Cold Air intake NM eng or VIP's? Why or Why not?

Really can't decide! which is better in terms of better sound, better breathing, etc etc.

thanks!

Great question; can't wait to see the feedback...

Plenty of conversations about this topic over in Modifications/Drivetrain!

1. Neither is really a cold air intake.

2. They're functionally the same, so go with whichever you think looks better. I personally have the VIP.

+1

I've got the VIP as well. The biggest difference is that the VIP has a shield on top, which means something extra to remove when looking to service the filter. Not sure if this shield does much, though I like the look of it.

I am leaning to ordering the VIP kit, I like the way it looks as well...

Hi, went with the NM CAI cause of the CARB number. I don't plan on going back to the stock intake anytime soon.

not to crap on the parade here but I'm not so sure either of those is really a performance enhancer compared to stock. they stuff the filter in the stock location where things get hot and stagnant.

the stock inlet is already somewhat of a cold air intake since it's pulling air from up near the grille.

comparing the two though, they're indeed pretty similar. same price too. the VIP looks slightly nicer but doesn't have the EO.

there's not really a huge drawback to a plenum-style filter box with a snorkel--especially if the snorkel is trumpeted to reduce air inlet velocity while still maintaining high volume flow rates. I'd be curious to see pressure drop numbers for open element vs. boxed OEM. I haven't pulled off the stock filter to see how big it is yet.

and there's always the concern that oiled filters flow better and filter worse... but somehow I think that's not relevant when seeking max power

So, does the metal shield on top of the VIP's intake prevents hot air sucked in much? Or you don't really need it, so NM doesnt have it?

Will it be a serious problem during summer times and traffic?

I'm not sure what the intent of the shield is actually. it's not that far below the interior of the hood (a metal shield itself), right? it certainly isn't providing a barrier to airflow since air can travel around it easily.

is it possible that it could be a vestige of the mini cooper s with hood scoop? not sure if you'd want to block the air coming from the scoop but maybe the cooper s hatch blows hot turbo air into the filter.

I am leaning towards the VIP.
I think it may be a better design as from what I can see it has a flange to hookup the air intake tube coming from the grill. This has to be better since it will bring in fresh air for the outside just like the stock air-box.

One thing to mention, the intake from the grill is still in place for both, but instead of feeding directly into the stock air intake box, it's blowing right into the "area". Making a couple non-educated physics-type guesses, my feeling is that the shield helps regulate a bit of that intake air to keep it near the filter for the intake (again, non-scientific; so no need for flaming if I'm wrong).

From nccoaty's picture, you can see the lower attachment for the external air (from the grill).

Still, this is not a real CAI; but I don't see DoS' option yet, so I've got this for now and am plenty happy.

One more quick question, how often do we have to replace/clean these filters? Where can we find them for how much?

what if I go rally driving in the dust and dirt, will this k and n filter be safe for the engine?

Thanks!

I don't have a set schedule for cleaning mine. I just check it every once in awhile and see how dirty it is. Running with a dirty filter doesn't hurt the car, it just means the engine isn't getting quite as much air as it could be. There's obviously a point when no air is getting through, but you'd have to be going some pretty nasty stuff to get to that point.

K&N wouldn't be in business if their filters were bad for engines

I spoke with Clint at DoS and he said that they are still testing and working on prototypes for the R60. He gave me a broad estimation of late April or sometime in May.

I was about to pull the trigger on the NM but I think I'll wait and see what DoS comes up with.

+1 on the Dos. Everyone with countrymen need to keep the heat on Clint so he knows there is a lot of interest in the intake. It's going to be the best option if it function like there others

Agreed, I'd be in for replacing if the DoS option is just as good for R60 as I've seen on the other cars.

Installed my NM Intake last night as well as the heat shield.... I'm very happy with the sound and I know at this point I'm really not getting that much performance out of it... What I need to do is get the ECU tune fixed up (it has some issues) and then figure out a way to pipe some external (cold) air to the NM and I'll be golden.

Kyle

Good idea, the more interest the better. I am planning on touching base again near the end of April to check on the progress.

I went with the VIP intake in combo 1, now all I need is a car to install it on...

$35 cone filter mounted directly on the MAF and im getting the same exact gas mileage(highway and cite mpg are the same in 70-90 degree weather over 300 miles) and slightly more power than the stock box. I do not suspect any of the aftermarket intakes are really sucking hard from the snorkel given its more restrictive than the air right next to the filter (all around in the engine bay)

Slightly more power from what, your butt dyno?

Yea thats the dyno that is in line with the $35 filter.


Dyno...hahahhha. Just pulls a little harder- dont need to spend any money to justify that. I guess I could also spend some cash and measure the air flows and temps from all the different directions in the engine bay, but that isnt needed either. Hot engine, hot fast moving air, will get sucked in the filter before pulling colder air through a 3 foot tube--but that doesnt seem to matter either with the MPG seen.

the butt dyno is notorious for being influenced by decreases in the size of your wallet. something having to do with sitting on an empty wallet makes you feel like you're going faster.

Anyone know the size differences between the K&N VIP filter and NM filter? Specifically I'm interested in whether the NM filter could be used on the VIP setup. Found a site that gives the NM specs... 2.75" ID, 5" filter OD, 9.75" overall length. Just can't find which specific K&N filter number is used by VIP to compare. Wondering if it has a 2.75" inner diameter...