ALTA Performance Feedback! (questions/comments)
The Alta CAI, must be shaped incorrectly or I'm just doing something wrong. The silicone pieces needed to be bent and twisted before the small hose on the side would fit. After a lot of muscling, it barely fit in, I'm scared to clamp it as it might pop out, so I just left it there as it seemed it would stay for the time being.
Did anyone else experience this trouble with their CAI?
Did anyone else experience this trouble with their CAI?
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,925
Likes: 2
From: Laurel MD
I have had to trim the new tube a bit to make it fit better, but he shape is correct. I have probably installed a dozen of these and they all fit a little differently.
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 220
Likes: 2
From: Honolulu HI
Installed The Hot Side Tube Today And All Went Smooth Until I Struggled With It Because I Didnt Know There Was A Torque Screw That Holds The Muffler Part To The Frame....lol All Is Well Though Gonna Throw On The Alta IC And Pulley Here Soon 
The Alta CAI, must be shaped incorrectly or I'm just doing something wrong. The silicone pieces needed to be bent and twisted before the small hose on the side would fit. After a lot of muscling, it barely fit in, I'm scared to clamp it as it might pop out, so I just left it there as it seemed it would stay for the time being.
Did anyone else experience this trouble with their CAI?
Did anyone else experience this trouble with their CAI?
What seems to universally work is to snug the clamps, but don't tighten them. Then gently rotate the tube until the PCV breather tube lines up cleanly. Doesn't have to match the OEM 100%, just needs not be kinked.
Then tighten the clamps down.
The parts are all made in the same manner on the same tool. So the spigot and shape are all the same. While they are placed in a trim fixture, the ends can sometimes vary a tiny bit but should be well done and fit properly.
If ever there any problem or concern, don't hesitate to let me (us) know. Thanks guys!
Also TO EVERYONE Don't forget about these DIY's I wrote several years ago on all of these products: CLICK HERE for the master list!
1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Tonight I'm picking up a 2007 Cooper S that has a ton of mods from Alta. I believe it has the Performance Package 2, and the suspension package. I think it may have more mods, but can't tell exactly what for sure. I'll be contacting Alta to have them help me figure out what exactly is on the car.
I was interested in this car because I was concerned that a stock Mini Cooper S may be too slow for me. After test driving it, I had to ask myself, "Does a Mini really need to be this fast!?" LOL, Good job Alta!
I really liked the car but was concerned about some issues it had. The shifter was very sticky going over to gears 1-2, and a CEL was on.
I had the opportunity to take the car home for a night to have a thorough look over before I bought it. I was pretty impressed by the quality and fit and finish of the Alta parts. Looked very professional.
I put the car on my lift to see if I could fix the shifter issue. It turns out that the Alta exhaust resonator can was so big that it was just barely pushing the exhaust heat shield up and making it hit the bottom of the shift lever, causing it to rub against the shield when moving it over into the 1-2 plane. I removed the center section of the exhaust and bent down the heat shield and that seems to have fixed the shifter issue for now. After driving it, it started to stick a little again, but not as bad as before. Will have to figure out a more permanent solution.
The CEL was for the 02 sensor. I'm guessing this is from the downpipe on the turbo back exhaust. Is there any permanent fix to this?
Anyway, I had never heard of Alta before I looked at this car, and so far from what I've seen (have only spent a few hours with the car), I'm pretty impressed. I hope they will work with me to help me figure out exactly what was done to the car so I know what I am working with to give me a baseline to know how to work on it and what to modify it in the future.
-Scott
I was interested in this car because I was concerned that a stock Mini Cooper S may be too slow for me. After test driving it, I had to ask myself, "Does a Mini really need to be this fast!?" LOL, Good job Alta!
I really liked the car but was concerned about some issues it had. The shifter was very sticky going over to gears 1-2, and a CEL was on.
I had the opportunity to take the car home for a night to have a thorough look over before I bought it. I was pretty impressed by the quality and fit and finish of the Alta parts. Looked very professional.
I put the car on my lift to see if I could fix the shifter issue. It turns out that the Alta exhaust resonator can was so big that it was just barely pushing the exhaust heat shield up and making it hit the bottom of the shift lever, causing it to rub against the shield when moving it over into the 1-2 plane. I removed the center section of the exhaust and bent down the heat shield and that seems to have fixed the shifter issue for now. After driving it, it started to stick a little again, but not as bad as before. Will have to figure out a more permanent solution.
The CEL was for the 02 sensor. I'm guessing this is from the downpipe on the turbo back exhaust. Is there any permanent fix to this?
Anyway, I had never heard of Alta before I looked at this car, and so far from what I've seen (have only spent a few hours with the car), I'm pretty impressed. I hope they will work with me to help me figure out exactly what was done to the car so I know what I am working with to give me a baseline to know how to work on it and what to modify it in the future.
-Scott
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 749
Likes: 0
From: Hillsboro Oregon
Tonight I'm picking up a 2007 Cooper S that has a ton of mods from Alta. I believe it has the Performance Package 2, and the suspension package. I think it may have more mods, but can't tell exactly what for sure. I'll be contacting Alta to have them help me figure out what exactly is on the car.
I was interested in this car because I was concerned that a stock Mini Cooper S may be too slow for me. After test driving it, I had to ask myself, "Does a Mini really need to be this fast!?" LOL, Good job Alta!
I really liked the car but was concerned about some issues it had. The shifter was very sticky going over to gears 1-2, and a CEL was on.
I had the opportunity to take the car home for a night to have a thorough look over before I bought it. I was pretty impressed by the quality and fit and finish of the Alta parts. Looked very professional.
I put the car on my lift to see if I could fix the shifter issue. It turns out that the Alta exhaust resonator can was so big that it was just barely pushing the exhaust heat shield up and making it hit the bottom of the shift lever, causing it to rub against the shield when moving it over into the 1-2 plane. I removed the center section of the exhaust and bent down the heat shield and that seems to have fixed the shifter issue for now. After driving it, it started to stick a little again, but not as bad as before. Will have to figure out a more permanent solution.
The CEL was for the 02 sensor. I'm guessing this is from the downpipe on the turbo back exhaust. Is there any permanent fix to this?
Anyway, I had never heard of Alta before I looked at this car, and so far from what I've seen (have only spent a few hours with the car), I'm pretty impressed. I hope they will work with me to help me figure out exactly what was done to the car so I know what I am working with to give me a baseline to know how to work on it and what to modify it in the future.
-Scott
I was interested in this car because I was concerned that a stock Mini Cooper S may be too slow for me. After test driving it, I had to ask myself, "Does a Mini really need to be this fast!?" LOL, Good job Alta!
I really liked the car but was concerned about some issues it had. The shifter was very sticky going over to gears 1-2, and a CEL was on.
I had the opportunity to take the car home for a night to have a thorough look over before I bought it. I was pretty impressed by the quality and fit and finish of the Alta parts. Looked very professional.
I put the car on my lift to see if I could fix the shifter issue. It turns out that the Alta exhaust resonator can was so big that it was just barely pushing the exhaust heat shield up and making it hit the bottom of the shift lever, causing it to rub against the shield when moving it over into the 1-2 plane. I removed the center section of the exhaust and bent down the heat shield and that seems to have fixed the shifter issue for now. After driving it, it started to stick a little again, but not as bad as before. Will have to figure out a more permanent solution.
The CEL was for the 02 sensor. I'm guessing this is from the downpipe on the turbo back exhaust. Is there any permanent fix to this?
Anyway, I had never heard of Alta before I looked at this car, and so far from what I've seen (have only spent a few hours with the car), I'm pretty impressed. I hope they will work with me to help me figure out exactly what was done to the car so I know what I am working with to give me a baseline to know how to work on it and what to modify it in the future.
-Scott
1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Want to make sure that if they swapped the stock springs back in, that I get the lowering ones as well.
-Scott
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 749
Likes: 0
From: Hillsboro Oregon
Can you post a picture of the springs that are in the Alta suspension package. The dealership (Acura, not Mini dealership mind you) said it was lowered, but the springs I saw said Mini on them.
Want to make sure that if they swapped the stock springs back in, that I get the lowering ones as well.
-Scott
Want to make sure that if they swapped the stock springs back in, that I get the lowering ones as well.
-Scott
1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
I think they were like a forest green. So probably H&R. Do they say MINI on them?
Also are these springs used with stock shocks or do they come with upgraded shocks?
The car definitely had the Alta rear endlinks. I think it had stock sway bar though (it was black).
I'll throw it up on the lift tonight after I get it and take tons of pics. Any requests?
-Scott
Also are these springs used with stock shocks or do they come with upgraded shocks?
The car definitely had the Alta rear endlinks. I think it had stock sway bar though (it was black).
I'll throw it up on the lift tonight after I get it and take tons of pics. Any requests?
-Scott
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 749
Likes: 0
From: Hillsboro Oregon
I think they were like a forest green. So probably H&R. Do they say MINI on them?
Also are these springs used with stock shocks or do they come with upgraded shocks?
The car definitely had the Alta rear endlinks. I think it had stock sway bar though (it was black).
I'll throw it up on the lift tonight after I get it and take tons of pics. Any requests?
-Scott
Also are these springs used with stock shocks or do they come with upgraded shocks?
The car definitely had the Alta rear endlinks. I think it had stock sway bar though (it was black).
I'll throw it up on the lift tonight after I get it and take tons of pics. Any requests?
-Scott
Frustrations!!!
Ironically, I stumpled across this thread after being completely and utterly frustrated with an order that was recently placed. Here is the story...
On March 13th, I placed an order for a gauge pod and prosport boost gauge. A couple of days go by and I realize that I never got an email confirmation for my order so I figure I will give Alta a call. I call Alta on Tuesday 3/16 to confirm my order was received and it was, but as a result of calling I found out the product was out of stock and should be available in a couple of days. No big deal. On Thursday 3/18, I first get an email from UPS that my item has shipped. Great! A little while later, I get an email from Alta confirming my order. (not sure why I did not get this when the order was initally placed? I did check my spam and never got an email) After reviewing the email, I realized I must have ordered the boos gauge kit for the R56 instead of the R53 kit. I send an emal to Alta on Friday 3/19 letting them know this, and I was told that I would have to pay a $15 redirection fee to UPS. I was told I would not have to pay the additional shipping cost for the new item. I let them know that I felt this would have been avoided if I got my confirmation email before the item was shipped? Needing the items quickly, I asked about upgrading shipping and I was told that we would have to process an entirely new order. Not wanting to have to deal with that i said forget it!
On Monday 3/22, I sent another email to Alta asking when I can expect the correct R53 pod and boost gauge to ship. I was also thinking about placing another order for a pod with oil pressure gauge and have them ship out together. It was at this point I was told I would have to wait until the incorrect item was returned by UPS? Not sure why I should have to wait since it is being tracked by UPS? I was told if I wanted to pay for another pod and gauge that I would not have to wait and my cc would be credited once the item was returned by UPS. Still not sure why I had to wait for UPS? It was at this point that I pointed out that I had sent an email to the tech department at Alta the night before in regards to a question about the oil pressure gauge and I had gotten no response so I asked if someone could answer my question. I did go ahead and order the oil pressure gauge since I was told the incorrect boost gauge was being scheduled to be returned on Wednesday 3/24 and both items would go out. I did opt to pay for 2 day shipping since I needed the items. I did offer to send Alta a prepaid UPS label from my business account which would have gotten the items to me the next day, but they said this was not an option and shipping had to go through their system? (I have been able to do this at so many other vendors)
I had gotten an email confirmation from UPS stating my order had arrived in Dallas? Confused I forwarded this email to Alta. Turns out the item was not going to be back at Alta today, but due to the inconvenience they would be sending out the correct boost gauge without me having to pay for it. This was supposed to go out today. I have not received any confirmation email so that is still yet to be seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bad news it was at this point I was told that the oil pressure gauge was out of stock and it would not be in until next Wednesday 3/31 and I would have to wait for gound shipping on this item. Hopefully I will have it before my taxes are due... So 12 days after my inital order, I have absolutely nothing. Noone has still answered my email to my technical question, but being able to give Way @ Way Motor Works a call he was able to answer my question in all of 4.5 seconds. In a nut shell this will be the last $300 gets from me.
BTW Hopefully this is not too confusing! Yeah Right!
On March 13th, I placed an order for a gauge pod and prosport boost gauge. A couple of days go by and I realize that I never got an email confirmation for my order so I figure I will give Alta a call. I call Alta on Tuesday 3/16 to confirm my order was received and it was, but as a result of calling I found out the product was out of stock and should be available in a couple of days. No big deal. On Thursday 3/18, I first get an email from UPS that my item has shipped. Great! A little while later, I get an email from Alta confirming my order. (not sure why I did not get this when the order was initally placed? I did check my spam and never got an email) After reviewing the email, I realized I must have ordered the boos gauge kit for the R56 instead of the R53 kit. I send an emal to Alta on Friday 3/19 letting them know this, and I was told that I would have to pay a $15 redirection fee to UPS. I was told I would not have to pay the additional shipping cost for the new item. I let them know that I felt this would have been avoided if I got my confirmation email before the item was shipped? Needing the items quickly, I asked about upgrading shipping and I was told that we would have to process an entirely new order. Not wanting to have to deal with that i said forget it!
On Monday 3/22, I sent another email to Alta asking when I can expect the correct R53 pod and boost gauge to ship. I was also thinking about placing another order for a pod with oil pressure gauge and have them ship out together. It was at this point I was told I would have to wait until the incorrect item was returned by UPS? Not sure why I should have to wait since it is being tracked by UPS? I was told if I wanted to pay for another pod and gauge that I would not have to wait and my cc would be credited once the item was returned by UPS. Still not sure why I had to wait for UPS? It was at this point that I pointed out that I had sent an email to the tech department at Alta the night before in regards to a question about the oil pressure gauge and I had gotten no response so I asked if someone could answer my question. I did go ahead and order the oil pressure gauge since I was told the incorrect boost gauge was being scheduled to be returned on Wednesday 3/24 and both items would go out. I did opt to pay for 2 day shipping since I needed the items. I did offer to send Alta a prepaid UPS label from my business account which would have gotten the items to me the next day, but they said this was not an option and shipping had to go through their system? (I have been able to do this at so many other vendors)
I had gotten an email confirmation from UPS stating my order had arrived in Dallas? Confused I forwarded this email to Alta. Turns out the item was not going to be back at Alta today, but due to the inconvenience they would be sending out the correct boost gauge without me having to pay for it. This was supposed to go out today. I have not received any confirmation email so that is still yet to be seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bad news it was at this point I was told that the oil pressure gauge was out of stock and it would not be in until next Wednesday 3/31 and I would have to wait for gound shipping on this item. Hopefully I will have it before my taxes are due... So 12 days after my inital order, I have absolutely nothing. Noone has still answered my email to my technical question, but being able to give Way @ Way Motor Works a call he was able to answer my question in all of 4.5 seconds. In a nut shell this will be the last $300 gets from me.
BTW Hopefully this is not too confusing! Yeah Right!
This is the running trend. I keep hearing a lot about Alta having products on backorder. This includes big sellers like the V2 pulley. I have since given up on Alta because I cannot support a company that can't keep up with product as well as obviously pulling the plug on so many R53 products. Let's see, catbacks, intercoolers, tensioner stops, shifters, lowering springs just to name a few, are all discontinued.
So please tell me Alta, are you pulling out of the R53 market? Give an honest answer, not the usual "We are always in the process of improving designs and may re release items in the future." These are key items in the aftermarket automotive industry, for you to not carry them is VERY foolish. Turning your back on the 1g Mini will ultimately make many owners turn their backs on Alta.
So please tell me Alta, are you pulling out of the R53 market? Give an honest answer, not the usual "We are always in the process of improving designs and may re release items in the future." These are key items in the aftermarket automotive industry, for you to not carry them is VERY foolish. Turning your back on the 1g Mini will ultimately make many owners turn their backs on Alta.
Tonight I'm picking up a 2007 Cooper S that has a ton of mods from Alta. I believe it has the Performance Package 2, and the suspension package. I think it may have more mods, but can't tell exactly what for sure. I'll be contacting Alta to have them help me figure out what exactly is on the car.
I was interested in this car because I was concerned that a stock Mini Cooper S may be too slow for me. After test driving it, I had to ask myself, "Does a Mini really need to be this fast!?" LOL, Good job Alta!
I really liked the car but was concerned about some issues it had. The shifter was very sticky going over to gears 1-2, and a CEL was on.
I had the opportunity to take the car home for a night to have a thorough look over before I bought it. I was pretty impressed by the quality and fit and finish of the Alta parts. Looked very professional.
I put the car on my lift to see if I could fix the shifter issue. It turns out that the Alta exhaust resonator can was so big that it was just barely pushing the exhaust heat shield up and making it hit the bottom of the shift lever, causing it to rub against the shield when moving it over into the 1-2 plane. I removed the center section of the exhaust and bent down the heat shield and that seems to have fixed the shifter issue for now. After driving it, it started to stick a little again, but not as bad as before. Will have to figure out a more permanent solution.
The CEL was for the 02 sensor. I'm guessing this is from the downpipe on the turbo back exhaust. Is there any permanent fix to this?
Anyway, I had never heard of Alta before I looked at this car, and so far from what I've seen (have only spent a few hours with the car), I'm pretty impressed. I hope they will work with me to help me figure out exactly what was done to the car so I know what I am working with to give me a baseline to know how to work on it and what to modify it in the future.
-Scott
I was interested in this car because I was concerned that a stock Mini Cooper S may be too slow for me. After test driving it, I had to ask myself, "Does a Mini really need to be this fast!?" LOL, Good job Alta!
I really liked the car but was concerned about some issues it had. The shifter was very sticky going over to gears 1-2, and a CEL was on.
I had the opportunity to take the car home for a night to have a thorough look over before I bought it. I was pretty impressed by the quality and fit and finish of the Alta parts. Looked very professional.
I put the car on my lift to see if I could fix the shifter issue. It turns out that the Alta exhaust resonator can was so big that it was just barely pushing the exhaust heat shield up and making it hit the bottom of the shift lever, causing it to rub against the shield when moving it over into the 1-2 plane. I removed the center section of the exhaust and bent down the heat shield and that seems to have fixed the shifter issue for now. After driving it, it started to stick a little again, but not as bad as before. Will have to figure out a more permanent solution.
The CEL was for the 02 sensor. I'm guessing this is from the downpipe on the turbo back exhaust. Is there any permanent fix to this?
Anyway, I had never heard of Alta before I looked at this car, and so far from what I've seen (have only spent a few hours with the car), I'm pretty impressed. I hope they will work with me to help me figure out exactly what was done to the car so I know what I am working with to give me a baseline to know how to work on it and what to modify it in the future.
-Scott
Looking at the pics at the dealer, and the price shown that is an incredible deal! BUT......time for some new rubber and tires better be in order ASAP!
Keep us posted!
Thanks Tom! We appreciate the business and the kudos! Let us know how we can help in the future!
Ironically, I stumpled across this thread after being completely and utterly frustrated with an order that was recently placed. Here is the story...
On March 13th, I placed an order for a gauge pod and prosport boost gauge. A couple of days go by and I realize that I never got an email confirmation for my order so I figure I will give Alta a call. I call Alta on Tuesday 3/16 to confirm my order was received and it was, but as a result of calling I found out the product was out of stock and should be available in a couple of days. No big deal. On Thursday 3/18, I first get an email from UPS that my item has shipped. Great! A little while later, I get an email from Alta confirming my order. (not sure why I did not get this when the order was initally placed? I did check my spam and never got an email) After reviewing the email, I realized I must have ordered the boos gauge kit for the R56 instead of the R53 kit......................
BTW Hopefully this is not too confusing! Yeah Right!
On March 13th, I placed an order for a gauge pod and prosport boost gauge. A couple of days go by and I realize that I never got an email confirmation for my order so I figure I will give Alta a call. I call Alta on Tuesday 3/16 to confirm my order was received and it was, but as a result of calling I found out the product was out of stock and should be available in a couple of days. No big deal. On Thursday 3/18, I first get an email from UPS that my item has shipped. Great! A little while later, I get an email from Alta confirming my order. (not sure why I did not get this when the order was initally placed? I did check my spam and never got an email) After reviewing the email, I realized I must have ordered the boos gauge kit for the R56 instead of the R53 kit......................
BTW Hopefully this is not too confusing! Yeah Right!
Second: Stinks the wrong one was ordered at the outset and that the redo took longer than anticipated. We do want to be able to fully track returns, credits, charges etc. and as such some procedures have been put into place to keep that straight (for you and us.) While frustrating to you it wasn't ever intended to be that way! Plus in this case (using only your narrative) it appears that UPS goofed after we requested the return shipment to us.
Third: Taking from the original problem that the consumer was able to order the wrong part, we have already started a complete rework of our website that will be released later this year. It will narrow the products for you based on the vehicle type (assumes of course the client inputs the information and accurately) but I can 100% see how those gauges can appear to work on either car.
Fourth: I will speak to the CSR's to see how we can improve on the original problem. Being candid we have an entirely new CRM, Inventory Management software system being installed right now and that will also help in your case where a mis-order needs to get corrected.
Fifth: Tech support concern. Can you PM me the details of how and when you contacted us for answers? It shouldn't take more than the next business day for an answer to a tech question via e-mail or Voice Mail. A direct phone call to the tech dept. should be answered immediately. PLEASE get me these details as I want to find out straight away the source of the problem.
THANK YOU AGAIN! I hope you will try ALTA again in the future! If I can help with that order, let me know!
This is the running trend. I keep hearing a lot about Alta having products on backorder. This includes big sellers like the V2 pulley. I have since given up on Alta because I cannot support a company that can't keep up with product as well as obviously pulling the plug on so many R53 products. Let's see, catbacks, intercoolers, tensioner stops, shifters, lowering springs just to name a few, are all discontinued.
So please tell me Alta, are you pulling out of the R53 market? Give an honest answer, not the usual "We are always in the process of improving designs and may re release items in the future." These are key items in the aftermarket automotive industry, for you to not carry them is VERY foolish. Turning your back on the 1g Mini will ultimately make many owners turn their backs on Alta.
So please tell me Alta, are you pulling out of the R53 market? Give an honest answer, not the usual "We are always in the process of improving designs and may re release items in the future." These are key items in the aftermarket automotive industry, for you to not carry them is VERY foolish. Turning your back on the 1g Mini will ultimately make many owners turn their backs on Alta.
REGARDLESS: WE ARE NOT WALKING AWAY FROM THE GEN 1 R53 MARKET!!!! I love those cars, and while the market has changed, we won't let go of those cars. Some trimming has been made to the items offered for the R53, but we have NOT cancelled the line at all, and are working on some new items for the R53 (and R56) for release later this year.
Thanks again folks!
While there will always be cases where an item is out of stock, I understand it adds to your overall frustration.
Jarid is going to work on this issue for you right now. More details soon!
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 749
Likes: 0
From: Hillsboro Oregon
1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
Congrats on the purchase Scott! On the shifter it sounds as though the original owner had the shifter on the shortest setting and the resonator twisted to the highest ground clearance. I would rotate the resonator section down a bit by loosening the v-band clamps OR bring the shifter up a smidge (I personally don't like my shifter in the MINI at the shortest setting anyway, so you might at least try that.)
Looking at the pics at the dealer, and the price shown that is an incredible deal! BUT......time for some new rubber and tires better be in order ASAP!
Keep us posted!
Looking at the pics at the dealer, and the price shown that is an incredible deal! BUT......time for some new rubber and tires better be in order ASAP!
Keep us posted!
Will post pics tonight. Can you tell me how to adjust the shifter or point me to a DIY writeup?
FYI, when I removed the center section of the exhaust, it looked like the orientation was dictated by the angle on the muffler. It seemed like if I were to rotate it, it would not have a good seal on the muffler section.
Either way, I think moving the shifter would be easiest thing to do.
I'm planning on replacing the current rubber with Kuhmo ASX High Perf All season tires, and then get a set of summer/track rims with some wide Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs. Can you fit 225 rubber on a Mini with the H&R springs? If not, what is the widest tire that can fit?
Thanks.
-Scott
