.

[MilehighM3]

I also have the Dinan suspension, as well as the M3 front control arms, guide rods and convertible sway bar. Our back the upper control arms, guide rods and sub frame bushings. The Dinan suspension is pretty decent, ride is firmer than stock but better ride quality IMO. The car gas a lot of body roll with wider and stickier than stock tires on it. Even with them set to full stiff. I think if you're more of a track junky that coil overs are in order. More of a street junky, the Dinan or perhaps the BMW PS might be an option as well. You can't really compare the 335 susp to the 135. All cars are completely different ride quality wise. My 1 isn't anything like my E36 or E46 M's were with Dinan set ups on them. Best to ride in a car with the suspension you want on it if possible. Best if luck in your choice!

[KinoBoom]

Originally Posted by Bmw135er

I also have the Dinan suspension, as well as the M3 front control arms, guide rods and convertible sway bar. Our back the upper control arms, guide rods and sub frame bushings. The Dinan suspension is pretty decent, ride is firmer than stock but better ride quality IMO. The car gas a lot of body roll with wider and stickier than stock tires on it. Even with them set to full stiff. I think if you're more of a track junky that coil overs are in order. More of a street junky, the Dinan or perhaps the BMW PS might be an option as well. You can't really compare the 335 susp to the 135. All cars are completely different ride quality wise. My 1 isn't anything like my E36 or E46 M's were with Dinan set ups on them. Best to ride in a car with the suspension you want on it if possible. Best if luck in your choice!

Thanks for the info. I'm leaning more and more towards a coilover set. I'm going to give HPA a call first thing next week.

[fboutlaw]

Originally Posted by KinoBoom

Thanks for the info. I'm leaning more and more towards a coilover set. I'm going to give HPA a call first thing next week.

Not a bad idea.

I've ridden in a bunch of 1's at autox's all with different mod levels. None with coil-overs because the people that get them never end up as performance drivers.

Synopsis:
Springs - Dinan and BMW PS are stiffer than stock. They quicken the speed at which your car will react to a bump and how far it leans in a corner.
Shocks - Koni's - Adjust the rate at which your car damps out a bump. Faster lets you react to new things more quickly, slower = more comfort.
Sway bar - Tries to keep the car level. Works with springs to control the lean in corners and reaction to bumps on 1 side of the car.
Coil-overs - shocks and springs in 1 setup. Allow for high adjustability, but also eases the amount at which you can be off if you screw up.
All the other suspension bits - control the amount of force transferred from wheels into the car. 1's come with weak bushings on all joints for high comfort. You can stiffen these up or replace with ball joints to tighten up feel (transfer more force into the car).

Bang for the buck here's what I would do:
Essential:
- Front Sway bar
- Increased tire widths in performance tires
- Car Control Clinic driver class
- AutoX events
Nice to have (when you're car is to blame for you losing AutoX):
- Adjustable Camber plates
- Wider tires
- Adjustable Shocks
- Springs
- Higher friction brakes
- HPDE driver schools
Race Ready (when you feel like you're maxing out HPDE):
- Replace bushings and suspension bits
- Limited Slip Diff
- Rear Sway bar
- Coil overs
- r-comp tires

I know I went overkill with this reply, but I plan on copy/pasting it in the future.

[MilehighM3]

Ah yes the LSD. I didn't mention that earlier, isn't want to get too off track. I have one as well and have been considering upgrading the rear sway bar, but my car has a bit of understeer on acceleration. Not sure how this will make things, better or worse. I know the M3 rear sway is considerably larger than the stock 135 sport bar. I'd hate to make more understeer after all the work of installation of that bad boy... No way I would install one w/out an LSD tho, don't want a crazy 1 tire fire machine....

[KinoBoom]

Originally Posted by Bmw135er

Ah yes the LSD. I didn't mention that earlier, isn't want to get too off track. I have one as well and have been considering upgrading the rear sway bar, but my car has a bit of understeer on acceleration. Not sure how this will make things, better or worse. I know the M3 rear sway is considerably larger than the stock 135 sport bar. I'd hate to make more understeer after all the work of installation of that bad boy... No way I would install one w/out an LSD tho, don't want a crazy 1 tire fire machine....

I think, from what I have experienced, you don't want your car too sprung; This and the spring rate has to be somewhat relative to other mods like tire width and sway bar width. the only way I can go custom is by having the ability to choose the spring rate on the go and adjust it as needed. Another reason why I may have to just go with Coilovers.

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by KinoBoom

I think, from what I have experienced, you don't want your car too sprung; This and the spring rate has to be somewhat relative to other mods like tire width and sway bar width. the only way I can go custom is by having the ability to choose the spring rate on the go and adjust it as needed. Another reason why I may have to just go with Coilovers.

I wish that I had gone with coil overs. I was just too worried about the longevity of them on the rough roads where I live. I would definitely go with adjustable dampening. PSS10 or KW V3 possibly on the next go round...

[KinoBoom]

Originally Posted by Bmw135er

I wish that I had gone with coil overs. I was just too worried about the longevity of them on the rough roads where I live. I would definitely go with adjustable dampening. PSS10 or KW V3 possibly on the next go round...

I had the PSS10's on my 997 C4S and they were great. Never used the KW's but I hear good things about them.
The best set I ever had was a moton kit with heavy rate springs (600F 900R) on my 997 TT and it was just flat out amazing!!! Wish I can afford it now I would so go back to that set up.

[Swadeness]

I am also going to go with a combination of Dinan springs and the standard Koni yellows. For me I think they will be the best compromise between performance and drop without having to go with coilovers. I originally was planning on going with the Eibachs because I thought the drop was perfect. But based on some reading and advice I got on here I don't think the Eibachs would have given much if any performance gain. From the pictures I have seen the drop with the Dinan's is closer to an inch than the half inch advertised which is perfect for me. The Dinan springs are probably a little stiffer than the Performance springs but I don't think anybody has done an actual comparison of the spring rates.