what kind of gains can be had from this on the mini? Ive always wondered why no one really replaces it, its sort of a big thing to do on hondas.

http://www.mini-madness.com/index.as...ROD&ProdID=170

 

Now you're onto something! There's nothing wrong with copying the competition if they have a good idea you haven't tried. I have wondered the same thing myself. As it is for me, my manifold is ground a little thin to match my porting of the head, which is critical to performance. I would like to get hold of a used intake manifold to try a mod which would result in a more direct path for air into the engine. If this mod gave me more power and good behavior, I would submit it to a manufacturer of high performance products. We have a 4-valves per cylinder engine with good rev potential, so we should be able to make a lot more power, turbo or supercharger or not. I plan to continue to mod my engine for more power till my brain stops ticking. Keep doing your thing- it's worth it! My car is a lot more fun with some power to go with the handling. -Jeffy.

 

Ive always been bothered that they are plastic.. I guess its cool because they are lightweight. But it seems that there is power potential in replacing them but the subject never comes up. so, I might give this a shot

 

i remember reading an article in Automotive Engineering International about carbon fiber intake manifolds
there is a company that produces them for one type of honda engine but where expanding, i will see if i can dig that article out again

 

found it, here are some qoutes while i find the link

reduces weight by 11lbs for the honda h-22 racing engines
tested to 60psi greater than stock

 

here is the article i was talking about:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~baileyst/page38.pdf

glad they aren't doing those layups by hand, those tight corners would be a huge pain

 

You can't beat plastic for light weight- that's why my design will also be made of plastic, only mine will provide better aerodynamics for air getting through it, hopefully resulting in more horsepower. -Jeffy.

 

very very true, probably cheaper to produce as well. What exactly is the power to weight formula? will adding 5-10(or however much) pounds really kill the 5-10 hp gain? (if that much)