I was thinking about a few things today, but the first thing to make this work is to find out if a R50 can take an intercooler. Before you say it I know I need the hood, thats no problem. The thing that I am worried about is if I can Mount an intercooler on the top of the engine just like an R53. If you can help that would be freaking awesome!

Thanks Zach

 

Considering the R50 is neither turbocharged nor supercharged....no; an intercooler cannot be fitted in any way, nor is one even necessary.

- Matt

 

The reason I ask is I was thinking of getting the hood and I would need something to direct the air into the intake, Really I am going to use it for my air intake rather than that little hole that is used for the R50's intake system. Thats why I am asking if I get a shell of an intake can it be mounted?

 

No need for the intercooler.

Using the R53 bonnet you get a center scoop not found on the R50 bonnet.

Your air filter is located on the driver's side.

You could fabricate some sort of attachment from the scoop opening to force the airflow towards the location of the stock R50 air filter or aftermarket filter.

It would be easier with an aftermarket air filter and the airflow would not need to be perfect like a closed system.

A semi open system would work OK. You can use plastic to route the air.
If you leave the scoop open the air will flow over the top of the cylinder head and backward to the header and down the firewall missing the air filter.

There would be turbulent air movement if there is no easy way for the air to pass beyond the air filter area. You'd want the air to move and keep moving that way you don't get a hot air filter under the bonnet as is the case with an R50 using an aftermarket air filter and no stock airbox.

 

The question is really:

If a Cooper S bonnet provides a scoop, and it is installed in a base Cooper,
Then how can a cooper make use of the air provided by the scoop?

Air could cool the radiator, cool the engine, provide fresh air for the air intake, or provide fresh air for brake cooling.

Seems ashame to not have the scoop be functional.

Another aspect-
Make your plans first then before any changes:
Do a baseline dyno to see where you are at- before the changes.
See if you can borrow or get a Scan Gauge II so you can record air intake temperatures on your car right now. At highway speeds record what is the ambient temperature and how fast it changes from 100 degrees down to within 10 degrees higher than ambient.

You're trying to see if any power is added when the intake and air scoop mod is done and if the air filter is more efficient than stock due to air flow and/or the air filter mod.

 

Dang, hune.... tell us what you REALLY think...

But, yeah - what he said ^ three times.

 

That's what I was thinking, the same thing the MINIHune is saying. I have a Green Twister and I was thinking about getting something like the ASG-R from M7 for the R56, that would force the air into it from the scoop. Only thing is how would I mount it, that's why I was asking about the intercooler, how are they mounted and would I be able to mount something like that on a R50.

I wonder what this will do to my MINI????

Oh..... anyone have a hood that you want to get rid of as well?

 

If you want to mount an air filter in the same way the intercooler is mounted in an R53,
you would need to use an R53 intake manifold with the two rear brackets that bolt to it...

...this would also require a custom throttle body mount. Not even sure if this is at all
possible without having an R50 to look at, but it would be pretty cool.
A lot of custom fab work, though.

 

The whole purpose of having an intercooler, is to cool the air intkae charge down, because it gets heated up by compressing it with either a turbo charger or supercharger before it enters that intake manifold. If the charge isn't cooled, it can lead to pre-detonation causing engine damage. If your not running a turbo or supercharger, then there isn't any reason to use a intercooler. Because your going to rely on the engines compression to pull air through the filter and through an intercooler. Your engine will run lean, that's like you trying to suck air through a straw underwater. You need the action of a turbo/supercharger cramming lots of air through the intercooler. Engine compression from a non-turbo or supercharger will not pull enoguh air through an intercooler for it to be effective, for a performance prespective. Yes, it looks cool having a big huge intercooler, showing through the grill. Hey, this is just my two cents.

 

I feel that with the amount of working your trying to do, the results will not be worth it. You wont feel it, but do it if you want, thats the fun part!