I had a aFe cai until I went to MITM. Way Motor Works installed his version. It also has the heat shield like the aFe but the tubing to the TB does not have all of the sharp bends. It has a different sound that the aFe. I could hear more of a growl at low RPM's with the aFe. Noticed an increase in MPG when the SO is driving but I can't keep my foot out of it. So far I am real happy with the change.

 

pretty long wait time. glad they charged first and ship later at flow source :(


at least i have my hella driving lights and outmotoring brackets..just gotta find time to install...

 

I'm still diggin' my $20 intake....

 

I've had nothing but great and speedy service from Flowsource. I wonder if it's because aFe had to redesign their heat shield for the 05-06 MC? Maybe aFe doens't keep the retrofitted shield in stock and has to custom make them per order? Good luck with your order.

 

i got a Promini off ebay for $75. It was missing the throttle body coupler but i got one of those at AutoZone for $8. It was the steal of the century. My buddies keep asking if it's the same car. I just like to hear the intake growl, so nice.

 

Just got my K&N Tyhoon CAI. The instructions say that it is only for use in "mild weather" conditions. In "harsh and inclement" conditions they state you should convert back to your OEM filter box.

What's up with that? Do any of you change out your CAI when it rains? Are they serious? What's the risk?

thanks

 

I don't know what they mean by that.

I have a K&N 57i and have driven my car in rainstorms with it. The filter has barely gotten wet. It seems to me that the stock box, with its grill mounted funnel, would channel more water to the filter than a CAI cone. Also, the stock filter is paper, right? K&N filters are cloth, and are oil coated, so they are protected somewhat, and cloth doesn't get ruined by water whereas paper does.

Of course, all of this is conjecture, but I know that I have never swapped out my K&N in the rain, the filter is still perfect, and the car has never run any worse.

Myth: Busted! (apologies to Adam and Jamie)

Zip

 

We have ours in stock and ready to ship Way also has them in stock, our intake is the same as the Way Motorworks intake as we developed the intake together.

Let us know what else we can do to help!

 

i guess they moved their office-that was the delay.


i couldn't get the hood to close with the afe installed - i got it as low as possbile, its sits on two wires connected to a sensor.

i think i will try either a drop in k/n filter, or an alta drop in, or a [FONT=Arial]WAY/DDM CAI.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][/FONT]

 

long story short, i had a real CAI on my last car (focus svt). it nearly went even to the bottom of the airdam, so it was low. drove it year round, no problems. but one day... big puddle/pot hole pond; after it rained and was dry everywhere else. engine ran horrible immediately. after a tow and cleaning as mush as possible. the motor blew about 30 days later.

but, that was a true CAI. i dont think you have any worries with this setup.

and no rain water would ever make it to the stock filter either... it would have to collect a whole lot and pool, which i cant see happening unless theres a huricane. by the time the rain made it through the tubing it would probly evaporate and most certainly would not be sucked upwards towards the filter.

personally, im sticking with the alta drop in for now. on any other car iv owned i went straight for the CAI but on those cars the intake manifold was on the rear of the engine and the stock tubing was crazy bent and restrictive. the tight bends of the mini's are near the same as the bends on the CAI i had for the SVT (but in a shorter distance). so i wouldnt think it can be that restrictive. and the engine bay temps are a killer from a stand still... but im sure are fine at autocross speeds as it doesnt take much to move the air from under the bonnet. so other than missing the sound of a aftermarket intake i think performance is equal or better.

 

I know I'm bring back an old thread right now but I'm thinking of getting the Promini aFe intake, but if it doesn't fit then I won't even bother

Has anyone else had this problem or was it only Zman?????

 

six letters, DDM CAI

PM for more details

 

Open intakes suck in hot air and this does not help.
When my car (and many others that I've seen) was on the dyno with the modified K&N 57i, they did three runs at full throttle.
The difference between the first and the third run was already 4hp that I had lost because of the hot air !

Don't get me wrong, you CAN gain hp with an open intake, but these situations will not often occur.
Therefore it is much better to install a heat shield if you have an open intake or to buy an open intake with a heatshield included.
You can also install a closed intake (Pipercross Viper, BMC CDA, Raid Max HP Carbon, JCW intake, ...) or simply use a drop in filter.

If your goal is to reach the highest hp gain with an intake, a closed carbon intake is the way to go.
Even if you have an intake like the aFe or the DDM which already includes a heatshield, those heatshields don't close off the filter from the engine compartment entirely.
This means that a small percentage of hot air can still reach the filter.
Don't get me wrong, these open intakes with heatshield are great, far better than one without a heatshield.
But compared to a carbon intake, they won't be able to give as much power and torque.

If your goal is to get as much power for as little money as possible, a panel filter is the way to go.
An increase of 1/2hp for only $70/$80 is very cheap.

If it's sound that you want, an open intake is the answer.
Just make sure you buy one that includes a heatshield, or make one yourself.

The highest hp gains are going to be achieved with a closed carbon intake that sucks in nothing but cold air.
The BMC CDA is a great intake for this goal.
What you see below is the setup of the inside of the BMC CDA.


Inside there is a cotton filter (same material as the open BMC intakes or the panel filters), but around the filter there is still an open area which allows the air to flow.
This is one of the reasons why it's better than a Pipercross Viper.
The Viper has a foam filter which doesn't allow as much air flow as the CDA.
Another reason is the fact that the Viper costs about $100 more and this for less performance.
The CDA gave me 3/4hp (at the peak, sometimes more throughout the rev line) and it almost sounds like an open intake.

Conclusion:

Open filter :

-> better throttle response
-> beautiful sound (the open BMC is the loudest since it's directly installed on the engine)
-> looks good
-> the car will most likely produce less power because it sucks in hot air
-> a heatshield is a must when it comes to open intakes
-> good brands are K&N, Pipercross, BMC, aFe, DDM, ...

Panel filter:

-> cheap
-> gains hp at every moment (no hot air is sucked in)
-> good brands are BMC (highest hp gains) and K&N (cheapest)

Closed filter:

-> gives the highest amount of hp
-> looks good
-> some are almost as loud as an open intake
-> they can be expensive, but not always
-> good brands are Pipercross, Raid, Gruppe M, BMC

 

Der Abt, Very nice work on the post.

FYI, once the bonnet is closed on the DDM CAI it becomes 90% closed. The housing is shaped in such a way and the rubber cap create a type of seal to greatly reduce heat from the motor. While some of them will give you HP gain, I think the throttle response is the main benefit to any intake mod. Sound Cool too.

 

Thanks for the info AutoXCooper.
I guess that makes the DDM a little bit better compared to the aFe which doesn't shut off the filter from the engine compartment 100%.

Greets

Der Abt

 

The DDM is not 100% closed, it's about 90% closed.

 

But no hot air is able to get to the filter right ?

 

Without running temp tests, I'd say 90% of the air is coming from outside the MINI and 10% is leaking in from the engine compartment. It's not 100% outside air (cold in winter) but it's better then the wide open systems. See Pic in post #33.

 

Good setup if you ask me.

Was it possible to entirely shut off the filter from the engine compartment ?
This would be better since no hot air would get to the filter.
A guy I know did this and got very good results:


As you can see, his shield stops all the warm air from getting to the filter.

 

it's kinda like the DDM. Nice looking work. But like the DDM it's not 100% closed. But like the DDM it does stop most of the hot air. I also like how he drilled the holes in the ABS.

 

When the hood is closed, the amount of hot air that can reach the filter is very small to non existant.

But indeed, like the DDM, it's a good setup.

 

bottom line, at speed the DDM CAI is taking more cold/outside air in to the "box" then hot engine compartment air.

 

No doubt about that

Certainly a very interesting option for people who are looking for a CAI.

Friendly greetz

 

Anybody know the cheapest place to get a BMC panel filter for an 03 MC?

 

You can check ebay, sometimes you can find a shop that sells them in the US.
Or you can order them directly at BMC : http://www.bmcairfilter.com