ALTA BOV spring Upgrade

Hello R56 drivers! We just introduced a brand new part to the market this week, the R56 BOV spring upgrade. Our new spring upgrade replaces the spring in your OEM BOV to help keep your boost up when you’re shifting gears, lowering the amount of lag between shifts. By replacing just the spring, you will get the performance of an aftermarket BOV, with the reliability of the OEM BOV, while only spending half an hour of time for install, and saving you $40-$200 over the competition! We have been getting some people starting to ask us about this part in our AP thread and we felt it would be best to start its own thread!




From our website:



The ALTA BOV Spring Upgrade is a better alternative to the more expensive complete replacement BOV's other competitors sell. Our competitors sell you the JCW replacement part which is an upgrade for a MCS, but not for a JCW. We took this a step further and created this simpler, better performing spring upgrade that is an upgrade for both JCW and MCS models!




The ALTA BOV Spring Upgrade for your stock Blow Off Valve (BOV) is a very effective way to make your Turbocharged Mini hold more boost between shifts reducing turbo lag. The stiffer spring still allows for normal functioning of the BOV during light throttle lifts, but keeps more pressure in the boost tubes making it feel much faster shifting.


Tested to hold 40PSI of boost!!



The key to the design of this part is ensuring the spring is not too stiff. Because this is an electromechanical device, its was important that electronic part of the system (solenoid) still was able to open the BOV. We settled on a spring rate that was about 50% higher than the JCW, which is tested to work perfect beyond 40psi of boost!


So Many Features



Our competitors simply resell the JCW Electronic BOV as an upgrade for your MCS. If you disect what makes these different you will find the entire part to be the same except one item, the spring.



* 50% stiffer seat pressure than JCW BOV spring.

* Installation time is roughly 20 minutes.

* Custom Made Heat treated 17-7 Stainless Steel Spring

* Rated for over 7,000,000 cycles

* Makes turbo more responsive between shifts/less turbo lag

* Hold and vents 40psi perfectly!

* Cheaper than the entire BOV competitors sells.



What is a BOV?



A BOV (blow off valve) diverts pressure out of the boost system during certain driving conditions. On a turbocharged car, under full throttle boost is built up in the boost tube system, and as soon as you lift throttle, the throttle plate closes and the built up pressure has no where to go but backwards through the system. This is a form of compressor surge, which is damaging to your turbo, and also can hurt performance as the "backup" of pressure slows the turbo down or sometimes can stop it.


A BOV is used to vent this build up of pressure during throttle lift conditions. The Mini Cooper S and JCW have BOVs that are controlled by the ECU which are large solenoids that when energized opens up a valve, and dumps the built up boost. The ALTA Spring is a stiffer spring to make the valve close faster after shifts and hold more boost in general.

 

Thanks Chris!

Under what circumstances would someone want to add the BOV "Adaptor" that vents "some" of the boost pressure to atmosphere rather than recirculate it?

 

I think I get this, but let me confirm. So, this is a spring upgrade obviously to the BOV valve. You say the competitors are selling what may really be the JCW BOV valve as a way to get to a stiffer spring. Indeed I checked one respected site for starters, and see one that may be suggesting that.

BUT, where this is falling apart for me in the first place is what is going on w/ the JCW BOV. Is there really a difference there from the S motor to the JCW?

Take a look at these RealOEM pages, one for the S and one for the JCW. Look at part #2. Once you deal with superceded part numbers on the S, it's the same. Am I looking at the right part?

JCW listing: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...44&hg=11&fg=50

S listing: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...44&hg=11&fg=50

If so, then I think the right differentiation is from BOTH the S and the JCW, and not suggesting a difference as between them. If the competitors are doing so and I have the right part here from the listings, looks like what they are doing is wrong/misleading, at least for someone with a later S motor and current parts revision level (mine is 9/09 build for an early 2010, so I focus on that).

Happy owner of an Alta AP by the way (and the hose the effectively bypasses the intake "muffler") so I like the Alta products. Just want to know what is really the situation before I tweak something, and my first instincts are generally to work from JCW parts where there is a real difference.

 

ill wait for people to get it and review it before buying one even tough it is only 24.99$

 

Only when a person would want the BOV to be really loud. The OEM BOV has enough flow to vent enough air for the stock or JCW turbo.


You're right, the OEM bov on the R56 S was changed in 2010 to be the JCW BOV. We designed our BOV spring to be an upgrade for the S and the JCW, so for the guys with the older R56s will get a great upgrade with the spring. Also all the JCW guys will benefit with the new spring!

 

Here's a picture of the test station we made for the BOV to make sure it can flow plenty of air at any boost level. I forgot to include it in the first post.

 

So the part thar WMW is selling basicly does nothing for any 2010? I sent them a pm and I was told it would work great with my 2010...

 

I looked at their site, and like their hands' on nature; be interested in what comes back.

 

Does this spring also fit the 2011 N18 engines, or only pre-2011 N16 engines?

 

You mean the N14 engine! yes this spring will fit the electro valve fitted to the N18 engines, as it's the same unit as fitted to the N14 engines.

 

czar, should be correct, but i would love to get one in your hands just to make sure. Give Chris a call and we can get one out to test fit!

 

If I understand this correctly, this could cause turbulence in the the system or backwash into the turbo. If the spring is stiffer, it closes the flapper faster leaving pressure in the pipe when it should be empty. Can you elaborate on the safety here? Seems a risky bet.

 

Peeti,

The OEM BOV is a solenoid, and the ALTA spring isn't stiff enough to affect how far the valve opens. What the ALTA spring does, is it makes the valve close quicker, after the ECU de energizes the solenoid. This makes the car more responsive after you shift and get back on the gas.

We tested this spring to make sure it doesn't cause compressor surge, like a lot of the mechanical aftermarket BOVs do.

 

I think i will be ordering this and the AP in about 10 mins

 

CZAR - if you take Alta up on the offer on being the test guy for using this new spring on a 2011 N18 engine, please let the rest of us know if it works ok.

Also, while you're at it, perhaps you could snap a few pics for us to see the procedure and hear any tips on doing the install on a 2011?

Thanks ahead of time!

 

Ordered spring and ap as well as panel filter for wifes mini

 

Hmmm sounds awesome... So I'm kind of confused does this work on the 2011?

 

Thank you, I will be in touch today.

Ok guys, I will test the Alta recirculation valve spring on my Countryman All 4, and post a picture thread of the removal/installation.

 

Likewise here. I am wondering about this as well. Way told me that his valve is 100% not a MINI valve. It's from another car altogether for whatever that is worth.

Has Alta done any testing of this spring in the stock housing vs the WMW version?

 

can you have the boost adapter and the oem BOV on at the same time and if so can you do it on a 2011 mcs

 

that would be interesting if a comparison could be made. spring is a lot cheaper though

 

Yes, the boost adapter can be used with the OEM BOV on a 2011 MCS. Usually customers use it as a boost source for a boost gauge, thanks!

 

oh yeah completly forgot about that.. and u said the boost adapter makes the bov louder sounding?

 

The boost port adapter is actually just a boost source for the Minis, since there isn't one normally. You can use the boost port for a boost source for an aftermarket BOV, or for a boost gauge.

 

does it work for 2011 mcs's