William's 330Ci ZHP Maintenance and Project Thread

[AM1GO]

[*]Noise: The car has Dinan intake, throttle body, exhaust, and Stage II software installed. It sounds throatier and more aggressive under load than my father's all-stock ZHP, but not nearly as loud as my car that has a GruppeM intake, Custom ZHPizza Labs throttle body, and UUC TSE3 exhaust combination. I really like the aggressive sound of my setup, but I could see the Dinan setup for someone that wants something more than the stock sound. I do at times envy the quieter highway noise level from the Dinan setup over mine.

Otherwise, things feel similar between the two (as they should). I miss my autodimming mirror and aftermarket radio headunit, but otherwise, it feels like home.

Dinan intake + exhaust do produce nice sound, can confirm, my son has that combo and gets constant compliments.

I do like it more than Afe + stock exhaust on mine and thinking of getting Dinan exhaust.


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[cakM3]

Dinan intake + exhaust do produce nice sound, can confirm, my son has that combo and gets constant compliments.

I do like it more than Afe + stock exhaust on mine and thinking of getting Dinan exhaust.

I have not heard the DINAN intake and DINAN exhaust on the ZHP but can say from experience that the Gruppe M intake and UUC CORSA TSE3 exhaust with stock headers does sound amazing and the car was peppier in performance as well... the other thing I really loved about the setup I had on my last ZHP was the burble sound the car made while cruising at low speeds... just sounded right with the ZHP...

[Galapolis]

Been thinking about that DINAN intake for some time now for that little extra sound. Wish I could hear it in person though, hard to make a decision based on descriptions.

[cakM3]

Getting the DINAN badge is nice to have but in my opinion, you're overpaying for the performance gain and the name... there are better solutions out there for the money....

[Galapolis]

Getting the DINAN badge is nice to have but in my opinion, you're overpaying for the performance gain and the name... there are better solutions out there for the money....

Unfortunately there aren't though, DINAN is the only affordable intake that maintains the stock box design. Would also love the BMW Performance intake but I think that train has left the station a long time ago considering the prices.

[cakM3]

Unfortunately there aren't though, DINAN is the only affordable intake that maintains the stock box design. Would also love the BMW Performance intake but I think that train has left the station a long time ago considering the prices.

You're right because the Gruppe M intake I use on my ZHP run around $400 used and retails close to $800 brand new...


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[BMWCurves]

I have not heard the DINAN intake and DINAN exhaust on the ZHP but can say from experience that the Gruppe M intake and UUC CORSA TSE3 exhaust with stock headers does sound amazing and the car was peppier in performance as well... the other thing I really loved about the setup I had on my last ZHP was the burble sound the car made while cruising at low speeds... just sounded right with the ZHP...

The GruppeM intake is my favorite noise-related modification if I could only choose one item. The TSE3 exhaust bundled with it is really great. Sometimes I find the burbles a little childish, but it really puts a smile on my face and that's all that matters to me (and isn't overly obtrusive to neighbors, which is also important).

Been thinking about that DINAN intake for some time now for that little extra sound. Wish I could hear it in person though, hard to make a decision based on descriptions.

I wish I had an actually good mic to record what it sounds like. It's maybe 10-15% more volume than stock, and a deeper, throatier sound overall. I'd be pretty happy with a Dinan setup. This is an okay example video of it:

Getting the DINAN badge is nice to have but in my opinion, you're overpaying for the performance gain and the name... there are better solutions out there for the money....

I don't remember much of a change in performance when I swapped to the GruppeM / UUC TSE3 exhaust combo in either throttle response or otherwise, but my butt dyno isn't very sensitive. I think almost any bolt on intake/exhaust shouldn't be purchased with the expectation it'll drastically improve performance for the E46. Mostly go down to preferred sound / price point.

[cakM3]

... I don't remember much of a change in performance when I swapped to the GruppeM / UUC TSE3 exhaust combo in either throttle response or otherwise, but my butt dyno isn't very sensitive. I think almost any bolt on intake/exhaust shouldn't be purchased with the expectation it'll drastically improve performance for the E46. Mostly go down to preferred sound / price point.

For any non-M you need to consider boosting the car any significant performance related "upgrade" and that alone will cost $$$$ if you go down that path. For me it has been purely for sound and some performance but not entirely for HP gains.... I have an M3 and Porsche to scratch my "go fast" itch...

[Galapolis]

I don't remember much of a change in performance when I swapped to the GruppeM / UUC TSE3 exhaust combo in either throttle response or otherwise, but my butt dyno isn't very sensitive. I think almost any bolt on intake/exhaust shouldn't be purchased with the expectation it'll drastically improve performance for the E46. Mostly go down to preferred sound / price point.

Thanks for the video. It actually sounds quieter than my current setup (stock intake + ZHP exhaust), but I think that's mostly because I get a lot of metallic rasp through the Group N mounts.

We'll see, given the reasonable price I might just impulse buy the DINAN intake one of these days.

[BMWCurves]

Thanks for the video. It actually sounds quieter than my current setup (stock intake + ZHP exhaust), but I think that's mostly because I get a lot of metallic rasp through the Group N mounts.

We'll see, given the reasonable price I might just impulse buy the DINAN intake one of these days.

Cell phone videos don't really capture sound well at all for this purpose. If you watch a video of a stock ZHP, it sounds quieter, almost anemic compared to that video.