[ilikebmws]

Looking around for tunes I found this:

https://carbahn.com/product/cbs58-05...-and-x4m-2021/

For an extra $1000 they will match the factory warranty on the car. The warranty match is the same for pre 2020, and post 2020 vehicles. Does anyone have any experience with these tunes? Is anyone running a tune from them?

Any info is appreciated

[BDub73]

I have had good experiences with DINAN. Steve Dinan sold Dinan, and after moving around a bit, Steve started Carbahn. If you trusted Dinan, I think you would be comfortable with Carbahn.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/people...rted%20CarBahn.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

It's nice. But if you live in an area where mostly 91 octane is available, you might want to look at & consider the DINAN line for this tuning.

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by ilikebmws

Looking around for tunes I found this:

https://carbahn.com/product/cbs58-05...-and-x4m-2021/

For an extra $1000 they will match the factory warranty on the car. The warranty match is the same for pre 2020, and post 2020 vehicles. Does anyone have any experience with these tunes? Is anyone running a tune from them?

Any info is appreciated

I called a BMW dealer in Houston that is carbahn certified. They also show up on carbahn's website.

In a nutshell carbahn charges you 1350 dlls to cover your powertrain matching to what the OE factory warranty covers. It definitely voids the factory warranty and they only cover the powertrain. It does not cover other items that can be damaged like transmission, differentials, etc. The dealer in Houston said that very few people have done carbahn's power stage software upgrades.

I'd stay away honestly, 500hp on an suv is plenty for me

[lagunablue1]

Originally Posted by saabster2010

I called a BMW dealer in Houston that is carbahn certified. They also show up on carbahn's website.

In a nutshell carbahn charges you 1350 dlls to cover your powertrain matching to what the OE factory warranty covers. It definitely voids the factory warranty and they only cover the powertrain. It does not cover other items that can be damaged like transmission, differentials, etc. The dealer in Houston said that very few people have done carbahn's power stage software upgrades.

I'd stay away honestly, 500hp on an suv is plenty for me

Powertrain coverage would include engine, transmission, and differential.

https://carbahn.com/warranty/

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by lagunablue1

Powertrain coverage would include engine, transmission, and differential.

https://carbahn.com/warranty/

See theres more nuance to this. The bmw dealer said only powertrain, but the link you provided has specific verbiage for in original warranty and outside the 4 yr warranty.


Thanks for the link. I'd definitely skip tuning.

[ilikebmws]

Originally Posted by saabster2010

See theres more nuance to this. The bmw dealer said only powertrain, but the link you provided has specific verbiage for in original warranty and outside the 4 yr warranty.


Thanks for the link. I'd definitely skip tuning.

Why would you skip it? You can buy an extended complete warranty too from them as far as I’m aware

[hybridel]

Carbahn is one of the more conservative piggyback tunes available.

Racechip also offers a warranty of some sort in case something goes boom.

Honestly, the odds of you running into issues with a piggyback tune are slim to nil (assuming you're using the proper fuel)

I probably wouldn't spend the $$ on a carbahn tune with warranty, if you're that worried about something happening, stay stock.

[ilikebmws]

Originally Posted by hybridel

Carbahn is one of the more conservative piggyback tunes available.

Racechip also offers a warranty of some sort in case something goes boom.

Honestly, the odds of you running into issues with a piggyback tune are slim to nil (assuming you're using the proper fuel)

I probably wouldn't spend the $$ on a carbahn tune with warranty, if you're that worried about something happening, stay stock.

This isn’t a piggy back, this is an actual tune

[hybridel]

Originally Posted by ilikebmws

This isn’t a piggy back, this is an actual tune

oops.. my apologies

my answer is the same though. Carbahn is a very conservative tune.

[Oldgixxer]

Originally Posted by hybridel

oops.. my apologies

my answer is the same though. Carbahn is a very conservative tune.

I deleted my earlier reply because I thought it was the piggyback as well. Seems they have their own DME service,glad I checked the OP's link lol

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

I'll just put this here...

[hybridel]

Originally Posted by Oldgixxer

I deleted my earlier reply because I thought it was the piggyback as well. Seems they have their own DME service,glad I checked the OP's link lol

AFAIK, they just send the DME to femto for an unlock, and then do the tune.

[Kusudama]

I'm running a one on my X4MC. Its pretty nice and a noticeable change in power when you get on the gas. Had a M Certified Center Dealership install it. Took about a day to get done. Paid just a little more at ~$1,200. I've had it for about a year now and its running just fine.

[Bimma360]

When it comes to software, I trust Steve Dinan. Heck, I trust him for all tuning aspects. I had a 1 of 20 E30 Dinan Turbo car, and that thing was built as if it came straight from the factory. That car was a 1990 model year, so its technically early years Dinan. I am the second owner of a '98 e36 m3 that is also a "stage 5" non supercharger Dinan point car, with all parts installed new at the dealer. I didn't purposefully shop for a Dinan car but it just worked out that way. I bought it at 150k miles, and I have owned it for 10 years so far. It now has 240k miles, still with all of the original Dinan parts, and most importantly on the original head gasket and engine internals. You can't really say that the software compromised longevity and reliability in that particular case.

I do trust that the current state of Dinan the company is still very good, even without Steve Dinan. But now that he started all over again with the Carbahn brand, I will always seek out the options his new company offers. When my car comes out of warranty, Carbahn is the ONLY place I care to buy software from. Maybe Dinan still, but what's the point if Carbahn exists. Not saying that there aren't good options elsewhere. But for me what's the point really, I already know what I trust to be good.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

I have nothing against Carbahn in any way. But they have NO OFFERINGS for the 91 octane we have here at most gas pumps in California. DINAN has been around much longer & his core of 5 engineers are still there. He has 3 new ones at his newer company. Buy even the website is much more buttoned up & well thought out.

So... my vote is clearly & confidently for DINAN instead. He's doing great things & if he could go back in time I'm pretty sure he wouldn't of been so eager to sell of his original tuning company. I'm sure the new company he built will eventually resonate with more people. But for me, I'm sticking with the tried & true, much more well established & proven company that's a touch older.

Like many others have said, DINAN has been around for much longer, is proven to be safe & has earned the reputation for being pretty flawless in all regards. I would love to see the power difference between an X3 M with the DINAN vs Carbahn flash tune. Same car, same day, same dyno...

[Bimma360]

Originally Posted by Kevin_The_Clean1

I have nothing against Carbahn in any way. But they have NO OFFERINGS for the 91 octane we have here at most gas pumps in California. DINAN has been around much longer & his core of 5 engineers are still there. He has 3 new ones at his newer company. Buy even the website is much more buttoned up & well thought out.

So... my vote is clearly & confidently for DINAN instead. He's doing great things & if he could go back in time I'm pretty sure he wouldn't of been so eager to sell of his original tuning company. I'm sure the new company he built will eventually resonate with more people. But for me, I'm sticking with the tried & true, much more well established & proven company that's a touch older.

Like many others have said, DINAN has been around for much longer, is proven to be safe & has earned the reputation for being pretty flawless in all regards. I would love to see the power difference between an X3 M with the DINAN vs Carbahn flash tune. Same car, same day, same dyno...

I wouldn't have too much hesitancy with Dinan the company. So no issues there. In that interview with hagerty that was linked above, Steve does say himself:

"They’re a private equity group and their vision was to cut out all the expenses and maximize the brand name to make as much money as possible. In the process, they got rid of a lot of really good people who used to work for me and who I spent many years collecting.... They let all of those people go, so I hired them all back. Now most of the engineering and development staff at CarBahn are all those people who are left over from Dinan.... When the new company took over Dinan they thought it was a crazy environment because they had all these people coming into the office everyday after I left to tell them they were doing it wrong. The new management didn’t quite know what to do with that, so instead of listening to them they just fired them all. They basically only wanted to keep around the 'yes people.'..."

And in the smoking tire podcast you linked, Steve does say that Carbahn's tune has the capability of automatically adjusting to different octanes. "Three WOT pulls is all it takes for the ECU to adjust to a different octane rating. And even without doing the WOT pulls the ECU adjusts accordingly to be within the safety margins for regular type driving."

When I was starting to do the research on tunes, I went straight to Dinan's website. And had ultimately decided that even though we have 93 here where I live, I would most likely just go for the 91 tune just to be safe when I take the car on roadtrips out of state. With the Carbahn tune, that isn't necessary, and it also speaks to the level of engineering that went into the Carbahn tune.

Dinan is a great BRAND. I will most likely be buying their axel back exhaust at the least. But Steve Dinan is Steve Dinan. Nothing wrong with a private equity firm owning Dinan, but no one can really say their priorities are the same as those of Steve's. Dinan is tried and true b/c of Steve. Now we have to trust that they will keep the standards high while also maximizing profits. Time will tell, and I think Dinan will be fine ultimately. But if I were a betting man, I'd bet the the company isn't 100% the same as it was when Steve owned it... at least in some aspects.

Just my thoughts though.

[Stereolab42]

It blows my mind that even after 3+ years nobody's yet figured out how to unlock the ECU except for a bunch of random Russian guys who charge a fortune (to allegedly do it in Finland). First one to figure out how to do this in the USA is gonna rake in millions.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Originally Posted by Stereolab42

It blows my mind that even after 3+ years nobody's yet figured out how to unlock the ECU except for a bunch of random Russian guys who charge a fortune (to allegedly do it in Finland). First one to figure out how to do this in the USA is gonna rake in millions.

Can't DINAN do this in like OHIO already... ?

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Originally Posted by Bimma360

I wouldn't have too much hesitancy with Dinan the company. So no issues there. In that interview with hagerty that was linked above, Steve does say himself:

"They’re a private equity group and their vision was to cut out all the expenses and maximize the brand name to make as much money as possible. In the process, they got rid of a lot of really good people who used to work for me and who I spent many years collecting.... They let all of those people go, so I hired them all back. Now most of the engineering and development staff at CarBahn are all those people who are left over from Dinan.... When the new company took over Dinan they thought it was a crazy environment because they had all these people coming into the office everyday after I left to tell them they were doing it wrong. The new management didn’t quite know what to do with that, so instead of listening to them they just fired them all. They basically only wanted to keep around the 'yes people.'..."

And in the smoking tire podcast you linked, Steve does say that Carbahn's tune has the capability of automatically adjusting to different octanes. "Three WOT pulls is all it takes for the ECU to adjust to a different octane rating. And even without doing the WOT pulls the ECU adjusts accordingly to be within the safety margins for regular type driving."

When I was starting to do the research on tunes, I went straight to Dinan's website. And had ultimately decided that even though we have 93 here where I live, I would most likely just go for the 91 tune just to be safe when I take the car on roadtrips out of state. With the Carbahn tune, that isn't necessary, and it also speaks to the level of engineering that went into the Carbahn tune.

Dinan is a great BRAND. I will most likely be buying their axel back exhaust at the least. But Steve Dinan is Steve Dinan. Nothing wrong with a private equity firm owning Dinan, but no one can really say their priorities are the same as those of Steve's. Dinan is tried and true b/c of Steve. Now we have to trust that they will keep the standards high while also maximizing profits. Time will tell, and I think Dinan will be fine ultimately. But if I were a betting man, I'd bet the the company isn't 100% the same as it was when Steve owned it... at least in some aspects.

Just my thoughts though.

Fully agree with 99% of what you said. But didn't he say it takes 4 WOT runs to readjust things automatically?? AND... the 91 DINAN tune also makes these fine adjustments on the fly & learns for the exact octane you're putting in. So although it's not clearly advertised, it still does the same thing you just described... Right?



https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showt...NGINE+SOFTWARE

Dinan_Engineering

[Bimma360]

Unless I missed further detail, Dinan says that it can adjust a little bit to compensate for better octane. So if you have a 91 tune and put 93 in the car, it will adjust to take advantage of the higher octane, and I think they said it may get you an extra 20hp over the 91 tune (but won't be 93 tune gains).

But the kick is, I don't think they said it will work the other way around, 93 tune with 91 gas. I am pretty sure they don't want you running the 93 tune if you plan on ever putting 91 gas in it.

From Carbahn's product page though...
"Retuning the safety limits gives our software the ability to adapt smoothly from 91 octane to 100 octane and because it can adapt and still make maximum power with each octane you do not need to purchase a custom tune if you are running race gas! It is designed to deliver the highest safe output possible."

That's pretty cool.

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by Bimma360

I wouldn't have too much hesitancy with Dinan the company. So no issues there.

Huh? I mean did you read the quote?

Originally Posted by Bimma360

"They’re a private equity group and their vision was to cut out all the expenses and maximize the brand name to make as much money as possible. In the process, they got rid of a lot of really good people who used to work for me and who I spent many years collecting.... They let all of those people go, so I hired them all back.

I mean look at all the issues that people complain with their exhausts and stuff

Originally Posted by Bimma360

"Now most of the engineering and development staff at CarBahn are all those people who are left over from Dinan....

This is the company you want to deal with, when its run by engineers and not...

Originally Posted by Bimma360

"The new management didn’t quite know what to do with that, so instead of listening to them they just fired them all. They basically only wanted to keep around the 'yes people.'..."

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