Thanks theroyalwe - here it is: http://video02.cssd.pitt.edu:8100/ the video is called "HAI".

 

and a great video it is too... excellent!

 

I installed a K&N 1540 to the existing intake hose.

To me it made scense (what little knowledge I have) to go to the hose instead of the throttle body. I don't recall the name of the other hose that goes to the front vent to the stock box but I left it in also it would get air from the cowl. Nevertheless this is what I did:

To connect the filter to the hose I used a PVC straight connector joint. It's a piece of PVC around 4" long that's used to connect two 3" pipes. I wrapped electrical tape around is so you don't see the white of the PVC. I had to work it a bit to fit into the hose but it fits perfect to the filter. Clamped it at each end. Then I zip-tied it down. That's it.

It's great. Car does pull more and it's a big help in hard right turns in 2nd (my car always seems to choke here)
and when the AC is on.:thumbsup:

Check thumbs

 

My MA is of the opinion that the HAI (the original set up - direct to the TB) would kill your low end power. Any thoughts? I live in the Orlando area, where it is in the low to mid 90's everyday in the summer, so I wonder if the ambient heat puts the capital H in HAI.

 

and you will gain a touch on top. But what isn't in the WOT power curve is the throttel response. You take a lot of air volume out of the intake path.

If you sit and idle a lot, you will feel the bog of heat soak as you start off. Depending on the speed you get to, it won't last too long.

Matt

 

Ah, so for an autocross application - where you are sitting there idiling for a while, then need to have a quick launch, the HAI may not be the best mod.

 

You may get a bit of delay at launch with the heat soak, but the increased throttle response may more than make up for it during the run. Only one way to tell for sure.....

Matt

 

What do you guys think about Studog's idea? It seems like it gives the advantage of the HAI but reduces the issue of heat soak by moving the filter away from the engine and into the stock box.

Comments?

 

The advantage of the HAI is that it reduces pressure drop. If you place the intake tube back in the path you gain nothing. Might as well go with a CAI like Alta etc. Which isn't necessarily a terrible thing to do. It's just counter to what this thread is about.

 

It has the potential to be a winner, if you get a bigger opening from the cowl. The plastic will be a good insulator, and the large filter will have good surface area. Heck, may be the best option out there!

Matt

 

One more thought.
Having done temp measurements all over the engine bay I can tell you one of the hot spots under the hood is just about where the filter is in that pic. Right next to heat rise from the headers.
It is hotter there than it is where the HAI sets. At least while setting still. Once in motion the engine bay vents quite well. Better than a lot of people think.
If you're going to set it there uninsulated you might as well just do the HAI.
If you're going to set it there and insulate it then you're just doing a DIY CAI of your own design. which is nice but eliminates all the advantage of less pressure drop that the HAI gives.
Some it really isn't improving on the HAI concept as much as it is making your own CAI.

It's all good but it is 2 very different things.

 

Wow, monster thread... Very interesting, now I see where all you very learned guys have been getting/investing your intake knowledge

Coming in very late on this game, I like the connection directly to the throttle body, just need some wippy skippy way of getting outside air to it.

AGS concept is interesting, just hard to install.

Wonder if a simple scoop diverter, or perhaps a ram jet tube from a front grill opening directly to the HAI might be the answer, it might have other benefits to cooling other parts of the engine bay too. Probably need a rain catch though or we'll have a wet filter if it ever rains again, and once a catch is in place the ram jet is basically sacked. I've only read the beginning and last 12 months of this thread so far, I bet these have all already been tried out.

Gotta love these 115 degree days in sunny Southern California. I'm not going outside until 2 am, just need to install a garage door in the front of the house so I can work on the MINI inside with AC! I need to ask my wife about that one.

[edit] P.S. Hmmm, maybe that's the answer. Run an AC duct to the filter. Repace the OEM AC compressor with a lower output one that drains less HP. Dedicate it to the filter... Just don't drive if it's hot (which means almost never). How's that for an easy install!

Best,

-- Don

 

I did the same thing to my black car(before i sold it) that studog did. Except, I cut basically the whole top of the air box away except for the side that mounts the battery cables. I did that to provide a little isolation from the header heat. Throttle response was improved.

 

Hey guys,

I guess it not a true HAI, but I do keep the box top off.
It's been running great. I do have more pull. So far so good.

 

Hi Andy!
If you had to do it all over again which of the three mentioned filters would you use? 1520, 40 or 50?
Thanks,
Shawn

PS- See you all in Monterey!!

 

ru-1540 id think with the 10deg angle.

what im worried about is, having water get into the filter being right behind the hood grill....any thoughts of this?

im sure its been said or asked before.

 

If you're running a filter that is oiled, rain water won't be a factor. You will get little, if any water in the system. Even in a really hard rain you probably won't be going fast enough to suck in the significant amount needed to to cause problems. If any of the water droplets/mist get to the SC they will be gone by the time the air exits to the IC.

 

See thats the thing....Dinan puts there filters down behind the fog lights ( on BMWs ) which can and has caused problems when goin thru puddles ( big ones which ,I KNO, they shouldnt be slammin thru em but it happens sometimes without warning and the water gets sucked up like a straw ) Oil filters just catch dirt better, not water thats why id be worried using this filter

No one has had any issues like this yet?

 

I ordered a 1550 yesterday, it should be here on tuesday. I went to an auto parts store to pick up a breather filter, the guy who worked there said that he didn't know what I was talking about, I then told him he'll know what I mean when he sees one. He then told me, "I don't know much about cars". I just shook my head and thought to myself, "how can you work at an auto parts store and not "know much about cars"". Then I got out of there as fast as I could. I was told I could find one at a place close that sells a lot of racing stuff. I think this mod will work really good with my Borla Race exhaust. If the filter hits the liner I am going to wet it like they do with the M7 front strut bar.

 

Yesterday I installed my HAI on my '05 MCS. I had to special order a K&N breather filter from Hawiian Racing as I couldn't find one from an auto parts store. I think I got hosed 'cause they charged me $26 for it. The part # is 62-1360. As far as sound goes, with the widows closed I can barely tell a difference, with the windows open I can hear more of a swoosh sound and I can hear the throttle body open and close, at least I think thats what the sound is. It almost sounds like a mellow turbo charger sound. If I keep it at the right RPM I can hear a long swoosh/whistle sound. I would have to say I am a little disappointed in the sound, I thought it would be louder. But I do have a Borla Race exhaust, maybe thats why I can't hear the intake all that well. As far as performance goes, I could feel better throttle response as soon as I pulled out of the garage. The throttle response is a lot better when I have the air on full blast. Before, when I had the air on, pulling away in first gear I would have to give it a lot of throttle until the SC spooled up. And heal and toe shifting with the air on was not possible because the engine would not rev up fast enough. The HAI has helped these two problems a lot. I can feel a slight power gain through whole RPM range and the engine seems to run a little smoother. I can chirp the tires twice as long now going into 2nd gear. I cant wait to get about 500 miles on this mod and see how the ECU responds to it. All in all I think this is a really good mod for the price.

 

Why wait 500 miles for the ECU to catch up with the HAI? The ECU is not adaptive, and so what you have now is what you'll have in 500 miles. Most changes people perceive are human adaptations. There's lots of posts on that process as it relates to MINI ownership.

cheers,

 

Everything I have been told and read tells me the ECU is adaptive. It is even talked about in this thread.

 

Read this post by the man himself (Andy @ RossTech):
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...14&postcount=3
I'll abide by what Andy says until I experience anything otherwise. I have $10000 worth of mods on my car and not one of them took more than a trip around the block to experience the full effect.
Of course, some took me more time to really appreciate...
cheers,

 

Internet legend. The ECU is adaptive in real time... i.e. it adapts to conditions to adjust the mixture, spark, etc., but it does not "learn."

 

Exactly. So how can it "learn" that you have a HAI, or a CAI, or a new header? If these mods require looking up different algorithms then the ECU will do it "in real time" and you'll experience (not necessarily perceive) the *adaptation* immediately, but it doesn't take 500 miles for this to happen.
I know I sound like many others on this board, but I'd like to see some evidence that, ceteris paribus, things are different 500 miles after installing a HAI, or any other mod. compared to 500 feet after that mod was installed.