I know that the intake should never be exposed to the water. But in terms of the MINI + Alta Intake do the ALTA intakes have anything pre-installed to to block water? Also do MINI drivers have to really careful of driving through water with a ALTA intake installed? I've heard K&N has intakes that has something called a DRYCHARGER that prevents water.

 

Unless you are driving through deep water, which you should not be doing anyways in a mini, there is no problem. Washing your car or rain is not going to affect it. It takes a whole lot of water to hydrolock an engine.

 

the main intake for the stock duct (which all currently sold systems use) is right behind the upper grille. you should never drive through deep water, but it doesn't reach the middle of the bumper, you'd (probably) be ok.

AEM has a generic air bypass valve for $40 that's meant to be put in their cold air systems (none for the MINI). It's possible to get a silicone inlet tube and put one on there, if it's that big of a concern for you.

 

It seems MINI's hydrolock often for some reason. I can't figure out why, unless people are thinking their MINI's are submarines or somethin lol. The MCS intake sits so high in the engine. I've gone through really deep water in mine and it was fine...the belt slipped a little after until it dried but other than that it was fine.

To give you an idea of the MCS handling puddles....I've had this picture for a while (dunno if its from here or where I got it):


Hahaha. I wouldn't try it though....

In answer to your question though, you do not need to worry about your intake getting wet unless you go through crazy water.

 

that's nuts man!

I lost the paper 30 day tags on my '02 Wrangler doing a water crossing like that. I had water rolling up on the windshield. luckily, the Jeep has the intake pushed up high against the underside of the hood for just this reason. I didn't have the heart to cut the metal and put a snorkel on.

 

It does not come with anything to prevent water from reaching the intake.

On a MINI run that a few of us took to supplement a meet we got hit with several boughts of really heavy rain, toward the end of the run my right tire found a pot hole (it was night this is the chicago suburbs, read snow makes the road smooth our roads are like swiss cheese, it was only a matter of time) the rain water had pooled up and the tires kicked the water up and over the windshield and bonnet (much to the same effect as filling a 5 gallon bucket and throwing it at the windshield) this splashed a fair amount of water across the tip of the intake filter. Basically the car sounded like itwas lugging @ 3.5k rpm, we stopped about 0.5mi later for a meal as planned anyway and I had my cleaning kit brought to me, I let it sit for an hour to dry and re-oiled it.

Since I made a custom box top for about $.75 worth of aluminum that is similar to the ATLA top, but it extend further to cover the entire filter area but still allow plenty of air in from the cowl.

Since then I've forged streams and hit an unmarked river flood (enter @ the posted 50mph, crawled most of it, felt the current push the car sideways) a tad shallower than the photo above. With basicly no issues

 

I just wanted to add...If you ever get stuck in a "lake" keep constant accelerator pressure throughout the length of the water. This keeps positive pressure throughout the intake/exhaust track. Some poor saps have actually saved their engines that way from being hydrolocked. But once you stop....its all over. Thats what I heard anyways.....

 

no, it's true. I lost my '87 Accord back in college during a flood....the waters were coming up and I tried to start it up, pull it over teh curb and up onto higher ground (we were trapped in the parking lot by the flood waters). The engine stalled while trying to roll up over the curb and it was all over....hydrolocked. No matter....the water came up another couple of feet and the interior was filled with muddy water, which ended up freezing over night (48 inches of snow melted overnight before the flood due to a freak 70F tropical storm, then temps dropped again).

 

if you look at the intake tube coming from the front you'll see the vertical pipe coming down from the intake . it seems to have no use ; but maybe it could fill with unwanted water in a bad cituation . what with the 180 the intake makes on it's way to the cyl's. it's a lonnnng way to hydrolock .

 

it would be very easy to put in a one way valve somewhere on the intake tract...like on a dry snorkel.....air isn't affected by gravity, but water is.