My ALTA intake arrived today and I installed it in my '03 MCS. Current power mods are 15% pulley, Magnaflow cat-back, & MTH chip. Adding the intake gave me another 0.5 psi by redline, with a nice improvement in the upper half of the rpm range.

The install went okay, but there were some fit issues. I talked to Jeff at ALTA who was very helpful and cleared up some points for me.

This chart shows upstream pressure with the stock airbox compared to the ALTA intake:

:smile:
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Andy, Are you going to run Dyno numbers as well?

 

Of course!

 

Is the SC whine markedly (unpleasant) increased

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Bradley

 

Markedly, yes. Unpleasantly, no. At least not for me. It's friggen loud though!

I didn't take any pics, so here's some from ALTA's website:

 

Hopefully I will have mine at the beginning of next week.

 

I was afraid it would be loud. Tell us more - load with windows up or down - both? I guess the firewall behind the steering wheel becomes a sound board for the (new) intake plenum. I wonder is some waterproof sound matting from the stereo guys might help.
Thanks for your post.
Wes

 

The loud part is the supercharger whine - it is the same sound level you get from doing the "MINI-Motorsport airbox mod" with a Madness/Rogue/BMP/Turner intake, and really is a nice sound (compared to exhaust noise for example).

I'll have to shoot some video to see if I can simulate the sound for you.

Stay tuned for the full evaluation experience on the ALTA intake - it's almost ready!

Randy
720-841-1002

PS: It looks like I'll be carrying the ALTA as long as the final eval goes well by next week. It will be available in black, red, and blue. I am taking preorders - but be warned, if something doesn't pan out during the evaluation, I'll turn you back over to ALTA or someone else who will be selling it. I really don't forsee that happening though, as the product definitely has it's strong points.

 

Great - This will probably be my first mod. I have had my Indy-blue with White S for a week now and love it. Can't wait to finish break in and get to a track day.
Wes

PS all options but Sunroof, Radar (backup), and NAV.

 

Yep, the sound is similar to jlm's car, which has a Rogue intaka and swiss-cheesed rear panel.

It definitely is supercharger whine, coming up through the open throttle. I can even hear the supercharger's internal bypass valve when the throttle closed quickly. Sort of a quiet blow-off valve sound. WHIRRRRRRR .... pshhhhh!

I wouldn't expect to see much gain on the dyno in low-end torque, but above 4500 rpm, it should make some nice power improvements.

I made some assembly notes that may help installation. ALTA's instructions are in quotes. My notes follow:

Instruction notes:

Removal of factory air box:

3) "Cut hose clamps from intake tube. (1) at throttle body, (1) at air box top, (2) fresh air tube"

Clamps do not need to be cut - put screwdriver in joint and twist.

6) "Remove (2) ECU Plugs. (Plugs have small "pull tabs" that eject them from the ECU. Pull these to release plugs.)

ECU may need to be lifted slightly to access the connectors.


Installation of intake system:

2) "Install silicone tube over throttle body. Tighten using supplied clamp."

The Silicone hose does not fit flush around throttle body - the angle of cut is wrong. The silicone hose fits flush with the front edge of the throttle body, but is about 1/4" too short at the back edge.

3) "Re-connect crankcase tube. (Re-use union found in factory intake tube.)

Re-use the spring clamp as well.

6.5) Missing step: Install two new screws through shroud into lower airbox. Aligment of these holes is off, need to use flat blade screwdriver to pry shroud over box holes. The screws are included in the kit. Jeff from ALTA indicated I got an early revision of the instructions, and that this step is included in current instructions. Also, he indicated that installing these screws could help the fit issues in other areas.

7) "Install bolt/nut supplied with kit through hole on drivers side. NOTE: Early 2003 and older cars will require a 3/16" hole to be drilled prior to bolt installation. Use shroud to locate. Use touch-up paint after drilling to prevent rust!"

The shroud comes to a point on the driver's side, which interferes with a factory weld. The point on the shroud needs to be trimmed about 1/8" to allow the holes to line up. Jeff from ALTA said there was quite a bit of variation between their test vehicles in this area. It may be that my car has a bigger bead of weld in that area.

9) "Connect silicone intake tube to shroud. Tighten with supplied clamp."

The silicone hose does not fit flush around shroud pipe - angle of cut is wrong. The silicone hose fits flush with the top edge of the shroud pipe, but is about 1/4" too short at the bottom edge. Also, IMHO, there should be a bead on the pipe to hold the silicone hose in place.

10) "Install new filter and tighten."

The filter is drenched in oil, and will not stay on shroud pipe. I needed to thoroughly degrease the filter, and even then, the junction is not strong. As the hose clamp is tightened, the filter slides off the pipe. IMHO, there should be a bead on the pipe to hold the filter in place. Jeff from ALTA indicated that a thorough cleaning of the filter neck should allow the filter to be tightened firmly, but despite degreasing and extensive paper-toweling, I'm not confident in the filter's grip on the tube.

Comments:
The tube through the shroud is not sealed all the way around, it is tack welded in 6 small spots, leaving about 1/16" between the tube and the shroud. Alignment and fit of shroud is off by up to 1/8" in some spots. The shroud does not form a complete seal, there is enough room to fit my thumb between the lower airbox and the engine compartment.

I also took some measurements of the filter element so it can be compared to other intakes on the market:

Filter Dimensions
Overall Height = 9.75" 248mm
Overall Diameter = 5.875" 150mm
Neck OD = 3.125" 79mm
Neck ID = 2.625" 67mm
Neck height = 1.75" 44mm
Pod height = 8" 200mm

 

Great details - Thanks. I wonder if they will respond to these issues.
Wes

 

I can't speak for them, but I believe they will. I am speaking with Jeff on a regular basis on development issues, so I'm sure this can be worked out.

There are some pretty big differences between cars surprisingly enough, so with tight tolerances, these issues arise. There is definitely room for improvement though! I'll let you know how it progresses.

 

>>2) "Install silicone tube over throttle body. Tighten using supplied clamp."
>>
>>The Silicone hose does not fit flush around throttle body - the angle of cut is wrong. The silicone hose fits flush with the front edge of the throttle body, but is about 1/4" too short at the back edge.


Do they (ALTA) plan to fix this? Is yours a pre-production? Meaning they might fix this before release?


>>The shroud comes to a point on the driver's side, which interferes with a factory weld. The point on the shroud needs to be trimmed about 1/8" to allow the holes to line up. Jeff from ALTA said there was quite a bit of variation between their test vehicles in this area. It may be that my car has a bigger bead of weld in that area.

Does ALTA have a plan to get this fixed?


>>9) "Connect silicone intake tube to shroud. Tighten with supplied clamp."
>>
>>The silicone hose does not fit flush around shroud pipe - angle of cut is wrong. The silicone hose fits flush with the top edge of the shroud pipe, but is about 1/4" too short at the bottom edge. Also, IMHO, there should be a bead on the pipe to hold the silicone hose in place.

Same as first question. Do they (ALTA) plan to fix this? Is yours a pre-production? Meaning they might fix this before release?



>>10) "Install new filter and tighten."
>>
>>The filter is drenched in oil, and will not stay on shroud pipe. I needed to thoroughly degrease the filter, and even then, the junction is not strong. As the hose clamp is tightened, the filter slides off the pipe. IMHO, there should be a bead on the pipe to hold the filter in place. Jeff from ALTA indicated that a thorough cleaning of the filter neck should allow the filter to be tightened firmly, but despite degreasing and extensive paper-toweling, I'm not confident in the filter's grip on the tube.

Again, same as first question. Do they (ALTA) plan to fix this? Is yours a pre-production? Meaning they might fix this before release?

 

Jeff was very helpful and receptive to criticism/suggestions when I talked to him. Overall, I like the intake. but am concerned about the filter coming off the shroud tube, and the silicone hose coming off the shroud tube and/or the throttle body. I'll probably end up putting grip tape between the filter and the shroud tube, and I'll trim the silicone hose so the ends are cut at a 90 degree ange.

 

Andy, that's a great plot. What was used to read and record those pressures? Was this done in motion or on a dyno?

 

I believe Andy uses a Magnehelic guage while in motion. We will be doing the dyno runs next week. Correct me if I'm wrong on the methodology Andy.

Hope that helps!

Randy

 

These logs were made with prototype BiM-COM diagnostic software (speaks the BMW/MINI protocol, completely separate from OBD-II ).

I did some modifications to the silicone hose today (fits MUCH better now) and took some pics. First, here is the spot where I needed to trim some of the steel shroud to make it fit my car. I used a pair of tin snips to cut off the corner as shown here. The shroud originally followed the yellow line:



The stock gap at the tube shroud was pretty bad. The underside of the tube wasn't flush. In this pic, I have drawn a cutline that shows how much material needs to be removed for the hose to fit flush:



Here's the hose fitting much better with a slice that I removed (I actually removed more than just that one slice, but that was the biggest one):



This was tough to photograph, but the worst hose fit was at the throttle body. The back side of the hose was nowhere near flush on the throttle body. Today, when I tugged on the hose, it pulled off the throttle body in my hand, despite having snugged the hoseclamp firmly yesterday:



I trimmed a bunch of silicone from the front side of the hose and repeatedly test fit it, then trimmed more. Tough to see, but it fits much better now:



Here's all the shavings I removed:



And here are some pics of the final product, installed:

 

AARRGGHH! That's a lot of work. I will discuss this post haste wiht Jeff. I will mention the bead idea on the shield, and the trimmed corner as well.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Randy

 

I already discussed both those points with Jeff.

 

Yes Andy, I read that. I am working with ALTA as a distributor though, and will be developing this product further with them, so that's the only reason I mentioned that. After talking about these issues with Jeff, I will report on what we can do to remedy them. That's what I meant - I should have been more specific :smile:

 

Nice Job Andy. I see you have the air diverter also. Have you connected the waterspray or are you waiting for a better solution like I am ?

 

I have the stock intercooler cover.

 

Randy can you talk to Alta about polishing it up a little bit? I love this intake. If it is easier to install, then I am in

 

UPDATE: I just got a call from Jeff at ALTA. They are sending me a new intake overnight. Apparently, the intake they sent to me was an early prototype unit, hence the fit problems.

I'll give a full report and pix when I install the replacement intake. Big thumbs-up to ALTA for standing behind their product. :smile:

 

I hope the new one is better. I was really excited about this intake and I already have an order placed with Alta. After looking at all the trouble you had though, I am thinking of canceling the order and wating to see if they improve the fit. I am not inclined to spending all afternoon fixing flaws in a brand new intake that should install in under 30min.