Drivetrain Official ALTA Q&A thread!
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 234
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From: Canberra, Australia
Originally Posted by ALTA2
camelpilot,
Great first question! We actually get this alot. What color would you like to see?
Having seen and used other reusable filters in the past, the one thing i really hated about some, was knowing when to clean them. Manufactures state 10,000 miles or once a year, as do we. The truth is that there are many things that make that interval change, longer or shorter. Being able to visually tell when the filter needs to be cleaned is a great way to tell. If it looks dirty clean it! That is what i do!
Anyway, the red is a good neutral color that works with most colors of cars (except purple) and also shows the dirt. We can make the filters in most any color, but we choose red for its universally exceptable color. Pink-ish red isn't my favorite like some use.
Trust me, i too think that a black or dark grey filter is much nicer looking but you won't be able to tell when it is dirty.
BUT, big BUT, we are more than happy to change the color to something like black, as long as people are willing to clean their filters at a peticular interval, then no problem.
Great first question! We actually get this alot. What color would you like to see?
Having seen and used other reusable filters in the past, the one thing i really hated about some, was knowing when to clean them. Manufactures state 10,000 miles or once a year, as do we. The truth is that there are many things that make that interval change, longer or shorter. Being able to visually tell when the filter needs to be cleaned is a great way to tell. If it looks dirty clean it! That is what i do!
Anyway, the red is a good neutral color that works with most colors of cars (except purple) and also shows the dirt. We can make the filters in most any color, but we choose red for its universally exceptable color. Pink-ish red isn't my favorite like some use.
Trust me, i too think that a black or dark grey filter is much nicer looking but you won't be able to tell when it is dirty.
BUT, big BUT, we are more than happy to change the color to something like black, as long as people are willing to clean their filters at a peticular interval, then no problem.
Thanks Liam
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 345
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles
CAI on MCSa
First of all, sorry it took me a while to try out the fittings you sent. I spent about 2 hours today trying to make this work and I just don't see how. I'm curious to know if anyone else has been successful.
After completely removing the OEM hose, I realized that the two vent connections are different sizes. You can see that here:
Also, because of the orientation of these vents and the other stuff back there, there really sin't a lot of room to move them around. I tried many combinations of tees and elbows and couldn't make it all fit. You really need to supply a custom tee that allows the existing vents to approach the hose in a parallel fashion. They just don't bend.
That said, I fitted the Alta hose to the throttle body and realized that it didn't fit well either. Perhaps the orientation of the throttle body is different, but the hose came up several inches short!
You can see the two hoses side-by-side here:
I'm not sure where to go from here. Has anyone else had success with this?
Steve
After completely removing the OEM hose, I realized that the two vent connections are different sizes. You can see that here:
Also, because of the orientation of these vents and the other stuff back there, there really sin't a lot of room to move them around. I tried many combinations of tees and elbows and couldn't make it all fit. You really need to supply a custom tee that allows the existing vents to approach the hose in a parallel fashion. They just don't bend.
That said, I fitted the Alta hose to the throttle body and realized that it didn't fit well either. Perhaps the orientation of the throttle body is different, but the hose came up several inches short!
You can see the two hoses side-by-side here:
I'm not sure where to go from here. Has anyone else had success with this?
Steve
On the Supercharger, silly!
Originally Posted by docross47
I have purchased one (15%), but do not know where to have it installed?
As far as installers, I'm in CA so my input will be as usefull as the above comments. Maybe ask in one of the regional forums?
Good luck, Matt
ps, I asked here on NAM and got two leads...
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Manufacturer
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Oregon
detlman,
The Large center out, round tip i don't think fits the car very well at all. That is because the opening is cut to fit the stock dual outlet tip, not a round tip. But on the side exit, it is cut for a round and it should look pretty good. We will have to see.
matma92ser,
The dual on the side would look pretty nice, but a custom valance would be very costly. The stock part is so cheap that you may as well just go buy one of those and cut it to fit.
Strom,
The black tip would be a good option for some. I am not sure that everyone would like that, but maybe enough to warrant making some.
1nf3rn0,
Our diverters have a 2 coat silver powder coat on them, so in pics they look like raw aluminum finish. At this point the actual metal parts are going to stay silver(as opposed to previous batchs that were black) because most people seem to like the silver better. The silicone couplers that come with them are color matched to the silicone intake hoses.
minigolf,
With that said we would like to change the filter to suit the needs of the customers, but the blues don't match at all and may look funny, even the red doesn't match but it is close enough.
supergimp,
Well, looks like the ALTA intake tube will not work(yet). Call the dealer you bought it from and lets get you a refund, or if you would like to try out a test part, let me know!
docross47,
US mini club, Euro Styles East, are a couple of the guys i can think of. There is also Webb motorsports, who flys around the country installing them.
The Large center out, round tip i don't think fits the car very well at all. That is because the opening is cut to fit the stock dual outlet tip, not a round tip. But on the side exit, it is cut for a round and it should look pretty good. We will have to see.
matma92ser,
The dual on the side would look pretty nice, but a custom valance would be very costly. The stock part is so cheap that you may as well just go buy one of those and cut it to fit.
Strom,
The black tip would be a good option for some. I am not sure that everyone would like that, but maybe enough to warrant making some.
1nf3rn0,
Our diverters have a 2 coat silver powder coat on them, so in pics they look like raw aluminum finish. At this point the actual metal parts are going to stay silver(as opposed to previous batchs that were black) because most people seem to like the silver better. The silicone couplers that come with them are color matched to the silicone intake hoses.
minigolf,
With that said we would like to change the filter to suit the needs of the customers, but the blues don't match at all and may look funny, even the red doesn't match but it is close enough.
supergimp,
Well, looks like the ALTA intake tube will not work(yet). Call the dealer you bought it from and lets get you a refund, or if you would like to try out a test part, let me know!
docross47,
US mini club, Euro Styles East, are a couple of the guys i can think of. There is also Webb motorsports, who flys around the country installing them.
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 345
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles
Jeff,
I'd love to try whatever you want to throw at me. I'm not so disappointed for buying something that didn't work as I am that I don't have the full Alta setup (yet!). Let me know what you might need from me (measurements, etc) and I'll be happy to oblige. Us Autos want our Alta too!
Look forward to hearing more from you.
Cheers,
Steve
(I'll PM you with my personal contact info)
I'd love to try whatever you want to throw at me. I'm not so disappointed for buying something that didn't work as I am that I don't have the full Alta setup (yet!). Let me know what you might need from me (measurements, etc) and I'll be happy to oblige. Us Autos want our Alta too!
Look forward to hearing more from you.
Cheers,
Steve
(I'll PM you with my personal contact info)
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,805
Likes: 30
From: Quebec City, Qc
Alta customer service is awesome!
I bought a short antenna from them 2 years ago, and the little Alta sticker at the bottom of it lost his color over time (hard Canada's winters and many many washes!). I emailed Alta this morning to know if it was possible to get a new sticker... Within 2 hours, I got an answer, telling me 2 stickers were on the way!
Great service, great products, and great guys... Alta's way
I bought a short antenna from them 2 years ago, and the little Alta sticker at the bottom of it lost his color over time (hard Canada's winters and many many washes!). I emailed Alta this morning to know if it was possible to get a new sticker... Within 2 hours, I got an answer, telling me 2 stickers were on the way!
Great service, great products, and great guys... Alta's way
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 234
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From: Canberra, Australia
Originally Posted by ALTA2
minigolf,
With that said we would like to change the filter to suit the needs of the customers, but the blues don't match at all and may look funny, even the red doesn't match but it is close enough.
With that said we would like to change the filter to suit the needs of the customers, but the blues don't match at all and may look funny, even the red doesn't match but it is close enough.
I realise that an exact match would be difficult, but I'd be happy with something in the same hue. Don't make me go and find my own blue foam filter.
Something like this, assuming you think the colour is okay for inspecting/cleaning, would be fine by me...
http://www.synthetic-motor-oil-air-f...ir-filters.htm
Anyway, it's no big deal. There's a handful of Aussies trying to sort a GB for ALTA CAIs on MINI2 and we need to get in quick before our dollar starts to fall too much!
Cheers Liam
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Manufacturer
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Oregon
minigolf,
I hope you can get enough people together for the group buy to make it worth while on the shipping. We would love nothing more than to have more Aussie guys with our intakes!
DeepFriedDuck,
We don't sell it to fit the stock box. But with that said i am sure you can make it work. The problem is the placement of the hose attachment at the air box is in a differnt location than ours. Our air box works with the factory rubber hose but only because it is so flexable. If you need to order it just give us a call.
I hope you can get enough people together for the group buy to make it worth while on the shipping. We would love nothing more than to have more Aussie guys with our intakes!
DeepFriedDuck,
We don't sell it to fit the stock box. But with that said i am sure you can make it work. The problem is the placement of the hose attachment at the air box is in a differnt location than ours. Our air box works with the factory rubber hose but only because it is so flexable. If you need to order it just give us a call.
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 234
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From: Canberra, Australia
Originally Posted by ALTA2
minigolf,
I hope you can get enough people together for the group buy to make it worth while on the shipping. We would love nothing more than to have more Aussie guys with our intakes!
I hope you can get enough people together for the group buy to make it worth while on the shipping. We would love nothing more than to have more Aussie guys with our intakes!
Another guy is organising it, and he says we need just 6 people on board, so far we have 5 (I think) and two people after silicon hoses. The price he has been able to negotiate is pretty damn good, so we just gotta hope we can get the numbers. I know to you guys 6 will seem like stuff all, but we really are a small market down under.Oh yeah, how about the blue foam I posted above (#209), is something like that possible?
Cheers Liam
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,748
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From: Napa, CA
Q: Most springs "settle" after they "break in." I see that the Alta springs lower the S by .75" in the back. Will it stay this way for a while or can I expect them to get lower and lower over time?
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Manufacturer
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Oregon
minigolf,
When we have explored blue in the past it was much more tourquoise, than navy blue. But there are lots of foam people out there.
Rick-Anderson,
Actually most high quality springs are prestressed which eliminates any settling that is noticable by the end user. With that said, the amount we say that the car is lowered is very very close. The only settling that will occure is when the car is first lowered and driven a few feet. So there shouldn't be too much of a worry about them settling more than .1".
When we have explored blue in the past it was much more tourquoise, than navy blue. But there are lots of foam people out there.
Rick-Anderson,
Actually most high quality springs are prestressed which eliminates any settling that is noticable by the end user. With that said, the amount we say that the car is lowered is very very close. The only settling that will occure is when the car is first lowered and driven a few feet. So there shouldn't be too much of a worry about them settling more than .1".
3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 234
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From: Canberra, Australia
Originally Posted by ALTA2
minigolf,
When we have explored blue in the past it was much more tourquoise, than navy blue. But there are lots of foam people out there.
When we have explored blue in the past it was much more tourquoise, than navy blue. But there are lots of foam people out there.
Feel free to PM me if you would like to follow this up further (I hope you do).
Thanks Liam
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Manufacturer
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Oregon
Yup, our SS is threaded to a pretty standard 12x1.25 thread pitch. And most of the sparcos come with a few adapters to make it fit. We offer the SS with the adapter to work with the stock **** or the SS with our ****. Our new **** is pretty cool. We can send you some pics if you like, just send us your email!
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 256
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Originally Posted by ALTA2
aokdoug,
During our initial instruction writing, we contacted Mini, and they say to simpley bolt it onto the nose of the crank. No heating at all! I am wondering if anyone has done this yet? I am not saying heating is bad at all, but not every shop has an oven
During our initial instruction writing, we contacted Mini, and they say to simpley bolt it onto the nose of the crank. No heating at all! I am wondering if anyone has done this yet? I am not saying heating is bad at all, but not every shop has an oven
Just a question, I just notice there are some "tuck tuck tuck " sound coming from the engine but im not too sure where exactly they come from but I think I heard it loudest at the intercooler inlet manifold. what is that sound? What's the cause.. the lighten crank pulley?
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Manufacturer
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From: Oregon
I would guess the tuck sound is an exhaust leak??? Did you replace any exhaust components? If it was a vacuum leak it would be a constant sound, not a repetative sound. Or it could be valve noise, or it could be the pulley, but that would indicate something like a burr is on belt grooves. Let me know what you find!
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2004
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Alta2,
Definately not the exhaust. The noise come from the intercooler inlet elbow and it's likely to sound like clunky noise. I don't think it's the tappet..
Can you explain how it might sound if its because of the crank Pulley?
Definately not the exhaust. The noise come from the intercooler inlet elbow and it's likely to sound like clunky noise. I don't think it's the tappet..
Can you explain how it might sound if its because of the crank Pulley?
CAI Silicon Hose
I have checked with 2 other people who have tried to install the current hose onto a MCSa and we find its not the right size. Will Alta ever plan to make one specifically for us? I find the house is abotu 3" short and the curve isn't sharp enough to accomidate the MCSa.
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 345
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From: Los Angeles
I went through this a couple of weeks ago. First I thought the only difference was the two outlet ports on the MCSa vs one on the MCS. Alta was nice enough to send me an assortment of Tees and hose pieces, which I spent a couple of hours with trying to make a combination that fit in the space allocated - then I finally put the hose in place and realized it came up too short. I think if you read back a bit, Alta uses the word "yet" and are hopefully inferring that a new part will be available.
I sure hope so as I chose Alta specifically because it offered a complete solution. If I knew I couldn't use the hose, I probably would have chosen something else.
Incidentally, the hose is quite loose on the throttle body end (I never tightened the clamp). Is it this way on the manual MCS?
Steve
I sure hope so as I chose Alta specifically because it offered a complete solution. If I knew I couldn't use the hose, I probably would have chosen something else.
Incidentally, the hose is quite loose on the throttle body end (I never tightened the clamp). Is it this way on the manual MCS?
Steve
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 18
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CAI Hose
Steve - I came across your original post re: fitment issue. Apart from the dual outlet required by the MCSa, do you think the hose may fit an early model MCS with the standard airbox? Appreciate your comments :smile:
Originally Posted by supergimp
I went through this a couple of weeks ago. First I thought the only difference was the two outlet ports on the MCSa vs one on the MCS. Alta was nice enough to send me an assortment of Tees and hose pieces, which I spent a couple of hours with trying to make a combination that fit in the space allocated - then I finally put the hose in place and realized it came up too short. I think if you read back a bit, Alta uses the word "yet" and are hopefully inferring that a new part will be available.
I sure hope so as I chose Alta specifically because it offered a complete solution. If I knew I couldn't use the hose, I probably would have chosen something else.
Incidentally, the hose is quite loose on the throttle body end (I never tightened the clamp). Is it this way on the manual MCS?
Steve
I sure hope so as I chose Alta specifically because it offered a complete solution. If I knew I couldn't use the hose, I probably would have chosen something else.
Incidentally, the hose is quite loose on the throttle body end (I never tightened the clamp). Is it this way on the manual MCS?
Steve
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 18
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Alta Springs
ALTA2,
I am in the market for lowering springs and I was hoping you could provide more of an insight in your product. How would it differ or compare to either the H-Sports or M7? Appreciate your comments.
I am in the market for lowering springs and I was hoping you could provide more of an insight in your product. How would it differ or compare to either the H-Sports or M7? Appreciate your comments.