If i'm going to get one, which should i get? Circumstances: not too expensive, not all sport, not all sound, good balance with good price... i've heard pilo is a good buy... and is CAI short for cold-air intake? and if so, what are the advantages of a cold-air intake vs. a regular-air intake? or are all the intakes cold air?

also, i heard a MCS with a borla exhaust (not sure which one) but it sounded kinda ricey... maybe it was just me and didn't really pay that much attention, i just looked at it as it was leaving, is that how all the exhausts sound?

 

Do you have the S model ? I like the fit and efficiency of the Alta intake. I also went with the Alta Cat Back. Love the sound (not too loud and no cabin noise) Fit is questionable. If not installed by someone who can heat and bend tips for proper alignment you will have to have that done in most cases. Good luck and have fun

 

Sorry, missed the S in your username

 

the alta intake is nice but is also the loudest intake....

yes CAI is cold air intake.... any intake that "has a heat shield" qualifies as a cold air intake, really.... the Pilo is great b/c it is easy on the wallet... and yes, that would be a good buy. The alta might give you an extra 2 hp over the pilo (if that), but is a bit louder and costs almost twice as much. some people like the intake whine though, so they roll with it.

any CAI is going to yield more noise (supercharger whine) than a closed-box setup.

dennisyvonne - just FYI, alta fixed the exhaust fitment probs.... talked to Terry at Terry Sayther Automotive (a big alta dealer), about getting one installed on my vehicle - the "fitment" issue has been fixed, the tips even come pre-treated (both are "gold" now...)

CooperS53 - you can go to webb motorsports' page on exhausts - he does evals on each and tells you pros and cons (and there are some that are not listed on that page as well - Milltek and Alta)
http://www.webbmotorsports.com/exhaust-mcs.php
check that page out to get some recon. on exhausts. the alta is supposed to be very quiet, and have a different, non-ricey sound to it (kinda sounds like a jet from what i've been told), and you can't hear it inside the cabin. the Milltek is a little throatier and meaty, so to speak, and also has the highest gains in hp of all of the above mentioned exhausts (including the ones on webb's page.), but costs the most at $800!

Borla makes 2 versions - a street and sport (or something like that)... the street one is quiet (one of the quietest out there), and the sport (or whatever it is called) is one of the loudest out there.... if you heard a ricey loud one, you probably heard the sport version.

Good Luck!

-ABT-

_________________

 

thanks alot, i don't plan on getting exhaust for another month, but i'm starting research early, but the intake/pulley combo should be soon like within a week (as soon as i hit 1250 miles )

I guess the best way to decide which exhaust is to goto the willow springs meet and euro sunday and listen to all the different ones till i find one i like... i know some of them are 800 and some are 500-600 but i'll wait 2 more weeks and save another 200 if it'll mean i like the car that much more everytime i turn it on... so i guess it's not really price but more like which sounds better... of course i'd hope that a 550 scorpion or something would be sufficient, but i have to hear it... i'm sure the diff exhausts produce similar gains (give or take 2-3 hp) which isn't that important, as long as when i get the intake/pulley the exhuast allows the car to breathe better which i'm sure it will, that and it has to sound good... but thanks for the help...

anyone in socal going to VCR with exhaust?

 

FYI ATBsportsline I have the new Alta Catback and still have fit problems. I'm not good at this computer stuff so If you can tell me how I can put a pic on this site I will show you the fit. I still like the sound. I'm getting old so don't like loud mufflers so this is perfect for me. I like the wind of the supercharger so the Alta Intake is perfect.

 

dennisyvonne... is there the chance that maybe your exhaust was a leftover from the old stock? just because you bought it recently doesn't mean its brand new. I am no alta expert, but i am going based on what Terry Sayther (an alta dealer), and Randy Webb (another alta dealer) have said based on their experiences... and between the two of them i am sure they have 20+ of these exhausts sitting in stock right now.

He actually told me they installed one on a cooper s the other week and it fit on the first shot - no re-hanging or lining up. and the tips are even, both are gold, and both are black on the inside - so you don't have to "heat paint" it or heat treat the tips.

just going off what i heard. in 2-3 weeks i will be able to tell you first hand when i get mine installed.

Cheers
-ABT-

 

CooperS53 - most likely you heard the Borla Street - the Borla Race is quite deep sounding, not "ricey" sounding at all; whereas the Street is only marginally better sounding than stock, IMO. I have the Milltek, which people have said sounds like "an exotic sports car" from behind the car - it's quite mellow and pleasant inside the cabin.

I'd vote for the Pilo intake ("intake", CAI, same thing). The Pilo is great value; gives good power for an excellent price. If there's a negative, the finishing isn't top-shelf like the ALTA - but if you want to trim the fat off the budget, it has to come out of somewhere....

As for cat-back - first off, what's your price point? That'll make a big impact on what you'll look into. Second, what kind of sound (and how loud) do you want?

 

there were a number of people at VCR this past sunday with exhaust mods. a couple people had the quiksilver, i'm pretty sure one had a borla (most likely the one you heard), and lester has the stock exhaust mod. i'm still trying to decide what i wanna do as far as exhaust, but i'd prolly throw the pulley on there first since randy says that's a better bang for the buck (and considering my lack of funds, i'm taking his advice haha).

go this sunday! peter and hopefully randy will be there. trust me, your eyes will be glued to their cars. and they're always there to answer questions.

as far as intake, i got the pilo cuz i'm poor. but it did make a difference in throttle response... feels a lot smoother. and i can hear the supercharger a lot better, so that's just cool points.

 

ABTsportsline mine is from the new run with the golden tips and blackened insides. Sure wish you were right but I just installed it and it hangs low. I know what Alta and the distributors are saying but for me it is not true.

 

I've read that changing the exhaust on your MINI does not void the warrantee, but does swapping out the header void it? (For instance, the Milltek).

 

The stock air airbox and piping is a "cold air intake". Keep in mind that we have an intercooler that removes a certain percentage of the temperature difference between the heated air from the supercharger outlet and the ambient air. So, if the supercharger spits out air that is 200F and the ambient air temp is 50F, and the intercooler is 80 % efficient, then the outlet temp from the intercooler will be 80F. Now, let's say the air that gets sucking INTO the supercharger is 60F because our air intake doesn't have a heat shield. Well, the supercharger still increases the temp by 150F so the outlet temp is 210F. But, the intercooler still removes 80% for the difference, so the actual temperature coming out of the intercooler is 82F, only 2 degrees warmer. That's less that 1/2 % diffference in temp.

My point is, try to find an air intake that allows air to flow freely into the supercharger. That will allow a greater amount of air molecules to enter the engine. In my testing, the Alta showed as much as 1/2 psi difference compared to stock. That's almost a 10 % difference in absolute pressure!



Take all power claims (especially from those selling the product) with a big grain of salt.

 

Andy... You are the man. thank you for that great expectation. So in your opinion and research... what is the best intake for the most gain?

 

forget my typo-- I meant, explanation... someone started talking to me and I made a boo boo. sorry friends.

 

andy just gave mad props to the alta intake, and its not easy to get full endorsement from andy, so i would think that is what your answer is.

:smile:

cheers,
-ABT-

 

Would this modification from Mini-Madness increase the pressure like the Alta? But also conversely, would it make the Madness/Rogue intake or other intakes as loud as the Alta?

http://www.mini-madness.com/index.as...amp;ProdID=174

 

I haven't tested any intakes other than stock and the Alta. Of the two, the Alta is demonstrably freer flowing.

 

dennisyvonne,

I just installed the Alta exhaust and had a fitment issue with the tips hanging down. I did the install in my garage with the car on stands and it was a p.i.t.a. So the next day I took it by my muffler shop, put it on the lift, and here's what we did.

1. Loosened the front-to-header 2 bolts and rotated the complete Alta system CLOCKWISE to take all the bolthole slack out. Retightened while holding to prevent slipping back.

2. Loosened 2 bolts to the center pipe-to-muffler section and rotated the muffler section CLOCKWISE to take all the bolthole slack out. Retightened while holding to prevent slipping back.

Althought each of the two fittings only moved a fraction it WAS enough to completely correct the fitment issue. The tips are centered right up snug in the valence cutout now with about 3/8" top clearance.

It was impossbile on my back on the garage floor and Soooo easy on the lift!

Mike