I'm new to the Mini scene, or any sport car scene in fact. My previous cars were V6 Camaros, and because I was under 25, I didn't want to pay insane car insurance rates, nor tempt myself with a V8 or performance mods.

Now that I've got my MCS, one of the first things I want to do, is an intake upgrade. Down the line I may do the pulley, swaybar, ECU stuff... But for now I'd just like to get the intake out of the way.

I've seen a lot of people scooping up the JCW intakes by itself... Also seen a few people toting Alta intakes.

I can't seem to find a resource that provides comparisons of a few different intakes, and I've ran a search on these forums, and can't really come up with any real info on which intakes are preferable over others.

So if you guys could help out the new guy, and point out some good things to look for and maybe suggest some specific intakes, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Good place to start.
Randy wrote a small review on each of the intakes he sells.

http://store.webbmotorsports.com/ind...x&cPath=16_3_5

 

If you love the sound of your supercharger's whine, and want much more of that whine, GET THE ALTA. I've heard no other intake can match the whine, except perhaps ProMini's.

I have the Alta, and recommend it highly! But then again, I love that jet engine whine!

If you want more power, but not as much whine, the JCW box might be better for you, versus an open design like the Alta.

 

What he said! Also Alta has an option to get a silicon hose or not to get it. The difference is a few hp and more sound with the hose.

I have the Alta and it makes the supercharger come alive

 

Well, if you love the Alta, but want your car to truly sound like a jet engine and to get better performance, get the M7 Air Gain System. You can even get a heatshield to project the noise more forward and make it more civilized. There are some threads with sound clips of the AGS in action. Take a look .

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=43257 If you do drop triple digits on an intake, try this before your change and let me know what you think of the difference

-Jake

 

I was just in the process of posting the same link!
Bodinski

 

I read this before posting mine, and while it sounds interesting, it sounds like more than a drop in mod. But that, I mean the part where you talk about 'a little inventing' and extra screw holes put in and what-not. I'd like to be able to return the car pretty much to 'stock' if/when I ever decide to sell.

I'm not a fan of the Alta's per say... I've just seen more of those 'in person' so far, than anything else. And I'm certainly not a fan of noise over power. If more noise comes with more power, sure... But I'm not looking to make it louder or whine more.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

One of my reasons for going with the Promini, is that i can take it in and out for service easily. While it might not get as much cold air as the others, i find its worth it.

 

JCW is the quietest; even plugs the factory hole into the cowl so it may be quieter than stock below 4500rpm, and as loud as the others above that when the flap opens. Plug can be easily removed if it is too quiet for you.

Much like cat-back exhausts, there's not a lot of power differences and it comes down to which sound you prefer. But if you get the JCW upgrade kit they throw in 4 380cc injectors for just $75 more--a real money saver if you intend to go with 19% later.

 

Out of curiousity, how does one remove the cowl plug you spoke of in the JCW intake? It is a plastic piece?

 

It is just a circular piece of flat plastic that the rubber boot (which looks exactly the same as the one on the stock box) stretches over. You have to take the box bottom out of the car to reach it but it just "pops" out. Can be replaced if desired by snapping it back in.

 

So there's a JCW upgrade kit with the intake and spark plugs, which is (I assume) only availible from Mini dealerships?

 

The only kit I know of with spark plugs is the full JCW kit with cylinder head and supercharger for $4650. The upgrade kit I am referring to is the 200 to 210HP kit with CAI and injectors.

 

Oh. To me it sounded like there was a kit with the intake and injectors which was cheaper and seperate than the 'complete' upgrade kit:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=41935

On MiniUSA, after you build your own Mini, there is a JCW option, which has the JCW air filter seperate, but it's $450. Maybe this is what comes with the injectors?

 

No, $450 MSRP is the airbox itself. The kit is $525 with injectors; part # 11 12 0 395 131. No spark plugs in it though.

 

Aren't the injectors alone usually around $400? If that is the case, the JCW intake is a bargain at $525-$400 = $125.

I don't like the whine of the Alta intake. Seems like the JCW one should be very quiet. Does it make much power?

 

According to the little description on the MiniUSA site (when you're in the build-it-online, JCW section), it says the airbox adds 5hp.

So would it be beneficial to grab the injectors too? I don't know the difference between JCW injectors and the MCS ones... But it does sound like it would have to be a dealership install.

 

The JCW ones flow more fuel and so require different ECU programming, like the GIAC--and those require a smaller pulley. Since you suggested in your original post that you intended to do pulley and ECU in the future, you could get the injectors now for $75 extra and hold onto them until you were ready.

If you like quiet then the JCW box is for you.