2013 JCW hatchback, manual, no engine mods other than an unknown performance exhaust that was there when I bought the car. Was looking at intakes for it and most of the cold air intakes available for this car look more like hot air intakes with no airbox or snorkel. K&N has a partial shroud, the other one on Mini Mania (forgot brand) just has a fully exposed filter sitting in the engine bay. K&N's dyno charts show a gain of about 6 WHP which doesn't seem like a great deal for $350-500 depending on where I buy it, and I'm already using their drop-in filter too so the gain may be less versus that.

Is this mod actually worth it to start, and is there any better low-hanging fruit as far as horsepower goes? (I received some advice IRL to get an FMIC and bigger injectors, for what it's worth)

 

AEM intake is the only one worth it, since it makes use of the hood scoop. But, most intake only makes the turbo inlet flow better. An intercooler will net more for the engine than an intake.

 

I see the AEM intake on ECS tuning; seems they are a much better source of parts than Mini Mania. They are claiming about the same gain as K&N, about 6 horsepower, and again likely versus the stock filter rather than K&N drop-in (but this time there is not indication whether it's at the crank or at the wheels). That gain for $530 means it's probably going on the "later list" especially as some of the available intercoolers are actually cheaper than that. When I do buy it, is there any benefit to replacing the AEM air filter with a different brand such as K&N?

Looking at some other threads, there was apparently some kind of "JCW Stage 1" cold air intake available at one point, however the only reference I can still find to it on Way Motor Works is the cylindrical filter itself, is there any information still available about this setup?

Speaking of intercoolers, do you have any specific recommendations for one? ECS's site doesn't make it easy to compare them for some reason

 

Sounds like you discovered why intakes are not a top priority on these cars. The filter that comes with the AEM intake works well enough.

I had this intercooler installed to my R55 Clubman:
https://ebay.us/m/rmZEeI
Worked well enough for my Stage 2 tune. Never had any issue with intake temperature running that thing.

 

Is that a sidepack like the stock one or a front mount?

 

Obviously I sell the intakes and am supposed to agree with what the manufactures say of claiming 6, 10, or 50 hp gains. But from my testing and experience it's all marketing and just the simple science of how much of a temp drop do you need on the turbo inlet to actually see a drop of temp on the turbo outlet? 5 degrees isn't going to do it.
If you want gains get a larger intercooler as it cools the air after the turbo and will actually show a drop in inlet air temp at the engine which will actually give you a gain in power. Go with our Wagner intercooler as it will be a bolt on and work.
https://waymotorworks.com/wagner-int...6-r57-r58-r59/
We also pair it with our res delete pipe to speed the airflow up.
https://waymotorworks.com/wmw-resona...6-r57-r58-r59/

On my personal Gen 2 cars I did install the original N14 JCW airbox with the cylinder shape filter. It is all plastic and didn't heat soak, or be open in suck in the hot engine air. It took some modifications to make it fit on the N18 engine but in theory should give me 3ft lbs torque. Plus it is quiet. Now MINI discontinued that intake so have to find a used one and they are not very common.

Now many people like the AEM intake and we do sell them often, but I've never been able to prove or seen any real world data proving gains. And if I did I would install it on my car as I clearly have access to them.
https://waymotorworks.com/aem-cold-a...-r57-cooper-s/

 

Not sure what you’re referring to. The OEM intercooler is a front mount.

 

Any time you can drop the intake air temp you'll feel the difference. Ever notice how your car runs better in the evening (or different season) when the ambient temperature is lower? Just make sure that your CAI is closed to under-hood heat (mine is sealed under the hood and draws air from the outside windshield cowl). However, you'll get much more bang for your buck with a tune.

 

Yeah, it's a hard issue. On one hand, it's over $500 for marginal if any power gains and probably...? makes it impossible to go through a commercial car wash without hydrolocking. On the other hand, it makes the engine bay look less stock and thus less embarassing. Harder choice than it really should be

Another example, this Forge intercooler apparently used to come with a new lower grille but there are no pictures of it. Was that a trimmed stock grille or an actual different unit that made it more obvious you had an aftermarket intercooler?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-forge-pa...urbo/fmintr56/

Misconception courtesy of an old friend who, when I told him I'd bought a Mini, said that the stock intercooler was "a sidepack" (which I assumed meant crammed in beside the engine) and getting a better one was one of the two most important mods along with bigger fuel injectors. Good to know this, thanks

 

Way knows what he's talking about and doesn't push any BS. I had the ECS Tuning carbon fiber intake on my old R56S but that was for the bling factor, I had to take it off to have the car smogged because in CA they consider that a modification that might affect the emissions.

I had the Wagner intercooler on the R56S which was an amazing improvement over stock, I'm planning to fit one on the GP2. There's a thread here: Comprehensive Intercooler Discussion with some datalogs showing increase in Intake Air Temp which is a simple way of evaluating how well the intercooler is doing its job. Read the discussion, spoiler alert is you're not going to get huge HP gains but an upgraded intercooler is an important requirement for a tune that will.

 

In reality the stock air inlet for the N18 engine is already about as good as it gets and it truly is a “CAI” inlet. No reason to change it.

As many have stated, get a larger intercooler. While in there, get the turbo exit down pipe that eliminates the muffler that is just prior to the intercooler. I think that is the part that Way was referring to.

If you are buying from Way, get his ScanGauge 2 that he sells that is already loaded with the codes for the Gen 2 MINI.