[Winston Wolf]

Finally.

After spending every day for the last 5 months scouring the forums and reading the countless posts on all the tuning options for the 335 and seeing constant bashing between the supporters of the different tunes, I wanted to finally set the record straight on the Dinan Flash. I decided that Dinan was the best option for me. My profession is in sales and having reliable transportation is a must for me, so keeping my warranty was the most important aspect of my decision. I will not bash any of the other tunes; each person spends their own money and has their own reasons for justification. Many years ago I came to the realization that there will always be a faster car, so having the fastest 335 was not my concern either. I simply wanted to unleash the potential of the 335 without a lot of hassle or worries. Plus, I don’t really care what everyone else does.

First, my impressions of the Dinan tune……..

The flash took 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete, along with an oil change. Car had roughly 2500 miles on it. (now 3k) I did not notice the throatier exhaust note. But I must add that my car has always seemed to exhaust out of both mufflers, since new, at least at idle and while not driving. I do think there is a bit more drone in 6th gear at highway speed though. Not much, and it may be all in my head. You read all these posts and I think some of the stuff you want to then think/believe is really true even when it’s not. Since the flash I have been doing an unusual amount of full throttle accelerating. I did not want to experience the “just keep driving it and it will get better” thing. I was not convinced totally that things would change nor adapt with time. I have not noticed any difference in the car from the time I drove away with the flash until now. It feels the same to me, no adaptation I could feel. My car is a 335xi with a 6 speed manual gear box, for reference. The car definitely is faster and does indeed pull harder in every gear, no surprise. From a standing stop, without abusing the clutch, once the power band kicks in 4 tires will now spin. I could not make the traction control come on pre flash, but now I can. 2nd gear is full of power, as are 3rd and 4th. At low speeds/RPM’s the throttle is a bit mushier. This does not bother me, and I don’t believe it is as bad as some posters have alluded to. The power IS there, a ton more than stock. I still like decent fuel mileage, so I think they have a good balance built in, at least for my taste. At this time, I would not go in for the updated flash. I do feel what others have described as more lag, although I think it is simply that the rush of power is so great that you perceive this as lag when it is not. However, when cruising in 6th gear and quickly flooring the accelerator, you do notice a ¼ second delay and then the boost comes up and it takes off. I would relate this similarly to an old muscle car when the 4 barrels kick in. Slight delay, then bam, your off. There is a noticeably more power in the higher RPM’s and it does not seem to drop off like stock. It wants to rev to the limiter now. The exhaust smells leaner, during the stock dyno pulls, it seemed on the rich side. Overall, drivability is great, street manners are great, and the acceleration and power are great also. Just know that you will have to put the pedal down to the floor or close to it to really feel the power. The oil temp runs around 230 deg. I am happy with the reflash and would certainly do it again. If you’re on the fence and have the money to do it, go for it.

Now the stats……

Mustang AWD Dyno. Located in Burnsville Minnesota, 972 ft above sea level.
Pump 92 octane gasoline. Completely stock. Then, only the Dinan reflash, no other modifications.

My base line dyno: Max Power 250 awhp @ 5570 rpm. Max Torque 260 awtq @ 3285 rpm Max boost of 8 psi

Dinan Flash Dyno: Max Power 302 awhp @ 6200 rpm. Max Torque 329 awtq @ 4200 rpm Max boost of 13.6 psi

Dinan increase of 52 HP and 69 ft lbs TQ and 5.6 psi of Boost at the wheels.

These are uncorrected numbers. The temp was roughly the same both days, in the 40’s outside.

Overall I’m satisfied, and now the community has some hard, concrete, non BS numbers to go off of. I’m sure Dinan supporters will find this helpful and let them justify their decision. Also, I’m sure Dinan haters can now have something to flame about and support their claims of why their tunes are much better.

Enjoy the pics and videos, and thanks to all the posters that helped me decide the way I wanted MY CAR to be.

Stock

Reflash

[e.n335]

Very nice review and documentation, congratulation to the car ! Is there a conversion from awhp to whp resp. awtq to wtq needed ( 250 whp baseline seems a bit low ) ?

[ChaneRZ]

maybe one day i'll convert. we'll see!

[bkswede]

Great work Winston Wolf - this is great information for the community on the xi and the Dinan flash. That's an impressive increase (which will only be more impressive if others are correct in that you'll experience even more power with additional adaptation). Congrats and enjoy your car!

[fedinand]

Thanks for the info and congrats on the flash. Did Ron take care of you at RS motors? He is a good guy....I might have to stop by and see them again. Your car looks great btw..

[T i h o r]

Congrats on the flash. Keep us posted as time goes on and let us know if it gets even better after it adapts.

How's the throttle response and power delivery? Apparently it's supposed to be super smooth like a babies bumb. lol

[devo]

Great review. Those are some very impressive numbers.

I thought that the 2008 cars had to have to ECU sent to Dinan?

[Bubbles]

Have you tried to drive with the DTC button pressed once? Traction control may be contributing to perceived "lag".
Thanks for the effort and review. Great contribution to the community.

[Bubbles]

Originally Posted by devo

Great review. Those are some very impressive numbers.

I thought that the 2008 cars had to have to ECU sent to Dinan?

Most authorized dealers have the '08 cable, so there is no need to send away the ECU.

[devo]

Originally Posted by Bubbles

Most authorized dealers have the '08 cable, so there is no need to send away the ECU.

Thanks.

[ybbiz34]

Winston, thank you very much for the time and effort that you put into that comprehensive review! And of course, congratulations on the Dinan tune. You will grow to love it even more by the day.

[fedinand]

Originally Posted by ybbiz34

Winston, thank you very much for the time and effort that you put into that comprehensive review! And of course, congratulations on the Dinan tune. You will grow to love it even more by the day.

Belated congrats to you...Mr. Moderator

[vase330]

Give it a little time it gets a lot better. Plus you should notice the throatier exhaust. Its very noticeable. Bring on Stage II. When is it going on sale?

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by fedinand

Belated congrats to you...Mr. Moderator

Thank you!

[sparkyg]

Congrats, give it more time and I bet and it will get even better.

I am looking forward to mine improving.

[Potty_Pants]

I got the flash too (on 4/11/08) will post in another message... pretty much everything you've stated + some sillyness with a Dinan reseller/dealer.

ppp

[thekurgan]

I think the perceived lag is more prounounced in the steptronic, but after driving the car for 2 weeks, I'm satisfied and I'll wait to see what other posters say about the upgrade in May. If you're in the city driving most of the time, the upgrade may keep you from hitting the revs to get around. One thing I miss is not having to drop into 5th to pass faster on the highway, which also can be perceived as lag.

[jjlawyer]

Originally Posted by e.n335

Very nice review and documentation, congratulation to the car ! Is there a conversion from awhp to whp resp. awtq to wtq needed ( 250 whp baseline seems a bit low ) ?

250awhp is right on for a base mustang dyno. a 2 wheel drive will not be that far off

[slubu]

Reading this post is the first time I would consider the dinan. But I'm leasing for only 2 years...not sure if it is worth it.

[fedinand]

Originally Posted by jjlawyer

250awhp is right on for a base mustang dyno. a 2 wheel drive will not be that far off

On that same dyno, my old Mazdaspeed 6 (w/ intake and exhaust) put down 221 hp and and 238 ft/lbs (to the wheels), and stock STIs regularly put down low to mid 220s. The 250 is a good baseline on that dyno - it would mean that he is well over 300hp horsepower stock.

[Winston Wolf]

Originally Posted by fedinand

Thanks for the info and congrats on the flash. Did Ron take care of you at RS motors? He is a good guy....I might have to stop by and see them again. Your car looks great btw..

Hey Thanks, Ron did a great job squeezing me in and getting the pulls done. They had a black Acura NSX there I would have loved to take for a spin..... But 60$ for 2 pulls is actually really cheap. I would go back to them again, and if I get some exhaust and a filter, I will probably see what difference that makes too.

[MNR0]

Sh1t man. What ramp rate did he use? 6? It took forever...

Too long for real world conditions