I haven't even gotten the MCS off the truck and I already want to mod it, haha. I had a couple questions.

1. In your opinion, what is the best cold air intake for the Mini Cooper S? I have seen ones online from 11 bucks to 300, and while I can see that some need to be oiled and some don't, and some have heat shields and some don't, I can't tell which one is really the best one to buy.

2. I heard changing out your supercharger's pulley is the first thing S owners tend to do. I know 19% is hard on the supercharger, so I'd probably go with 15%. However, I've heard about horror stories here where it wasn't installed right and the supercharger blew because of it. Can a BMW dealer install this, or should I look elsewhere.


That's basically it. I can do an admirable amount with cars, but the last thing I want to do is try to do the pulley myself and I ruin my engine.

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

There are several good intakes on the market, but don't expect a lot of power from any of them. Look at the quality of the filter, and isolation of intake air from hot engine bay air.

The pulley is an excellent mod which requires moderate skill/experience to install. If you F it up, you will be buying expensive parts. I would recommend one of the MINI shops that do this kind of thing all the time, such as, say, Helix if you are in the Northeast . We've done more than anyone, and we did the first. If you are unlucky enough not to be in our area there are excellent shops scattered around the country, including Way Motorworks down south, Detroit Tuned in in the midwest, and MINICorsa out west.

 

I'm in Columbus, Ohio. Anywhere you'd suggest to where I am?

So any intake that basically separates itself from the engine with a heat shield is pretty much good to go, right?

PS: We were considering taking a road trip to Philly in a few weeks.. maybe I could stop by your main shop there.

 

Give us a call, we'll send you to the right cheese steak place

 

1) The best CAI....lots of options...it really depends on how much $$ you want to spend, and the amount of SC whine you want. They all perform pretty similarly......I would recommend one with a shield...or you will be sucking hot air into the motor...it will also keep the filter cleaner. All the filters/CAI have plusses and minuses.....The quietest is the factory JCW, then the Dianian (mine), pleasing on acceleration, but nice on a long drive. Beyond that the DDM ones a beautifully built, and the Alta's have a strong following (they do usually have a partial throttle whistle)but they do sound great around town.....on a long drive IMO they could become annoying, and a few have had them corrode a bit.
As for filters, Most CAI have re-usable filters, that get washed, and oiled. They flow better than paper, and come in two types....FOAM and Cotton Gauze. It is a performance increase, and a real money saver. Both are pretty similar, and selecting one....well there are two camps...kinda like religion, you just have to have faith and pick!!
2) For pulleys.......I have a 17%, it is a compromise. It does get rid of the summer hesitation when the A/C is on....IMO I would choose between a 17% and a 15%. 19% is pretty aggressive...too much IMO. If you like to drive at lower rpms...typical street driver...the 17% is great...I debated it myself for months. If you might track the car, or spend much time at red-line, the 15% will be better, and less likely to cause problems.As for the install, I paid a local MINI centric shop to do my install, and it was well worth the peace of mind. Not sure if a dealer would do the install, but I bet they would charge you a bundle. I have seen my local mini guy running specials for used 15%, removed from peoples cars who switched to 17%...nobody goes the other way..ever...for 150 or 175$ installed...usually a Helix or a Craven. then he would charge you 30 for a new belt if you needed one...strongly recommended (shops will charge a couple hundred to do this by itself.....it is possible to use an newer OEM belt with a 15%, but IMO, just install the shorter belt).
I would also install a Detroit Tuned Tennsioner stop...increase the belt breaks...best $20 you will ever spend (potential to save you hundreds of $$, and spark plugs, one step cooler....the same as a JCW.
I've bought lots of stuff from WayMotorWorks (a vendor), and he does have a nice kit, belt,plugs, and pulley. He also sells intakes, the tenssioner stop, and plugs too!!
Good luck, and enjoy your MINI!!

 

Definetly get the pulley. If you don't get Helix to do it when your in Philly give me a call, we are having a Mod party in Indy at the end of the month and we'll be doing several.

As for intakes I personally use the DDM stainless box, I think it's the best.

 

I've gotten stuff from Helix too....great folks too!!

 

When you do the pulley, be sure to also get some new colder-range spark plugs, while you're under the bonnet.

 

Ok, great advice guys. I guess I'll just wing it on the air intake. There's a 249 dollar one on eBay right now that looks very very nice, with a heat shield enclosure and a cone that doesn't need to be oiled.

Haha, please do recommend some good cheese steak places! It's the reason why we're making the trip! We just saw a special on the Food Network last night, and one of the top ten restaurants in the country was a tie between two Philly cheese steak restaurants that face each other on the same street......can't remember what they're called. The one with the chipped beef though looked better in my opinion (the one without all the big flashing lights).

ANYwho, I'll give you guys a call once we know exactly what day we'll be up there and we'll schedule an appointment. Do you have the parts there or do I need to order them online and bring them in with me? If that doesn't work out, I guess I'll be seeing you guys in Indy :P. The car is almost at 70k, so that's a good time to change out the belt anyway.


Colder range spark plugs... gotcha. That should be an easy install. I like to change spark plugs out anyway when I get a used car.

 

Mod party?!? i want in!

 

Just be sure the head is cold, and you use a torque wrench....MINI's seem to suffer from spark-plugs getting blown out and needing a coil pretty commonly.

As to the filter that does not need oil....they just get cleaned and oiled when needed...generally further between intervals than non-oiled disposable paper filers need replacing!! Honest, they do work well if you do not over oil them, and much cheaper....price a JCW factory filter...a non oiled type lately...they are $100+.....

 

That's Pat's and Geno's. Geno's is the glammier tourist site, Pat's is the down-n-dirty local hang out. Guess which one we go to

 

Eric
I want some cheese steak

 

Yea, Pat's all the way from what we saw! Btw, the special was on the Travel channel . Btw, are you guys open on Saturdays? It's when we'd be able to come down...

Thanks again!

 

Give us a call: we'll work something out.

 

Don't discount the Alta CAI. Probably the best performing filter available. Easy install and easy maintenance. And it's on sale.....

 

mmmmm...cheesesteak

 

Listen to ZippyNH, he does his research. Most intakes offer the same performance gains (which is pretty minimal), it's about personal preference and sound.

But the above quote is the only thing I don't agree on. Most complete after market intakes don't really need the filter as the hood liner underneath you bonnet should seal the intake pretty well already. Take the Alta for example, the intake is sealed pretty well by the hood liner; on my MINI, I can see the indentation from the intake box on my hood liner.