[pkiledj]

Has anyone installed the Dinan monoballs? Impressions? Reviews?

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by pkiledj

Has anyone installed the Dinan monoballs? Impressions? Reviews?

Should be doing this in the coming week, will hit you guys up with comments. I also have a track day coming on the 6th of september.

[helmet91]

Yeah, I'd be interested to hear how it affects day to day driving as well...

[rostrata]

I’m about to order them myself. This has been on my very short list of to-do mods since I bought the car. Mostly looks for daily-driving impressions. As in, does it follow grooves and lines in the road? Is it harder to control over rough pavement? And is turn-in and connectedness to the road more cemented?

[CharlesC]

following for reviews.

[PLF69]

Hey guys giving a follow up on the MonoBalls.

1- Install is relatively easy, we did have to loosen the axles to be able to remove the front control arm. Everything is of very high quality and I am fully confident in the durability of the Dinan parts.

2- Street feeling changed more than I anticipated, steering will be dependent of your tires of course and there is a small difference between my OEM ps4s and track tires. The biggest difference is the layer of isolation that is removed from between steering wheel and road contact. You instantly notice when you go between different kind of roads and quality of asphalt. As for NVH yes there is more but not in a harsh way, it's just that impacts and road ondulations have a different frequency than before. Exemple you have a phone or water bottle that would rattle on some bumps or road imperfections in a certain way now makes a slightly different sound that is more buzzy and less muted.

3- Big gain in steering precision and a more confident feeling that almost eliminates the squarely feeling when hard braking in spirited driving or track situations. (bushing not deflecting) You get a much better feel of what the front tires are doing, even more so with more agressive tires than ps4s. I would say the front end feel in much closer to my M2 now.

Overall I am very satisfied with this upgrade, the slight downsides are well worth the trade off to me and for my usage of the car. If you are the kind of person who priorities the comfort, insulation and smooth characteristics of the M340i I would not install these bushings. I am waiting for Dinan to release Sway Bars for the M340i combined with M3 control arms or camber plates and It will be pretty much perfect for me.

[rostrata]

Thanks for the review! Confirms what I’ve been looking for. Will be ordering on a couple of weeks. 🤘🏼

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by rostrata

Thanks for the review! Confirms what I’ve been looking for. Will be ordering on a couple of weeks.

You will love it, come back with your impressions when it's done !

[Rodan]

Originally Posted by PLF69

2- Street feeling changed more than I anticipated, steering will be dependent of your tires of course and there is a small difference between my OEM ps4s and track tires. The biggest difference is the layer of isolation that is removed from between steering wheel and road contact. You instantly notice when you go between different kind of roads and quality of asphalt. As for NVH yes there is more but not in a harsh way, it's just that impacts and road ondulations have a different frequency than before. Exemple you have a phone or water bottle that would rattle on some bumps or road imperfections in a certain way now makes a slightly different sound that is more buzzy and less muted.

3- Big gain in steering precision and a more confident feeling that almost eliminates the squarely feeling when hard braking in spirited driving or track situations. (bushing not deflecting) You get a much better feel of what the front tires are doing, even more so with more agressive tires than ps4s. I would say the front end feel in much closer to my M2 now.

Overall I am very satisfied with this upgrade, the slight downsides are well worth the trade off to me and for my usage of the car. If you are the kind of person who priorities the comfort, insulation and smooth characteristics of the M340i I would not install these bushings. I am waiting for Dinan to release Sway Bars for the M340i combined with M3 control arms or camber plates and It will be pretty much perfect for me.

Thank you for your observations. I too came from a 2018 M2 that I owned and drove daily for 3.5 years. I am really enjoying the M340i, but I find myself driving it differently than I used to my M2 because of that loss of connectedness in the steering. I'm getting used to it, but it does bother me a bit.

The comfort part is amazing, and it is a better commuter car for 85-90% of situations. I think for someone like me, this modification would turn my M340i into a much more satisfying drive. I don't think a little extra noise would bother me too much - in fact I often feel the car is too quiet (I don't have performance or any aftermarket exhaust on it - on the other hand, I can actually listen to the stereo without cranking it everytime I drive!)

[PLF69]

@Rodan

Knowing where your coming from I would highly recommend the MonoBalls upgrade, you will regain that connectedness that you speak off but continue to enjoy the overall more refined and livable package that is the M340i

[Rodan]

PLF69
Do you have adaptive suspension? Just asking for reference as I do on mine.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by Rodan

PLF69
Do you have adaptive suspension? Just asking for reference as I do on mine.

Yes I do

[rostrata]

Originally Posted by PLF69

Yes I do

Quick question! I mean… questions. About to finally order the monoballs. Did you have yours done at the BMW service center? Or did you do them elsewhere? If so, how far out of whack was your alignment after the change? What’s the typical cost for getting this car re-aligned? Sorry for some of the stupid questions. Suspension shit often comes with stupid surprises. Just want to be prepared. Thanks!!

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by rostrata

Quick question! I mean… questions. About to finally order the monoballs. Did you have yours done at the BMW service center? Or did you do them elsewhere? If so, how far out of whack was your alignment after the change? What’s the typical cost for getting this car re-aligned? Sorry for some of the stupid questions. Suspension shit often comes with stupid surprises. Just want to be prepared. Thanks!!

Hi, sorry I missed your question but doing monoballs should not change your alignment.

[peelerec]

I'd like to contribute to this thread after purchasing and having the Dinan Monoballs installed at my local shop.
After 1 week of daily driving and two days of spirited driving through the canyons, I am in much appreciation for the added steering feel and feedback I now receive due to the monoballs. I think for the price, there is definitely good value in upgrading to this option over OEM. As others have pointed out, as long as you are ok with more sounds and vibration being felt, then by all means I believe it to be the perfect configuration now with my current setup of dinan springs and mono balls.

[hpat]

How many hours of work would a shop charge to install these?

[helmet91]

Looks like Dinan has rear toe links now: https://www.dinancars.com/products/s...arts/D280-0025

[Bee Pee]

Originally Posted by PLF69

3- Big gain in steering precision and a more confident feeling that almost eliminates the squarely feeling when hard braking in spirited driving or track situations. (bushing not deflecting) You get a much better feel of what the front tires are doing, even more so with more agressive tires than ps4s. I would say the front end feel in much closer to my M2 now.

Overall I am very satisfied with this upgrade, the slight downsides are well worth the trade off to me and for my usage of the car. If you are the kind of person who priorities the comfort, insulation and smooth characteristics of the M340i I would not install these bushings. I am [...]

Assume std LCA bush is still rubber - the front end would be even better if LCA could be swapped out for monoball bushes too.