This is a re-post of something I placed in the underbonnet forum, but then realized it would be better off here:

I think it would be useful to have a thread comparing air intake mods to MCSs, and collecting information from actual users about them.

Who has made modifcations to the air intake on their MCS?

What mods (what Mfg of cold air intakes or unrestricted intakes, or even just replacement filter elements)?

I'm hoping to get feedback on the various kits out there, BMP, K&N, Alta, Pipercross induction kit, MINI Madness, to name those I have come acroos, there may be others.

What are your impressions:
performance improvements, specifically in around-own driving e.g. mostly mid-range, but also top end acceleration?

sound?

TIA!

 

Repost for me, too.

I'll bite.

Alta-From what I've seen and read, the stock airbox top is removed and the backing plate is removed as well. This creates a HUGE area for their HUGE filter. I have not seen any dyno results though. And have not heard good things about the foam filter they are using. Honestly, just not enough info on this yet.

K&N-WAY WAY WAY overpriced and bizzare. You end up with a tube shooting air over the top of the filter. Very strange. Performance was average, nothing stellar.

BMP-Since this has a heat shield which is open in the back, this is perhaps the loudest of them all. Haven't heard the Alta yet at full throttle, so that may compare due to the backing plate being removed. Dyno results just don't come near what the manufacturer is claiming. I've had this on my MCS and although it sounded nice, the proof just wasn't there.

Madness/Rogue-This has consistantly been the best dyno'd intake for power out there right now for the MCS. Easy install. Great K&N style reuseable filter. Heat shield fits tight to hood underside. This is what I currently have on my ride. Most happy with it. No complaints.

Pipercross-Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this only for a drop in panel, not a total intake replacement for the MCS?

And lastly, there is Randy's airbox mod. Check the "how to" thread in Performance Mods for more details.


R

 

i like the K&N setup but ovecourse, i agree with the shooting pipe issue, i am currently making a piece to recreate the front panel and hooking the pipe to it, to act as a heat sheild, as well as i have done the airbox mod, but no real gains, but i feel once i get the fron plate issue the , air box box would have more affect, the KN is the only one that replaces the pipe to the supercharger, which i really like alot!!!!, no more rubber intake hose for me!!, but i did feel they should have kept the box part more intact, for cold air reasons,but unfortunalty i did my kn with some other mods so i dont know the KN alone true gains.....just my two cents.....

 

Thanks for the first reply, and right away I have a few more questions for you:

The BMP: if it is open in the back, do you mean towards the driver? And does that mean - as I had previously suspected - that the BMP intake draws it's air from a COMPLETELY different location that stock? It seems that stock intake air comes from ducts at the front of the car, and thus through the front grille. The BMP it would seem would draw air from the grill just in front of the window?

I wondered about the implications of that, would it draw in more rain / water / moisture there, and would it not be possible that the air there is hotter having passed over the bonnet, than stock?

2nd question up for discussion:
the heat shield: it seems to me from more of a lay perspective (in terms of tuning), that a metal heat shield would be worse than a plastic one - in terms of the shield between filter and engine bay. Metal is a much better conductor of heat than plastic, and so a metal shield could not really be as "cold" as a plastic one, or am I missing something here?

Where does the Madness ? Rogue intake get it's air from, and what kind of heat shield does it have?

To answer a Q:
the pipercross comes in two shapes: a drop in foam replacement (cheaper) but also a more expensive vortex induction kit with circular folded paper filter.

Saw Randy's airbox mod, but that too seems to have only a metal shield??

Great feedback though, thanks!!
:smile:

 

with respect to the K&N pipe to Scharger, same question as for BMP (or other) metal heat shields: won't the metal pipe pick up more heat from engine bay than a plastic one? On other hand airflow is probably smoother.

 

MGB-GT,

I have had the intakes on my car, and can say that they all have their good points. Here's a breakdown:

Madness/Rogue - the highest repeatable hp numbers, can't use a stress bar, very nicely finished. This system has a heat shield that seals with the bonet when the car is all buttoned up, which provides a cold air only source (but I totally agree with you that carbon fiber or plastic would be a better material to use for a heat shield).



BMP/PROMINI - a very nicely designed system, lower than manufacturer's published numbers when the car is at operating temperature, great sound (but not all that much louder than any of the other intakes), can be used with the work of art that is the BMP strut brace. It is open at the rear of the heat shield, but still retains the lower part of the airbox that includes the "snorkle", so it is getting air from the stock location as well as the rear cowl area. This open area may have something to do with the lower numbers when compared to the Pipercross or Madness.



Pipercross - This is a system very similar in design to the Madness/Rogue, but the finish level is slightly less to be totally honest. It does have a very nice foam element with an aluminum bell that attaches to the intake boot. The big drawback to this system is the mounting arangement of the filter - it clamps on the intake boot through a hole in the heat shield, and that's how the filter is mounted (this arrangement allows the intake to flop around a little inside the heat shield).



K&N Typhoon - Ryan is right, this system is a little funky. I do like that they replaced the snorkle tube with a straight pipe that eliminates the sound tube, but they made it out of aluminum which conducts heat. It also just points the air into an open cavity with no heat shield. For what it comes with, the K&N is a bit pricier than the others, but it does replace the intake boot and snorkle with aluminum. You could do some fabricating and make this system into something very nice. A heat shield with a bracket for the snorkle, and some header wrap, aluminized heat barrier, or even ceramic coating on the aluminum tubes, and this intake is a winner (but it would cost quite a bit more at that point).



Monster intake - This system has no heat shield, but again replaces the boot with an aluminum runner. A lot of the same issues that the K&N has - you can make it into something very trick.



Let me know if you have any other questions.

Randy
720-841-1002

 

Thanks for the feedback Randy,
I very much appreciate it!
I'll have to give it some thought in terms of what I'd like to pursue.
Seems like several of theses kits offer some room for tinkering and improvement, such as additional shrouding with more heat shield material (such as plastic or insulating foam over the metal).
Thanks!
Markus

 

I just saw the name and thought... maybe??

With the M and the G in your nickname, you wouldn't happen to be Markus Grunholm the FIA WRC driver? I thought it was spelled Marcus, so I know it's a long shot - just thought it would be cool.

 

:smile:
ROTFLMAO!!!!!

good one though!!!

 

ps,
wish I couyld drive like Grunholm!
alas, my driving skills are on another planet.
Always thought WRC is fun though.
Cheers,
Markus (not Grunholm)

 

That was my initial thought, but the MG and the B were separated, so I thought it might be initials instead - I'm sure you're a great guy too though!

For the record, is it MGB-GT or MG-BGT? I love that car by the way (all except for the electrical system ).

 

I'm glad to hear Cadman is fabbing a heat shield for the K&N. The K&N with a heat shield, or the bmp extended all the way to the firewall (?) and a bigger filter area would be tops.

Glad to hear of all these developments. It may have been mentioned, but the cloth heat wrap used for exhausts would work beautifully for shielding the k&n tubes.

Jeff

 

it is actually MGB-GT, but I always preferred MG-BGT to separate Morris Garage - the name of the marque, from the model, and I always considered the GT version to be a distinct model. But officially, you are right it is MGB-GT.

 

>>Glad to hear of all these developments. It may have been mentioned, but the cloth heat wrap used for exhausts would work beautifully for shielding the k&n tubes.
>>

thanks for the tip with the exhaust cloth Jeff!

I'm gonna continue to do some research and then figure out what to do in terms of intake mods.

Thanks for all the feedback!

 

I know that this is opening a big can of worms here, but the K&N looks like it is making about 7-8 whp on the dyno. In our testing it is the first system that looks like it is making a noticable gain. We now have dyno sheets from two independent outside sources. Any thoughts?

 

no worries chris about wormcans
I think the more info we post and the more discussion we have, the better.
BTW, saw this much earlier thread started by RandyBMC about the swiss cheese holes in the air box:
Air Box mod instructions from RandyBMC
Thanks Randy!
Regarding dyno testing: I think dyno testing is interesting but also problematic because the runs can be so different. It has such a large effect whether the engine is hot or cold, whether air fans are used and how. In addition, high-speed airflow over the hood cannot be simulated, and possible related venturi effects important for air intakes.
That aside, if you could post the dyno sheets that would be great, but please describe the test conditions as much as possible: engine temp, fans and airflow, etc...
Dyno hp gains at wheels have been described for other intakes, but the conditions were not described, so I don't know how replicable those data are.
TIA!

 

Chris,

Thanks for the info - it doesn't surprise me at all. I think the basic idea behind the K&N is good - refer to my post above - but it needs some work (and if you loook close Jeff, I refer specifically to the header wrap also - great minds, eh?) I think the K&N with a heat shield and some protection from heat conducivty is the best idea going. It just costs more and then needs work, so I was hoping to see more development from them.

Most of the issues I have with it won't show up on the dyno, unless you allow the car to idle, then close the bonnet and do a run to get the same under hood heat condition. It should make 7-9 horsepower on the dyno, as the filter area and construction are very similar to the Rogue/Madness. I really need to get that whole dyno in a wind tunnel thing going - anyone have a few million for investment purposes??

Randy

 

i wish, maybe a few big commercial airconditioner, blower motors, in a little garage, maybe get a couple mph of wind... still expensive but not wind tunnel expensive.... hmmmm any one picked a grainger catalogue lately, maybe several high velocity blowers....but it would take so much to create highway speeds..... im pondering... thats how things get done......but i dont have a personal dyno... so definatly out of my price range, maybe if i can get more money out of my rally racing sponsors....who knows.....