Here's the instructions on the best way I've found to install the Alta intake as requested from some of my customers. Please feel free to ask any clarifying questions.


Time required

About 30 minutes

Tools required

1/4" drive ratchet
1/4" long extension
8mm socket
10mm socket
15mm wrench
T25 torx
small standard screwdriver
phillips head screwdriver (it helps to have a long one)
small claw type pliers
tin snips

1. Remove the rubber boot from the stock airbox top by releasing the factory clamp. Use a small standard screwdriver to do this.

Insert the screwdriver as shown, then twist the screwdriver. You may need to insert the screwdriver on both sides to get it disengaged from the lower portion all together.


Remove the boot from the airbox.

Remove the battery positive terminal from the airbox top by first popping it up out of the notches, then pulling it laterally toward the passenger side. This is what it looks like on the airbox mount side:

Here is a shot of the notches:



Remove the stock airbox top and filter by removing the two T25 torx bolts at the front of the airbox.





Note that the airbox has already been removed in these pictures and is used for illustration purposes - yours will still be attached!

Once you have the T25 bolts out, push the box toward the back of the car slightly, then up and out. There are tabs at the back of the airbox that prevent the top from just lifting straight up, so make sure you push it back first.

2. Remove the clamp at the front of the "ram air pipe" that directs fresh air to the lower (dirty) side of the airbox. Use the same method with the small screwdriver that was used on the rubber boot at the airbox.



Once you have the clamp off, the whole piece will be tugged at and twisted to be removed from the lower portion of the airbox. This just takes some trying to get, but it takes a total of 2 seconds when you have the right twisting action down. The first time I did it, it took 10 minutes and some swearing to figure it out (I exaggerate, but you get the point).



3. Now disconnect the ECU plugs - there is a forward and rear. This is a little tricky, so here's the secret: do not ever try to remove these by puling straight up. They have tabs on each end that you will pull away from the center of the ECU. These tabs force the plugs up and off. Here are some pics:



See the tab and how it pulled out?

Here is a really crappy picture of the way the tab works to force the plug off:


4. Remove the 10mm bolt that secures the lower portion of the airbox and the ECU in place.



This shot is from the side of the car.



And this is the bolt from the front of the car. The box in front of the bolt in this pic is the engine fuse box.

5. Remove the battery cable from the airbox.



6. Now remove the lower portion of the airbox by pulling straight back - it is anchored using rubber mounts at the rear.

Here is a shot of how that system works:



This is a shot of the underside of the airbox.
And here is how those rubber doodads fit into the bottom:




7. Now we need to remove the rear partition. Start at the left and remove the two bolts (upper and lower) that hold it - they will either be 8mm or T25 torx, the latter being used on late '03 cars.





Now remove the rubber booty doodads that hold the lower portion of the airbox in place. Once popped off, remove the mounts using a 15mm wrench.



Don't lose the washer that is underneath the mount:


Remove the right (driver) side push tab with a phillips head screwdriver:





Pop the ECU lead out of the partition with its rubber grommet.

Now the partition will pull out.

Here's what it looks like out:


While it's out, take a look at all the cool stuff down there. See the shift cables?

8. Now that the partition is removed, we'll reinstall the lower airbox mounts using the 15mm wrench. Do NOT overtighten - just snug.



There are two holes that the mount will fit in on the passenger side. In case you didn't take note of which one it came out of, this is the correct one:


Pop the rubber booty dealymabobs back on.

If you are not doing the silicone hose, skip these next steps.

9. Remove the lower clamp from the intake boot on the throttle body side.



10. Remove the vent hose from the rubber boot using either a small plier or a clamp removal tool.

11. Install the vent hose into the new silicone piece.



12. Place the new silicone hose over the throttle body and clamp it down - firmly. Use the new clamp supplied.

If not using the silicone hose - rejoin the how-to here.

13. Reinstall the lower portion of the stock airbox by tilting it slightly upward on the side closest to you, sliding it to the rear of the car on the rubber mounts, leveling it, and sliding it the rest of the way onto the rubber mounts. If you do this right, you can feel it push on just perfectly. Reach behind the airbox to be certain the mounts are in place.



Now that it is in place, make sure you have the wiring harness bracket in place, and reattach the 10mm mount bolt.



Replace the battery cable in its holder.

14. Reattach the ram air hard plastic pipe in much the same way you removed it, only reversed (as far as the twisting goes). Once it is in, reattach the hose clamp using a small plier or clamp tool.

15. Now we will put the Alta heat shield into place. Start by setting it between the ECU and fuse box, then lower it into place.



Once it is lowered, and it will snap around the ECU box, line up the two passenger side mounting holes.


Replace the two 8mm or T25 torx bolts - but just get them started. Make sure they have started a good five turns.

Place the supplied stainless bolt through the old hole on the driver side and get it started using a phillips head screwdriver. There is a nut on the backside as well that must be held in place to prevent it from turning. Be very careful, as this is a stainless nut and bolt, so magnets don't work all that well on them, and there are some small areas they could fall into if dropped.



Start the two supplied phillips head bolts for the front of the heat shield.



Once you have all of the mounting bolts in place, snug them all up.

16. Replace the ECU plugs. Make sure the tabs are pulled out all the way, place the plug on the ECU, then push the tabs back down. The tab will pull the plug down onto the ECU - don't try to push it down.





Place the cover back on the ECU.





Place the rubber seal on the heat shield.

17. Use Brake Clean to make sure there is no residue on the heat shield intake mounting tube.



This is only for reusing the stock boot.

Using your hand from the intake filter side, work the rubber boot onto the outside of the intake tube.



Be sure that the intake boot is flush all the way around the inside of the intake tube:


For both the rubber boot and silicone replacement - use the supplied clamp to tighten the hose onto the tube. Make sure the hose is secure on both ends.

18. Using the Brake Clean or a very good degreaser, make certain the filter is free of any oil at all on the inside or outside of the mounting area. Also make sure the clamp used on the filter is clean. Place the filter on the intake tube and snug the clamp. If overtightened, the filter will be pushed off. The filter will be secure as long as it and the tube are cleaned per directions.





19. Using good tin snips, mark and cut the factory seal to end at both sides of the Alta heat shield. Fit the seal to the remaining partitions on both sides.




Enjoy your new Alta Intake!



Here is some info for the intake:

Intake without silicone hose $199
Intake with silicone hose $259
Horsepower gains 7-9
Available with red, blue or black silicone

There is definitely an increase in lovely supercharger whine. I have had several questions on whether that is normal - absolutely. It is non-intrusive while cruising, but when you step on it, there is no doubt the car is supercharged.

Feel free to contact me with any other questions.

Randy
720-841-1002
randy@webbmotorsports.com

 

Looks like yours fit alot better than mine.



Can you do some dyno testing comparing the blue hose to the stock hose?

 

Yes Andy, mine and the twenty or so I've done have fit fine - I think you got "hosed" by being one of the first .

I need to get a car with fewer mods to see the difference between the hoses, as mine has, well, a bunch of stuff done on it. Even with the throttle body, I'd guess there would be a larger delta in power between the hose and without than on a car that is stock.

On my car, it made a whopping 1.6 horsepower difference - which percentage wise is pretty significant, but such a small number is tough to see on the dyno. It was repeatable however.

I'd say on a stock car it may show less.

Hope that helps!

Randy

 

On a related note, have any of your customers shown gains even close to what you have been reporting for exhausts and intakes? I still haven't seen any Magnaflow dynos that showed more than 6 whp (except those posted by people selling the system). European Car's testing, as well as my own, and that reported by M7, showed MUCH lower numbers. See this thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...mp;topic=13393

How about intake results? Any independent customer results to back up your power claims?

 

Thanks for the GREAT write-up!

About the hose:
If I'm only concerned with performance & cost, not appearance, could I expect to see the same benefit by just picking up a generic silicone hose and cutting it to fit? Does the alta piece have any unique geometry that I coudn't reasonably/easily replicate?

 

Andy,

I just did more testing last week on the Magnaflow for a baseline to measure some of the other systems here. I am using a Dynojet. I again showed 9 whp, with a 5ft-lb torque gain. ficcion, who is also here in Denver, used the same dyno and got just about the same numbers. I also tested some other systems, and the gains seem to be in the ballpark of 5-9 hp depending on the system. Have you tested other systems to see where the Magnaflow falls in line? I would bet that eventhough you have only seen 6whp, that is the highest gain you would get from a system on your dyno.

As for the intake numbers, I discussed it with Eirc at Helix and he also said the Alta was making the best numbers he had seen. I am getting 7-9hp depending on the other mods.

I also did some cars in Northern California on another Dynojet and got very similar numbers with the Alta intake. I have had other customers around the country get dynos done and I can usually estimate within 5 horsepower what their numbers will be on a Dynojet.

The dyno should be used as a tool to see the big picture - which is why baselines are so important. If your dyno doesn't show the same results, that's fine, but it should show similar delta. If not, I'm not sure why. I have seen wide variations from car to car for a baseline. Once you have some dyno numbers, it's also important to do track testing and acceleration collection to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

For the record, I am nowhere near the manufacturer's claims on my testing - Magnaflow claims 18 hp gains, and Alta claims 13 hp. I believe that lends some credibility.

Hope that helps.

Randy

 

Randy,

Thank you for posting this. I'm going out to fix my install right now.
I did not remove the back baffle piece! I thought that it went on a bit difficult!

YIKS!

 

Re installation: As I installed the filter on the Alta enclosure, it slipped off. I did not trust it to stay on. Using a 4" crecent wrench, I bent the lip of the pipe which the filter clamps to outward. I found the 4" crescent to be narrow so it bent the pipe easily and fairly smothly. The filter did not slide off as I clamped it down. I think Alta should have made the tube longer so the filter would not slide off as easy as it does. I also constructed a small support out of foam to support the end of the filter as it is cantilevered and might "rattle" off eventually, without you knowing about it. I liked this better than the use of a coat hanger straddling the enclosure which ran under the filter which another poster showed, although that would probably work better. Just unsightly. My foam support does not show.

I was apprehensive about the noise of the Alta. It is not bad at all under normal driving conditions. Only when you hammer it is it loud. However, you better be paying attention to the road and not the music when you are full throttle.

In conjunction with the Pulley, this is a very effective and economical power mod.

 

I found this interesting. I wish I'd had it a few weeks ago when I installed my Alta that I got from Randy

A month ago I posted this hint I found during my installation. I was concerned that the entire weight of the filter was being suspended with the rubber neck on the filter. My paranoia concerned the possibility of the filter popping off when bottoming out in a chuckhole. This hint puts an unobtrusive wire "noose" on the back end of the filter to provide some insurance support. It's a zero cost, 5 minute mod.

Tom

_________________
Tom Clark, Clarksville MD: CR '02 MCS

 

Randy,
Where were you with this last night when I was putting mine on?
A couple of thoughts from my experience. The ECU tabs were not clear in the ALTA instructions - your picture would have helped a lot. Not having taken these off before I wasn't sure where they came off, right under the top cover or further down.
The crankcase tube comes with from the factory with two clamps attached on the union insert tube. The Alta silicone tube is much thicker in diameter and the factory clamp will not work. I stopped at this point last night because I did not have a suitable replacement. I think it needs to be clarified that this can be left off, or a new clamp should be included with the intake.

Mark

 

My intake came with three new hose clamps, eventhough I did not order the hose.

Hmmmm...

 

Thanks Randy. This post could not have come at a better time. I just received my Alta intake yesterday. I am a complete novice with car modifications and it definitely would not have been possibel to install the intake and hose with just the 1 page instructions with 4 blurry black-and-white pics that came with it. Being a novice, of course it took me quite a bit longer than the posted 30 minutes (more like 2.5 hours). Though I was running back and forth to the computer to look at the pictures and instructions. Also, I decided to replace the original back partition instead of leaving it out. Before I replaced it, I did the "air holes" modification you had posted earlier, though instead of drilling the large diameter holes, I drilled many 1/4 inch holes using a clamped-on strainer as a template/guide so the holes look nice and uniform. I also got "hosed" like Andy since my hose was too long (is that a problem? ) and had to remove about 1/4 -1/2 inch from the ends with a coping saw. But boy was it all worth it. Runs great and that super charger scream is deck! Thanks again.

_________________
Speak softly and carry a big stick

 

I've had my Alta intake on for about 4 months now, and I love it, but I do have one question. Since day one after I put the intake on, I get a very high pitched whistle that seems to come and go depending on the position of the throttle body. It happens in every gear, and seems that the pedal is down the same amount each time it happens, regardless of gear, which is what leads me to believe that it has to do with how open the throttle body is. I can actually make the whistling come and go by playing with the gas pedal just a little bit, either by letting off just a bit, or stepping down just a bit. It sounds like the kind of whistle you would hear if a high wind was blowing around a thin wire, if you can imgine that. And no, it's not supercharger whine...I know what that sounds like!
It seems to me that it would either be caused by air rushing past the wire mesh in the filter at a specific speed, or air rushing through the throttle body at a specific speed. I'm sure it's nothing serious, but it is a little bit annoying, especially because the whistling occurs right at my highway crusing speed in 6th gear. Anyone experience this? And have a cure?
Thanks.

 

Your correct... its a combination of air sucking through the air filter and throttle body.. Probably more so through the air filter. I have often laughed at posting that say "the new brand x intake really increases the supercharger whine". Actually has nothing to do with the super charger. Back in the day... you should listen to the 4 barrel carb howl without the air cleaner. I also have an AEM cold air on my accord V6. You should hear the puppy howl when the vtec kicks in.

 

It is a sound that is there all the time, but by removing the partition that isolates the fresh air intake somewhat, you are opening up to all the noises you never knew you had!

It is the throttle body air, and is completely normal - great observation!

apexer, the sound increase from most of the intakes on the S is from the supercharger - the Alta and Madness with the partition drilled make it extremely audible. It is a pleasant sound, but is definitely from the supercharger - so everyone isn't that goofy sounding when they mention it :smile: .

Randy

 

I love the whistle! Seriously, it's only at certain throttle positions. I think it's cool...part of MINI's character.

 

Randy, I may stand corrected but, I'm still not sure. My mcs due in Oct. & I plan on getting alta intake soon thereafter. I know for a fact that the sound created by cold air intakes on a normally aspirated motor is from the air sucking in. I'm guessing that if you rev the motor with the hood open, you'll find MOST of the sound is coming from the intake. Someone want to try it and let me know?

 

Randy

After installing my Alta intake my car has developed an "issue". After any length of driving when I shut off my car I get a wheezing sound. It's almost like back pressure is escaping from somwhere under the bonnet. Several attempts (with others around) have failed to find the source of this sound. Any suggestions on what this could be????

 

I'm not sure but, that sound could be normal. As I have posted earlier, I have AEM Intake on my Accord V6 and it makes the same sound everytime I shut off the vehicle.

Randy, I want to let you know that I have the greatest respect for your knowledge and the help you have been to all MINI owner on this and other sites. I'd guess that with all the dyno pulls you have made, you have more info to back up your position as to the source of whine coming for after-market intake or supercharger. I was just basing my thoughts on past experience with NA motors.

 

wow- about that whisle- and always wondered if i had leak somewhere. Couldn't find anything on MCO about this whisle. I've had madness with drilled out partition for last 6 months. Whisle seems to be more noticable last few months. Doesn't whisle all the time but seems to begin after full throttle- then continues most of time until just less than 2500 rpm then stops- gear doesn't matter but it doesn't whisle all the time.
Guess from Randy's post it is normal. Glad to finally know this. i won't bother mentioning it to dealer when i take it in next week for a sunroof rattle (when roof is open all way).

 

Thanks apexer!

I totally agree with you, and the Cooper is a good example of what you mentioned. Just putting an intake on the Cooper makes it sound like a wicked beast! The S has both the nice increase in intake sound you were talking about, but the supercharger whine increase is downright intoxicating - and it has that as well. That is the most noticeable sound change from stock.

The wheezing is another normal sound. You just get all kinds of sensory input!

Randy

 

This may sound dumb, chock it up to be a novice, but how well does the Alta intake do on improving fuel economy. I know this presumes that you don't want to stick your foot in the throttle to hear the supercharger sound.

 

anyone recommend or not recommend doing this on the JCW ..can someone explain the difference in intakes

 

krenzkes - Intakes produce negligible benefit at RPMs below 4k or 5k. When the engine turns at least this fast, THAT'S when the stock intake restricts the air that the supercharger is trying to cram into the engine.

Even MORE so with a reduced-diameter supercharger pulley, which tries to crams even more air.

So at slower engine speeds where you're not "sticking your foot in the throttle", you're not going to see much difference in performance nor economy.


ncirillo31 - If there's already a JCW intake on the car, switching to an Alta intake isn't going to change the performance significantly.
There's lots of intake discussions and opinions all over this board about which intake has the least restriction and which supplies the coldest air allowing for the most (densest) air delivery into the chambers. There are differences, but both the JCW and the Alta intakes are good.

 

I did a test of driving on the highway at 75mph with and without an intake. When the car had the intake I saw just over 1mpg improvement. This was done on the same day on the same road so weather conditions didn't play a factor. The big difference was when stopping for gas how much less you put in with the intake. If I remember it was about a 1/2 gal.