BMW F87 M2 – DINAN’ized
Today’s modern, or new generation manufactured cars are coming more and more optimized. Therefore, the thinking is there is less that needs to be modified. You want bigger brakes, more power, different seats, different suspension, additional upgraded body parts…many of the car manufacturers now offer these as options at the time of the order, or they come optioned that way. Think back to 2010, Porsche issues the new 997.2 GT3…the aftermarket world produced all sorts of features, options, upgrades for this car to make it all that it could be. Reflect now on the new 991.2 GT3…amazing horsepower, sport seat options, different suspensions, different body elements…all can be ordered w the car. For the GT3, very little needs to be done.
Same w BMW…back before 2010, DINAN was the upgrade option, and it came with a BMW warranty. Enter 2010, BMW decided to get into the market itself, and produce M Performance parts that can be ordered with almost all BMW models. More horsepower, different wheels, body parts, carbon fiber elements, even coil-over suspension…which had been a “no-no” policy before for manufacturers.
So, when BMW brought the new F87 M2 to market, most of the aftermarket suppliers waited to see what this car would be about….at least, most of the aftermarket suppliers. Not so with DINAN and Vorsteiner…they saw the need, the opportunity, and jumped in with both feet. Most have herarlded the new M2 as the return of the true “drivers” car in the BMW heritage…so, is there an opportunity here?
You bet! And that was just the opening we needed to explore….so, here we have a BMW F87 M2 with the intended objective to add more HorsePower, and to add more body styling elements.
The most trusted name in the market for HP for BMWs has been DINAN, and they have a full palette of options for the M2. Intake, Intercooler, software / tune, upgraded turbo’s, exhaust…just what you need to optimize horsepower. Then, if you want the best looking parts to enhance the look of your car, look to Vorsteiner….ART defined.
We will list the DINAN upgrades in a way that a customer could take advantage of them in steps, you don’t have to do it all…you can take it piece, as they not only work individually to add to the puzzle of more power, but they also compliment each other to produce a bigger whole.
SOFTWARE / TUNE
There are two approaches in the market as to how to implement a software upgrade, or a “tune”, to gain more power. You have the “flash” implementation, and you have the “piggy-back” implementations. Not always are both available for all cars. For the M2, at the time of this project, the only implementations were the “piggy-back” options. This means you have a wiring harness and controller. The wiring harness is inserted at several of the sensor locations, allowing not only for the upgraded controller to read the values, but also to have a control path to alter the settings if desired (think like the electric water pump, as the engine produces more power, more heat is generated, therefore, the controller / software could instruct the electric water pump to change the rate of flow of the cooling system, improving the cooling affect, or maintaining the overall engine termperature at the higher power output). The controller intercepts all the signals from the sensors, read thems, and alters the electical values, before passing them onto the actual main engine computer (DME). In this manner, one of the benefits of a “piggy-back” solution is that it is truly invisible to the DME, and no original DME software is altered or “hacked”. That is not the case with a flash.
DINAN has vast experience in tuning of engines, and spends tremendous effort in the original testing of the software before it releases it to the market. They may not produce the most horsepower of any tune on the market, but they will be close, and they produce what we believe to be the most reliable and well tested. Therefore, we can implemnet the solution with the highest level of confidence. They can also support “blue tooth” operation of their controller, so they enable the customer to view, alter, see, manage their car fully. Finally, many of the BMW dealers are DINAN dealers, and will support the DINAN solution, so you can implement the solution without concern about your original manufacture warranty…..WOW!.
INTERCOOLER
The intercooler cools the “charged” air coming out of the turbo’s, and cools that air before it enters the intake system. By cooling the intake charge, the air is denser, and with denser air, more fuel can be added (maintaining the desired air / fuel ratio). When you add more, dense air, and more fuel…you get more power. The intercooler also provides a better cooling solution for around town driving too…as most intercoolers can get “Heat Soak”…especially when driving around town and there is not a high flow of air thru the intercooler. The BMW intercooler design for the M2 is an “air to air” intercooler design.
So, how do you get the biggest and greatest thermodynamic heat transfer? You need more cool surface area? But, the body limits the design options, it has to fit in the existing body, and look nice. DINAN has found a way to truly optimize the air flow, creating a true “double layer”, or double flow intercooler. AMAZING design. We could get into more of the design features, but lets just say it…this is the best intercooler on the market for the M2. Period. Here is a first look at the size difference –
To make an intercooler effective, it needs to maximize the cooling effect, while having as little “pressure drop” as possible. Or, we want as litle “delta P”, while having a large “delta T”. This is straightforward thermodynamics and CFD (computational fluid dynamics). DINAN has maximized the surface area…more than doubling the area. But, unlike some IC on the market, they have not just made the IC deeper…..which is not highly effective, and in fact, may be worse than the stock IC.
The uniqueness then in the DINAN design is the true “two flow” appproach. Not only is the front surface area larger, and improved, there is a second rear IC with its own flow. Again, some other ICs have done dual flows, but they direct the flow from the front IC to the rear IC…which is already hot air, and therefore, does not provide the cooling effectively.
EXHAUST
Everyone enjoys hearing the sound of their car, especially where horsepower has been increased, and especially with cars like the M2. But, its not just about sound, its also about flow, fitment, style. In the past, if you considered a DINAN exhaust, then you were thinking this would be more moderate in terms of sound. Not any more. This new DINAN exhaust sounds amazing…great tone, not too loud at idle, but comes alive as you roll into the throttle.
When we consider exhausts for customers…the number one priority is the sound. Sound is very personal, and what sounds good to one person may or may not sound great to the next person. The way many of the exhausts systems are addressing part of this, is with “valvetronic” control. The valve allows the exhaust to be quieter when the valve is closed, and when open, the exhaust bypasses the muffler section, and is more or less a “straight pipe”. DINAN, in true BMW fashion, works with the stock computer controlled valve systems, and is implemented in their exhaust system in the same manner. This system flows better, makes more horsepower…but, the sound is GREAT.
For us, the other consideration is look, quality, and fitment. DINAN has all of these covered. Made of stainless…the quality is great, and fitment is perfect. Add the DINAN black tips, and the system looks great as well.
TURBO
Up to this point, that would be the normal upgrade list for most cars. Intake, exhaust, tune….but, w DINAN and the BMW M2, there is more…a BIG more. A turbo upgrade option. Its one thing to alter the software and increase the boost, but you are still limited by what the capacity of the stock turbo is.
DINAN has provided another step in the search for more power, a complete turbo replacement. The turbo needs to be matched w the DINAN intercooler and software…but this takes the solution to a whole new level. DINAN provides a complete new turbo, cast, with a larger compressor wheel (~ 30% larger), enabling greater pressure and flow. They also have other elements upgraded to sustain and support the higher boost pressures, so you can be assured of long term reliability.
Here are the two units, side by side. Close inspection shows the larger compressor wheel size.
The results are amazing…a total jump of over 100HP over stock (when combined w the software and intercooler). Another big plus for our customers…this unit is CA CARB (CA Air Resource Board) approved…meaning it is smog legal, and not just for CA, but for all 50 states.
INTAKE
Part of doing upgrades is making sure that you provide a complete, whole solution, not just throwing parts at a car. Since we have already covered many of the engine upgrades (turbo, intercooler, software, exhaust), we still have one piece to add to the equation. The intake. On the base car, changing the intake does not really do a lot. Most car manufacturers have been working hard to find all the low hanging fruit to improve the efficiency of the engine, and the intake was an easy target. In fact, most cars now come w a true “cold air” intake, versus some of the aftermarket suppliers want you to install their intake, but it is NOT a true cold air intake, just a tube and air filter change. This is not an improvement, it is actually worse than the OEM solution.
But, in this case, we have upgraded the turbo, the boost, the intercooler and intercooler air flow, so, we needed to upgrade the intake to allow for a greater flow. Enter the DINAN intake solution. Not only providing a complete solution to ensure a better flow to the turbo, but it also looks great. Here is the image of both the original intake, and the upgraded DINAN intake.
Stock BMW M2 Intake below:
EXTERIOR
REAR DIFFUSER
There are lots of suppliers out there that make aftermarket body elements. However, there are few that do it really well, and make body parts that not only fit well, but will last, and look great. VORSTEINER is one of those suppliers, and their parts are recognized more as pieces of art, rather than just replacement parts. For this project, we wanted to upgrade the rear diffuser and rear trunk lip spoiler.
When upgrading the rear diffuser, not only did we want to add a piece of ART, we wanted carbon fiber, and we wanted function. The diffuser is not only a nice addition to the rear bumper, but it’s function is to improve the under body air flow, and to produce some rear downforce. The Vorsteiner piece has been flow tested, CFD designed, and actuates the “venturi” effect at the rear. Perfect!
To make the project look complete, we wanted to replace the rear upper trunk lip spoiler. Also with a Vorsteiner version.
If you look closely in the images above, you will also see some other small upgrades / enhancements that we implemented. Like rear deflector delete. The normal stock rear bumper has bright red reflectors….we were now replacing these w black units. These tie in, and tie together the whole rear end. Style, design, class, completeness.
Now…that’s what we call a PROJECT.
A great platform to start with, in the BMW F87 M2, now completely transformed, upgraded, stylized..and made amazing.
BRracing – creating smiles for miles for our customers.
