It appears that I may be getting a CAI for Father's Day ! I'm just not sure which way to go.

I like the Dinan because of it's "stock" look and potential performace gains. I also like the Alta, primarily based on all of the positive post on this forum.
I have never heard either of these intakes, actually I have never heard any aftermarket intake.

Is the Alta "loud" at cruising speeds or is the Dinan too quite when you get on it?

Thanks for any and all input!

 

When i was looking for an intake for my 05, I could not decide either. I was going to buy the alta, but did not want to spend a whole lot. I bought a used Pilo intake from a user on the boards here and I took out the back wall to have similar performance as the alta intake. I absolutely love it!!! I would consider looking into this intake as well. The price is way cheaper then the alta and I can not see how it will perform less then the alta as they are the similar design with the back wall removed. Unless you want to go with the alta and have the silicon hose. Just wanted to give you another option and maybe save a little more for future modications.

Garrett

Forgot to add, the noise at cruise is no issue. You only here the sound of the supercharger and the whistle of the intake when your giving it gas or WOT. And its not very loud at all. Its more like music to the ears!! No matter what route you go, youll be pleased and anything is better then the stock intake as its very restrictive.

 

M7 AGS

www.m7tuning.com The people that have them love them both for noise and the feeling of increased acceleration. :smile:

 

Any intake that requires a "cowl mod" will have more sound inside the car. That piece that sections off the cowl area from the stock intake acts as a noise barrier as well...maybe not by design, but by function.


That is the reason that I'm going with the M7 AGS. I don't want the extra sound inside the car. I just want everybody outside to turn their heads and ask, "Is that thing running on JP-4?"

 

Between the two systems you mentioned, I'd say do for the Alta. I have the Alta and like it alot, but will soon be moving up to the m7 AGS.


Good luck.

 

Everyone will have their own opinion on what is best. And thats an awesome thing to offer a user as it will give him/her more options and make the best choice for them. The AGS looks to be a nice system but I do not thinks its the best for me. Here are my reasons.

1: it requires you to take the front end of the car off to install the system. Some may not be skilled enough to do this.

2: Even though they are offering a heat shield with the package, I do not like the limited opening for air to go in. I also dont like the fact that the intake is so close to the hot motor.

I am not bashing the setup and its an awesome idea with the fact that the filter is closer to the SC and does not have more restriction to work through. Again its all about taste and how far you want to go as well as how much your willing to spend. But you can never have to much options and thats one of the best thing about communities like this. They offer you more options to what you might have not been aware of.

Garrett

 

1:Taking the front off is just a few screws....this doesn't take much mechanical skill. It's scary to think about doing it....but you definitely can do it :smile:
2: The front grill is one of the best place for air to come in. The cowl vents (unless equipped with scoops) are not great intakes. Someone did a test and found that it wasnt sucking tons of air in....i will try finding the test. And then the air must move forward in order to get to cowl intakes.

To each his own...I just thought that maybe it would be better because it will be quieter in the cabin and, according to people who have run both the alta and AGS on their car, will provide a bit more oomph to your acceleration. :smile:

 

....so one of YOUR reasons for not liking the AGS is that some might not be skilled enough to install it huh.

 

sfjames2,

I dont like the fact that you have to take the whole front end to install an intake on the car. So that is why I listed that as one of my reasons and added that some may not be skilled enough to perform that. I on the other hand have the skills but dont like the fact that i am tearing half of my car apart. Now lets get back on track here and help a dad out and give him some options. One thing i would like to see is a test between the alta, ags, and others back to back and see what the difference in power between them all. There is something out there for everyone and some want to go further then others to gain that extra hp or two.

Garrett

 

I can only think of the look on my Dad's face if I gave him a CAI - he has never driven a day in his life and the only cars he is familiar with are yellow with a meter in them

As for the CAI - maybe you can see/hear some people's minis with various CAIs on them. They won't vary too much in HP difference, and the rest is how they sound, look, quality of build, ease of cleaning/replacing the filter, etc.

I like the JCW I added* - the functionality of the flap at 4500 is interesting (and fun , it looks 'stock' and won't draw much attention from Mini service, and I don't need to have the whistling and sound from an open CAI (did that already on the E46).

I'm sure all the options from reputable vendors are good though, sounds like a nice father's day for you :smile:


*you can find the JCW intake alone from places like Helix (http://www.helix13.com/) for a deal since they buy the kit, keep the injectors and sell the CAI.

 

Understood. I just thought it was funny that as soon as the Ol AGS was suggested, the deterent comes out.

 

I had the Dinan for 15K miles and recently switched to the Alta w hose. (My Alta with hose is for sale) I have an AGS on order.


The Dinan works great if you have limited mods. The noise is enough to inspire but not annoy. The performance gains are noticeable for sure. The Alta is much louder but gave me an extra kick over the Dinan. At WOT I can't hear my Miltek exhaust. It is loud. I am going to the AGS for several reasons and most of them have to do with the recomendation of a few people that have tried "them all" and say the AGS seems tp make the most power. If I cut down some of the intake noise that's a plus.

Between the Dinan and the Alta it is noise vs power. The Dinan is no slouch they are both good choices.

 

I don't mean to highjack your Fathers Day thread prolap, but I just had a couple questions about the AGS intake for those that have it or know a lot about it (the answers might even help you decide what intake you'd like):

1. From the photos I've seen, which have been limited, it doesn't seem that the AGS is as isolated from the elements (water, road grit, etc) as the Alta intake. Would this require the AGS filter to be cleaned on a more regular basis.
2. If/when the AGS filter requires cleaning, is it pretty easy to remove without taking the front end off the car.

thanks.

 

I got the JCW intake installed when I picked up the car new, still breaking in the car so have not yet been over 4500 when supposedly the flap opens. It is not loud at all and MINI guarantees 5HP increase. Plus it fits perfectly.


Anyone here who went from JCW to ALTA CAI or M7 AGS? Experiences?

Thanks,

AWMCS

 

1. its right where the stock cooper intake is...and i have had an open element filter there for over 2 years now....still going strong, no problems at all(and i dont even have a heatshield like the AGS has

 

I have had the Dinan and the Alta installed on my car and I second everything that SpiderX said. One consideration beyond the initial cost is that the Alta can be cleaned and oiled with a $15 kit that you can buy from any motorcycle shop. On the other hand, the Dinan (and JCW) filter is paper and has to be replaced during service at about $75 to $80 a pop. The Alta is very smooth and the sound is amazing but I'm switching over to a JCW next to see if I like it.

 

Something to keep in mind about cleaning and oiling filters *if it is applicable on the Mini* (and I do not know if it is).

I have the Dinan CAI on the E46. It, like many CAIs, used the cone filter type that can be cleaned and reoiled, however they do not advise doing that. Before you jump to the conclusion that it is because they just want you to buy new filters, though, there turns out to be a good reason - people found that just a bit too much oil and it would mess up the Mass Air Sensor (or MAF, can't recall exact term but it describes it . Anyway, its worth knowing about; it doesnt mean you cannot do it but just to be aware of it.

Perhaps there is a way to get an additional group discount on the paper filters. Anyone know the mileage before switching it out?

 

Since no one else answered
2. Ridiciuosly easy. The filter is held on by one clamp, just unscrew it and remove filter!

And what's all this about "Removing Front End of Car" I just put in my Alta last week. All I had to remove was the old filter, box and intake tube. Took me about an hour (I'm sure someone more familar would take 1/2 hour). I would hardly call that "Removing Front End of Car".

 

asterix2112,

If you read the post more carefully, we were not talking about the alta that you had to remove the front end, we were talking about the AGS!

Garrett

 

The Dinan Filter on the MINI is paper and cannot be oiled. I don't believe the MINI has a MAF but the over-oiling can be a problem with other cars.

 

from Garett: "One thing i would like to see is a test between the alta, ags, and others back to back and see what the difference in power (is) between them all."


not so easy to do since they all rely (differently) on movement of the car through the air, making dyno testing not so useful. What would you suggest for a test?

 

I have and recommend the Alta. Sounds good and makes great power for an intake. I got mine from Randy Webb and I recommend him highly. The install is straight forward too.

 

The only thing i can think of is trying to create air movement in front of the car when a dyno is being done. But then again thats something i am sure you guys are aware of.

Garrett

 

many times dynos include fans....but thats still not the same as actual driving

I think the best we can do is the famous butt-dyno

many people are happily switching from the alta to the AGS it seems

 

not so easy to do since they all rely (differently) on movement of the car through the air, making dyno testing not so useful. What would you suggest for a test?[/QUOTE]
Just measure the pressure and temp anyplace downstream of the SC. Since the volume of the plumbing is fixed between the SC and the intake valves, the ratio P/T is proportional to air density. An air intake can't do any more than help maximize this. Whether the engine can utilize the additional O2 to make more power is a different question. And, this allows actually driving the car around while taking measurements. :smile: Oh, if anyone does this, use absolute units for P and T, like psia and deg K.