My apologies if someone already posted this but I could not find anything on this topic after search for a while.

I was planning to purchase a cold car intake for my 2008 Mini Cooper S. I was considering the K&N 69 Series Typhoon cold air intake (http://www.autoanything.com/air-inta...intake-systems), DDM cold air intake (http://autoxcooper.com/ddm_turbocooper.php) or the Alta performance cold air intake (http://www.altaperformance.com/hardt...-intake-system). Which one would you recommend and why?

The only thing holding me back is water entering my engine through the cold air intake system and harming my engine because when it rains I know water enters the engine area through the hood scoop and through other parts of the car to the area where I would install the cold air intake. I know this because I put a towel on the area (were I would install the cold air intake) and after a 10 minute ride around my neighborhood when it was raining lightly without hitting puddles the towel was wet.

I know that I can purchase water resistant covers for the filter but they are not completely waterproof as said on the k&n website only water resistant. I also live in Jersey an area where it doesn't get too much rain or too little rain.

So what does you think. Do you think I will harm my engine if I install a cold air intake on my car because of water entering my engine through the cold air intake? Are there any solutions to this because I really want a cold air intake I love how it deepens the sound of your exhaust, increases turbo spool sound, increases throttle response and the cosmetic aspect of it. And for the people who have one on your car how do you prevent water from getting into your engine through the cold air intake?

As always thank you. Have a wonderful day.

 

You don't need to worry about excessive water ingestion with a cold air intake, even with the DDMWorks or AEM that have scoops directly from the hood to the intake. Much of the water falls into the airbox and drips out a little hole in the bottom. Any water that enters the filter is not going to enter at a rate that would harm the engine. A few drips n drops of water coming into your intake during a monsoon is not going to hurt your engine. Now if you sunk into a huge pool of water and your engine gulped it up you've got problems

First thing you should note is to not expect noticeable gains from a CAI on this car. You might get a hair more power up near 5000rpm more than anything. They will make the turbo noises more apparent than before. Kind of a cool effect that a lot of us like. By principle, the DDMWorks, AEM, and DoS make the most sense by drawing in true cold air to the turbo to keep intake temps down. Always a good thing especially when it gets roasting hot outside. Again, don't expect massive gains! You want power, you need to spend a lot more money, i.e. full turboback exhaust, intercooler, and an ECU tune.

 

If those few drops of water were a concern, i doubt any of those intakes would sell. You'd have to completely submerge your filter in water before you could hydrolock the engine.

Don't worry about it.

If you are worried, just cover up the hood scoop from the inside. The consensus is that the hoodscoop is purely for aesthetics and offers little to no functionality.

 

Get one and get the pre-filter for peace of mind. I have had a CAI in every vehicle I have owned since 96 and have never had a problem. From an ATV to a daily driver diesel truck they all got wet but no water in the engine. A lot of the systems have boxes to keep the water out and work really well. Post a poll that asks which one of your choices people use and you will have your answer if $$$ don't matter or they are close enough in price.

 

I have the K&N Typhoon intake on my 2010 MCS, I've only had it on for a few months but like it so far. This is the first intake I have ever had on a vehicle. There aren't any significant power gains, but the noises it makes are very nice. The engine has a nicer growl and hearing the turbo spool is awesome. As far as rain goes, I live in Portland, OR where it rains 6 months out of the year and have had no issues with too much water getting in.

 

Did installing your intake make the turbo have a blow off sound such as when shifting?

 

Hi Fuzzy, I waited a solid 17 hrs after buying my 08 Clubbie before ordering the K&N Typhoon, took about 2 weeks to arrive. I have now had it about 1 yr - 9 months and love it, love it, love it. I have functional hood vents on my Cooper and if there were any car in the world that might have a hydrolock issue, it would be mine, absolutely no problems at all. As noted by others above, any water passing through the area drops into the lower section of the stock airbox and drains out. K&N provides a dyno sheet showing an 11.19HP gain over the stock airbox, I suppose if the original filter were that restrictive it could be possible, I'd guess perhaps more like 5 to 6 w/o a tune and exhaust, but a def noticable difference. The blow-off valve operation is quite audible both outside and inside and is pretty neat. Never buying another filter element is pretty neat too.
I would say that you couldn't go wrong by considering this option. The only observation I have, and it was incredibly easily fixed, was that the metal box provided by K&N vibrated at idle and made pedestrians stare. I took a piece of black self-adhesive door-seal foam thats found at Lowes and placed it on the flange between the new airbox and the stock flange, noise gone. Total repair price, $3.49 and about 10 minutes.

 

Yeah, the blow off noise is significantly louder. Granted this is the only intake I've ever had, I do love it! I've been very happy with it's results. I didn't have any installation issues with it.

One thing to look out for, though, is that it is not CARB legal, so if you live in a CARB state it may not pass inspection. Oregon, where I live, is a CARB state, so I may have to swap it out at inspection time. Installation only takes about 20 minutes so its no big deal to do.

 

DoS

True cold air and the best blow off sounds available!

 

I suppose if the additional sounds are worth it to you go for it. Water will not be an issue. But in reality, like others have stated, it does nothing for performance. I didn't bother with those types of things instead putting that money toward lighter wheels and non run flat tires. Much better performance results.