Nov. 29, 2003 - "One HELL of a blow-job..."

Two weeks ago, I assisted Jim Powell in the installation of a Dinan SC in his M Roadster, and it went pretty well, with almost no problems. Whole job, start to finish, took 10 hours clock time, probably about 8.5 hours in actual time, as we learned our way around the install.

Being the optimist that I am, I assumed that my install would take less time, since we'd been through the process once, and I thought I had more room to work in my E36.

So we go and pick up the kit on Wednesday afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving. Just on a hunch, I started going through boxes to see if I could locate the software. No software.

I was really upset at this point, since I was looking forward to having the SC installed and running by Friday, and Dinan was going to be closed until the following Monday. I didn't get the kit at that point, deciding to wait until we found out what was going on.

All day Thanksgiving I kept thinking about the kit, so on Friday morning, we went back and picked it up. My plan was to have it physically installed by Saturday, getting that out of the way, and then deal with the software issue when Dinan came back from the holiday break.

So, Friday afternoon at 2:30, we started on the install. The early stages were straightforward, and as expected, went faster than on our previous install.

But the middle stages threw us a curve. On my OBD1 engine, things were a bit different. First off, the cruise control had to be relocated, which required removing it, cutting off the welded on body brackets, running new wire, splicing on both ends, etc.

Then the charcoal canister, which normally sits right below the HFM (airflow meter), had to be relocated as well. Both the cruise control and charcoal canister are moved to the "battery" tray on the passenger firewall.

That required running new tubing, installing nutserts and mounting brackets, and fighting HARD with the wiring harness that runs along the windshield to route the new cables and hoses. Wasn't fun, and much cussing ensued.

After that was done, we had to splice in the HFM voltage clamp, a job that was much easier on my car than on Jim's, since we only had to connect inline between one wire, and there was no harness to route.

Then came the oil fittings, also a bit more difficult, since the OBD1 oil filter assembly is different. Not impossible, but it was more work. Then vacuum and coolant hoses needed to be tapped, spliced, lengthened, ore removed. More hassle than the newer S52, since there was the throttle body thermostat to deal with, and some really cramped quarters in the engine bay.

After that was the actual install of the supercharger assembly, which went well up to the point we had to install the drive belt. On Jim's car, it was a pain as well, so he went out and bought a new wrench just for my car to make it easier to hold the tensioner slack. Still, it took twenty minutes and a lot of grunting and cussing to get the belt on. That sucker is TIGHT.

Ok, SC unit is out of the way, and discharge piping is next. Not a terribly difficult job, though getting the Idle Control Valve hose to fit on the discharge pipe was fun, it's a big nipple and a small ID hose.

Then came the intake plumbing/HFM. This is normally a pretty easy job, but I'm running Euro ellipsoid headlamps, which greatly complicates things, since they take up more space in the engine bay, right where the intake tube needs to go. Getting this all lined up and and fitting, while making sure there is a tiny bit of clearance between the HFM and the compressor housing was a job, complicated by having to deal with a HID ballast and wiring.

Ok, finally in, with enough room to slip a sheet of paper between the HFM and the blower.

Radiator reinstalled and filled, it's time to start the car and let it idle. Vortech calls for you to let the car idle for 30 minutes to allow oil to circulate through the blower, which is also a good time to bleed the radiator.

Car was a bit rough starting, to be expected since we didn't have the right software or injectors (Conforti Euro HFM/24# injector software). After a minute or so of trying to keep itself running, it settled down to idle.

The sound was...different. The blower makes a medium/high pitched "whiiiiiiirrrrrrr" sound at idle, hard to miss.

Bled the radiator with no issues, car still idling fine. Decided to NOT park the car while waiting for the software, but to drive it and keep the revs and boost low.

So, 12 hours later, the car is running again.

I drove it Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, a total of 80 miles, with the incorrect software, but I changed injectors to the larger supplied Dinan units on Sunday, which seemed to help. I never exceeded 4k RPM's, so there was no real issues with the AF ratio. Still, even at low RPM, the car felt more potent.

And it was much more quiet. After the car is rolling, you can't hear the blower whine inside at ALL. And the long Dinan CAI I used to have made a lot of noise (sweet noise, but noise) at low RPM. That was gone, the car sounded almost as quiet as a stock air box, only the Dinan exhaust hinting at something more potent under the hood.

Today I picked up the software and installed it, and went for my first REAL test drive. Car was nicely warmed up, so after suffering through some traffic between the dealership and the freeway, I finally had some room to play.

Oh. My. God.

Let me repeat that: Oh. My. God.

This sucker is FAST. We're not talking a big kick in the ass rush like a turbo though. Just a LOT more power and VERY noticeable torque increase in every part of the RPM range. Step on it at 2k, you're shifting before you know it, and the speedo just climbs like crazy.

Step on it at 4k, and you're just GONE, a steady increase of power as the air piles up in the cylinders. VERY smooth, VERY linear, it feels like a MUCH larger engine.

Coming from a 189 HP automatic, then converting it to a 270ish HP manual was an impressive jump. Really, really impressive.

Adding the blower to that setup is even more impressive, more dramatic than the change from the M50 to the S50. I kid you not.

And the sound is still sweet, but it's almost all exhaust note now, there's nothing coming out of the engine bay to indicate a 100+ HP increase over stock.

Getting off the freeway, I did a couple standing starts. I've got to relearn my launch technique for this setup, and get my internal timing adjusted to deal with the shifts coming so much quicker.

With a bit of good foresight, I recently replaced my Yoko's with Pilot Sports, and went to 245/40/17 in the rear. That's a good thing, I need the extra meat back there now, and could probably stand to run a little wider if I wanted better launches.

I also replaced my pads with new Axxis Ultimates that are just now getting broken in. Another good thing with all the extra speed.

I'm very satisfied with the gains so far, now I need to get used to it. I'll be taking it to our local BMW CCA auto-x this Saturday, which should be....interesting.

Now, excuse me while I go out and drive some more...