I was looking at different intakes and was surprised by the ones that are open to the engine compartment (like in the picture). The purpose is to supply plenty of cool air to the engine, but if the intake is open to the engine compartment it can also suck in hot air. Since the stock intake is not open to the engine compartment, it would seem these types of intakes are actually downgrades. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

You've got it right. Those type of open air intakes allow you to hear the turbo spool but don't add any power. You're better off with the stock intake.

 

As cool as these look I've been eyeballing them on various vehicles for years... same question, the cold air isn't exactly cold, it's engine bay temp. So my thought is the same: better off with stock intake. Maybe if you get one of the deliberately-engineered products that gives you a functional hood scoop (Eventuri for example) -- and those definitely aren't cheap -- maybe that could get you something beyond a cool look.

 

I got one mainly cause I got a good deal on it and I wanted to hear the turbo/ bypass valve be louder. I knew it wasnt going to give much of a power gain, but it looks and sounds cool

 

Funny enough I just raised this same question on a Modified Mini Facebook group. I had a AFE intake with cover (closed box over stock bottom) and was gifted a Mishimoto open faced CAÍ. I like the spool sound and throttle response from the Mishimoto but I wondered about air temp and power. Maybe I’ll do some logging and see if there is a discernible difference.

 

If you do log it, be sure to post it. That would be some useful information!