Dinan mods on a 2.3 - before & after (long) (archive)

Before I brought the car to Dinan I ran some tests with my G-Tech. I did some 0-60 and horsepower tests.
Now, this is my every day car. So, I didn�t want to burn out my clutch. Therefore I wasn�t as �aggressive� as I could have been. You know what I mean. I didn�t rev up the engine and drop the clutch. I did remember to disconnect the ASC though. But, most importantly I feel I was consistent through all of the tests.

Before Dinan mods:
0-60 7.1 sec.
Horsepower = 150 (this is about right, as I have heard that you should deduct around 15hp that�s used by the drive train. The �99 2.3 is rated at 170hp).

After Dinan mods:
0-60 6.8 sec.
Horsepower = 145

I can�t figure out the loss of 5 horsepower. The car definitely feels faster. So I believe the .3 sec improvement in the 0-60 time. The G-Tech computes the horsepower by having you enter the weight of the car before you do an acceleration test. The method you use to enter the weight is a little awkward, and I was a few pounds off of what I entered the first time. But I can�t see how that can make that big of a difference. Heck, a few extra gallons in the gas tank can make a bigger difference with the weight.

But, there is a noticeable improvement with the performance in the car. The best words I can think of, is �freely revving�. The engine achieves higher revs quicker. There is also a noticeable difference with engine braking. As an example - If I�m approaching a stoplight, say in 3rd gear at 3500rpm and I take my foot of the accelerator the car doesn�t slow down quite as quickly as before. I�m assuming this is due to the less back pressure in the exhaust manifold. Perhaps is also has something to do with the new computer software.

Under �normal� driving conditions the Dinan exhaust sounds just like the stock exhaust. Under hard acceleration, it�s a little louder and deeper. I wasn�t looking for a louder exhaust. So this worked out fine.

On the downside, there is that darn whistle coming from the CAI. It�s only apparent under acceleration. But it�s a little annoying.
Also, there is the look of the Dinan exhaust. While it�s smaller (thank God) than the �coffee can� exhaust that you see on a lot of Japanese cars, it not as nice as the twin chrome tipped stock mufflers.

Overall, I would have to say it wasn�t quite worth the $2,100. If the cost was about half that, then I would say yes, go do it.

Here are a few images�

Engine before

Engine with CAI

Stock exhaust

Dinan exhaust

Follow Ups:

Thanks, TP, great report. But why no strut brace? ///vance 23:07 8/05/2001 (1)
- Oh, I think it's probably next on the list ;-) Tom P. 23:14 8/05/2001 (0)

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