Huntington, I agree with your "system" aprroach, its exactly what Im doing, Im looking at upgrading and insulating the post-I/C charge pipe because the stock R55 pipe is restrictive and has a stupid "muffler" built in to it. The new one I will wrap in adhesive-back heavy foil sheet to reflect the heat in the area and Im still going to try the W2A when I can find the $$$$$. This just seems like the most sensible answer before getting ready for installing a tune that will boost the output by 35 to 50WHP. Gotta dump that extra heat somewhere. I figure a good tune, W2A and Typhoon should = about 235 crank horses, a good entertaining street mix, because this is still my daily driver.
I realy like that GRS site, looks like a nice well designed kit. Do they have US distributors?

 

I agree with Thumper's post. You also have to consider the fact that heat soak conditions usually occur at the track, unless you go WOT all day long and from street light to street light and on the highway. If you never go to the track, or if you are only occasionally track your MINI, you're not going to maximize the effectiveness of going W2A. A GP IC, DDM Works diverter, and the M7 Extreme Scoop will still increase your overall air volume compared to the stock setup, even if the space below the IC is not that big. The total cost is $850, and you can do all the work yourself. Yes, I do agree with cutting in some vents in the bonnet, too.

The cost of a good W2A system will be $1,800 or more, plus the labor you have to pay for installing it. If you are that mechanically inclined or capable, then at least you have some $$$.

The stock R53 air filter setup pulls air from both the front charge port and a small rear hole. Many aftermarket designs only replace the top half of the air filter box, which means the front charge port and tubing is still used. You should be getting more cool air from there than from the rear section by the vent.

For those with R55/R56/R57 setups, it's not an exact comparison. You're stock IC is already in a better location to begin with. You're best bang-for-the-buck for intake temps is getting the DDM Works air diverter, which is the only true cold-air intake product on the market of any of the MINI designs. After that, then maybe consider a larger A2A intercooler.

Painting the IC with black paint can also drop your temps even more: http://www.molalla.net/members/leeper/coatbar.htm. This is comparable to the black coating on the DoS intake. You can get a can of radiator-specific black paint from Eastwood Paints for $15, but any flat black paint will do. Just make sure the IC surfaces are clean. If it's new, you should be OK; just keep fingerprints to a minimum. If the IC is dirty, get it tanked/dipped/cleaned.

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If you still want to go W2A, at least paint your stock IC with black paint, do a dyno pull. Then install the W2A system and see how much of a difference it makes. That would be some nice numbers to compare. Here is another way you can test and verify your temp drops: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...27-post93.html.