[stevemg9]

Well, after reading a bunch of threads and watching a ton of videos I finally bit the bullet and bought a Dinan exhaust and M Performance Rear diffuser. From what I could tell the MPE and Dinan seem to be very similar but the one consistent thing I heard was the the Dinan had a deeper sound.

If anyone was on the fence about the Dinan exhaust, ECS Tuning has the best deal I've seen at $1008.68 which was cheaper than the MPE with chrome tips through Sun Motors at $875 (exhaust without tips) + 2 x $73.50 (M polished tips) = $1032.

Anyway, once I get everything, I'm going to try to do a compare video of stock, Dinan exhaust, and Dinan Exhaust + Fabspeed Sport Cat. I can't wait to hear these, don't think I saw any videos of Dinan + Sport Cat so I'm hoping for the best.

More to come...

[jondagger]

Active Autowerke is a pretty reputable brand and the exhaust is $749.... not bad

I would get this if i was in the muffler modification market

https://x-ph.com/active-autowerke-bm...-back-exhaust/

[stevemg9]

Originally Posted by jdag001

Active Autowerke is a pretty reputable brand and the exhaust is $749.... not bad

I would get this if i was in the muffler modification market

https://x-ph.com/active-autowerke-bm...-back-exhaust/

Honestly, I haven't heard much about that one. Didn't seem to come up that often in the forums. Had I known about it, it would have been a contender...

[Clear_Blue22]

You made a great choice for sure! I love the way mine sounds with the exhaust. I've been on the fence about the midpipe as well. I also have the CAI. Combined, the engine finally sounds like it can breath properly. You may find you will need to buy different exhaust hangers. A lot of people had an issue with the tips hanging too low. A threat I came across recommended these-

Autobahn88 Universal Exhaust Muffler Hanger Bushing, 2 Holes, 10mm (0.4") Hole Size, for Honda, Mazda, Subaru - Yellow
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LOPWIM2..._p-faDb9B9YJVK

I haven't had a chance to install them yet myself, but might be worth having them on hand just in case and returning them if not needed

[mike@x-ph.com]

Congrats OP!

For your future purchase, give us a chance we price match anyone

Originally Posted by jdag001

Active Autowerke is a pretty reputable brand and the exhaust is $749.... not bad

I would get this if i was in the muffler modification market

https://x-ph.com/active-autowerke-bm...-back-exhaust/

+1

[stevemg9]

Originally Posted by Clear_Blue22

You made a great choice for sure! I love the way mine sounds with the exhaust. I've been on the fence about the midpipe as well. I also have the CAI. Combined, the engine finally sounds like it can breath properly. You may find you will need to buy different exhaust hangers. A lot of people had an issue with the tips hanging too low. A threat I came across recommended these-

Autobahn88 Universal Exhaust Muffler Hanger Bushing, 2 Holes, 10mm (0.4") Hole Size, for Honda, Mazda, Subaru - Yellow
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LOPWIM2..._p-faDb9B9YJVK

I haven't had a chance to install them yet myself, but might be worth having them on hand just in case and returning them if not needed

Thanks for the tip! I’ll probably grab those, I saw that was a pretty common complaint. Also with the CAI, are you running a JB4 or Dinan tune, or are you CEL free with just the intake?

[Clear_Blue22]

I have the DINAN Elite stage 1 v2 tune. I'm running it all on my B46 engine 2018 230i. The tune is the same for the B58 on the 240i I believe. I have not had any CEL issues at all. I've had the CAI and v2 tune since roughly October last year as a test car. The exhaust went on shortly after in January after I researched and made sure it would fit and not have a negative impact on the tune. Combined they have all been amazing. Improved sound, performance, and bonus fuel economy.

[stevemg9]

Just wanted to update this thread with my experience over the past year.

First the sound is great, I love it. I think the Dinan exhaust combined with the FabSpeed SportCat is a great match. There is a very slight drone right around 1800RPM, but it has pretty much been a non-issue for me even with this as my daily driver.

Now the not so great, the Dinan logo has rusted out in less than a year. Looks as though it was laser etched or something, but after the first winter, it looked terrible. It was easy to polish off the rust, but I ended up polishing off most of the Dinan logo as well. I have a feeling that after polishing off next winter's rust, the Dinan logo will be gone.

I also had an issue with the Autobahn88 exhaust hangars that were referenced in an earlier post on this thread. They definitely closed the gap between the exhaust tips and the M perf diffuser, but they dried out and one broke in less than a year. Towards the end of winter I was driving to work, went over a speed bump at like 5mph and hear a terrible metal scraping sound. Parked my car only to find out that my exhaust was hanging down because the exhaust hangar broke. Pretty disappointing, but lesson learned - keep an eye on the rubber bits on your car because they dry out and fail, sometimes much quicker than you would expect.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by stevemg9

Just wanted to update this thread with my experience over the past year.

Thank you for sharing, the not so good parts are disappointing.

Did you reach out to Dinan about their warranty?

[XutvJet]

This is unfortunate but so damn common with aftermarket exhausts and aftermarket parts as a whole. I've been modding cars since the mid 1990s and aftermarket exhaust parts rarely seem to fit perfectly. Even the good brands have issues. I've learned that if there is a factory "performance" version, go with that because it is built to OEM specs and it will last.

Aftermarket exhausts are largely handwelded in jigs and rarely are those jigs so "tight" that they result in a manufactured product with OEM fitment. It's why I went with the MPE. It fit perfect, comes with and uses the exhaust valve, and it cost me $750 from Sun Motors. The sound is to die for, especially with the HJS Euro 6 DP which is expensive as hell because it's built perfectly and looks OEM.

Not until a ton of people bitch, parts are sent back, pictures submitted, and sales impacted will Dinan change this.

The likely reason these rubber hangers broke is because they are under a ton of tension because they're forcing the exhaust upwards from it's designed static position. Rubber exhaust hangers are supposed to just handle the weight of the exhaust and the natural movement while driving and not the additional tension of the exhaust literally being forced upwards and fighting that load. When mounted up, the exhaust should be able to move about 3/4" to 1" using moderate arm strength. If it's tighter than that, they hangers are too tightly tensioned.

Though it's not ideal and goes against everything I said, you can simply wrap a hose clamp around the rubber hanger and tighten it to shrink up the expansion of the hanger. It would also help keep them from ripping. Done that a few times.

[stevemg9]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

Thank you for sharing, the not so good parts are disappointing.

Did you reach out to Dinan about their warranty?

That seems so obvious but honestly, I didn't even think about that. I just reached out to see what they say. Thanks for the tip!

[stevemg9]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

This is unfortunate but so damn common with aftermarket exhausts and aftermarket parts as a whole. I've been modding cars since the mid 1990s and aftermarket exhaust parts rarely seem to fit perfectly. Even the good brands have issues. I've learned that if there is a factory "performance" version, go with that because it is built to OEM specs and it will last.

Aftermarket exhausts are largely handwelded in jigs and rarely are those jigs so "tight" that they result in a manufactured product with OEM fitment. It's why I went with the MPE. It fit perfect, comes with and uses the exhaust valve, and it cost me $750 from Sun Motors. The sound is to die for, especially with the HJS Euro 6 DP which is expensive as hell because it's built perfectly and looks OEM.

Not until a ton of people bitch, parts are sent back, pictures submitted, and sales impacted will Dinan change this.

The likely reason these rubber hangers broke is because they are under a ton of tension because they're forcing the exhaust upwards from it's designed static position. Rubber exhaust hangers are supposed to just handle the weight of the exhaust and the natural movement while driving and not the additional tension of the exhaust literally being forced upwards and fighting that load. When mounted up, the exhaust should be able to move about 3/4" to 1" using moderate arm strength. If it's tighter than that, they hangers are too tightly tensioned.

Though it's not ideal and goes against everything I said, you can simply wrap a hose clamp around the rubber hanger and tighten it to shrink up the expansion of the hanger. It would also help keep them from ripping. Done that a few times.

Yeah I was pretty torn between the MPE and the Dinan exhaust. In hindsight, the MPE probably would have been a better choice just to not have to deal with the corrosion and exhaust hanger issues. I like the hose clamp idea though, I might give that a shot. Thanks!

[Dinan_Engineering]

Originally Posted by stevemg9

Yeah I was pretty torn between the MPE and the Dinan exhaust. In hindsight, the MPE probably would have been a better choice just to not have to deal with the corrosion and exhaust hanger issues. I like the hose clamp idea though, I might give that a shot. Thanks!

Reach out the support folks at support@dinancars.com or via the online form at https://www.dinancars.com/submit-ticket/ and they can assist with the logo corrosion aspect. Brutal winters in your part of Michigan it looks like. Yikes.

[Bloodmoney]

Would you guys still recommend getting an exhaust such as this even if you're running stock without an aftermarket diffuser installed?

[Estoril6rod]

Originally Posted by Bloodmoney

Would you guys still recommend getting an exhaust such as this even if you're running stock without an aftermarket diffuser installed?

I believe DINAN still sells 2 versions of this exhaust for the M235i depending if you have a stock diffuser or the MP diffuser. I initially bought the "stock diffuser" exhaust variant with satin black tips and later on added the MP diffuser. The tips do not protrude like the ones shown in the pictures above but rather they sit flush/just behind the outermost edge of the diffuser exhaust exits. I like it. Even after 4 years the tips look good without any corrosion or fading of the gold dinan emblem. Thank god I went with the satin black option.

For what it's worth I also went ahead and installed those yellow exhaust hanger bushings not too long ago. I'm not too overly concerned since Vegas weather is not Michigan weather and I suspect one of the things that led those bushings to crack so fast was the weather differences throughout the year and maybe the salt they pour on the roads during winter. I'll just be keeping an eye on them every now and then just in case.

[BEM-S4]

I was recently told - by Dinan - that a batch of these were mistakenly not sealed before being sold. If you reach out them they will, apparently, send you some stuff to clean the tips and seal them DIY.

[EE60]

Originally Posted by Clear_Blue22

You made a great choice for sure! I love the way mine sounds with the exhaust. I've been on the fence about the midpipe as well. I also have the CAI. Combined, the engine finally sounds like it can breath properly. You may find you will need to buy different exhaust hangers. A lot of people had an issue with the tips hanging too low. A threat I came across recommended these-

Autobahn88 Universal Exhaust Muffler Hanger Bushing, 2 Holes, 10mm (0.4") Hole Size, for Honda, Mazda, Subaru - Yellow
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LOPWIM2..._p-faDb9B9YJVK

I haven't had a chance to install them yet myself, but might be worth having them on hand just in case and returning them if not needed

I used these hangers an they worked great

[Clear_Blue22]

Originally Posted by EE60

I used these hangers an they worked great

Glad to hear it. Now you just need the midpipe to go with it 😜

[stevemg9]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

I was recently told - by Dinan - that a batch of these were mistakenly not sealed before being sold. If you reach out them they will, apparently, send you some stuff to clean the tips and seal them DIY.

Interesting, that would be my luck. I'm 0/2 with big ticket mods so far. I bought a FabSpeed Sport Cat, and was one of the first to receive one of the units from the batch they sent out with the misaligned bracket. Seems I also got one of the Dinan exhausts from the unsealed batch too. That makes sense, as I would be very surprised if this is just the result from one winter's worth of salt and snow...

But you are right, after reaching out to Dinan, they sent me out a "Stainless Steel Passivation Kit" free of charge. Hopefully this is a long term fix.