Hello folks,

Many of you are aware of our Q&A thread in the !st Gen Drivetrain forums, but instead of forcing you to go back there, I am starting a new one here!

Essentially, this is a fourm for you to ask anything to ALTA, from staff profile questions, tech, sales, customer service, new products, weather, whatever! This allows many people to see the answers to your questions, vs if you send us a pm or e-mail (which we are also happy to answer as well!)

So ask away and we are happy to help!

Thanks again to NAM for allowing us to do this! This is a wonderful community and we truly enjoy being welcome here!

 

I am a new MINI driver and I'm interested in some of your products. How street legal are your cat-back and cold air systems? I live in CA, our rules are pretty restrictive. My understanding is if your products have CARB and/or OE numbers they are street legal.

 

Good question! The CARB jursistiction ends at the rear cat. So the cat-back is a-ok for CARB. The intake and downpipes are a different story. Both are not currently CARB approved, but we are working to make that happen (for both the R53 and R56 camps)

Thanks for asking!

 

Do you have any data on the number of decibels your cat-back puts out? We also have noise laws in CA.

 

All states (and even counties and cities) can have different dB restrictions. They are also measured in a variety of ways, etc. We do not quote any dB ranges for our systems due to so many variables. I can best say that the cat-back only is VERY mellow and should not raise any questions or concerns.

Might be best to give a listen at our website here.

Thanks again!

 

Alta, you guys mentioned an ECU flash in the wheres the SC pulley thread:https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=96586
when are we looking at seeing some more info on that ie what it will alter, dyno, A/F ratios? Also what projects are you guys working on? I also think its great you guys are so active on the forums!
Bryan

 

Alta,

I woke up today with a pain in my neck, what can i do to make it better?

 

I would like a 28RS or 2871R with some tuning to match, can we expect that anytime soon?

Josh

 

familiarstranger: Stay tuned! In the works RIGHT now. Very kool stuff I promise! Thank you for the support.

ninja: Depends on your passion. I myself like an ibuprofin, a stiff drink and and then go back to bed. Have you tried that?

a96bimmerm3: I know! Me too!

 

Alta and Adam,
So I'm glad to see you guys are now officially shipping the Alta intake.
I'm ready to head to Wilsonville and have the good guys of Grand Prix Imports do it...so couple questions first.

1. When I get it installed should I take the hoodscoop cover off or leave it on? I know you mentioned you get more ponies with it off but I'm worried about leaving it wide open with weather going to get wet or debris flying in...

2. Are you guys along with GPI set to do the "Tech Day" in September with the PDX MINI crew?

 

how about some wider wheel arches with an oem look? gauges? maybe some alta jeans?

 

SEAL6: If you have the later scoop that is open either open it up a bit more, or jsut leave it. If it is closed then remove it completely. we will be at the tech day as well. I look forward to meeting you!

familiarstranger: I like that idea too. We are doing our first plasticy stuff in our Subaru line right now, if it goes well, then we will look make other items as well. Thanks again!

 

whatever info you can give about the ecu tune would be great! and, what's the approx. install time on the R56 intake?

 

scott48: The ECU solution we have in the works is totally different that what has been previously available for the MINI in any generation. Very reasonably priced, multiple map options, etc. All I can say is that it will be worth the wait. Install time on the intake is only about 30 minutes. VERY straightforward! Call me with any questions etc.

 

INFO INFO INFO. Please offer it as a package with a turbo upgrade. PLEAAAAASE

 

Sounds really awesome ...what sort of gains(hp and torque) might we see from the ecu?

 

M7 was saying 18hp 15lb in gains with their unichip. I would assume alta will be seeing similar?

 

ok then, is the ecu upgrade gonna be a "piggy back" system where you can take it off and the dealership wont know? Will there be different versions if you have other mods(like how I have the intake and exhaust) that make even more power???

 

Judging by how complete altas products are now I'd imagine it would be something like that. I can't wait till it comes out and we can get more power!! Adam I need a bigger turbo!

 

Bigger turbo?


I just got through my 1200 mile break-in this weekend, and I am absolutely positively amazed by the amount of power and speed my MCS has stock! How on Earth can you guys possible NEED more power???

 

rattmobbins: We ALL need more power. Getting the car in the 250 range should be ideal for more folks.

On the ECU, it is NOT mounted in the car. It will be a handheld device only used for flashing, OBD readouts, etc. There is no trace of the system at all, no wires to cut etc.

In terms of gains, we hope to have some REAL gains not a 45 ft/lb loss as shown in the thread referenced above. But that does point out that folks REALLY need to look at dyno plots to see what is really happening. A car running that setup would be a complete dog in the lower RPM with minimal improvement up top. Overall a far slower automobile.

Thanks again folks for the support! We will keep things rolling for you!

 

I believe to make comments like that is unprofessional. At least that company is posting some preliminary results showing gains on tuning even in developmental stages. Your giving us empty information at this point. They recognize the problem with the TQ loss. Concentrate on making your product work well and let it speak for itself =)

 

I'd rather see Adam post final results like he and Alta usually do for production products, no pre production vaporware that you can't buy.

 

hey thats fine, but he can do that without using dirty tactics. And I am glad M7 is giving us some preliminary numbers to get us excited.