I've read/heard a lot about Alta but not much about Dinan. Have heard that Dinan is more like JCW for sound.

What about efficiency?

What about the hoopla on the stock inlet (which Dinan uses) vs the silicone?

 

alta - hands down

 

I had and liked them both but the Dinan was much more quiet in the low end. The big difference is in the future cost - $100 or so for a replacement Dinan filter every 12,000 miles is crazy. I couldn't find a K&N replacement either.

 

TWISTER - Have you experienced both? Can you tell me more about why you like Alta?


Rick-Anderson - The dealer I spoke with today says the Dinan now comes with a washable filter.

 

I love the sound! Hearing more of the SC whine is fabulous!

 

You could also consider the JCW intake. It is fully enclosed like the Dinan but has a little door on the cowl side that opens to suck in more air when you top 4500 RPM or so. So you get to hear the whine when you're pushing things and it's relatively quiet otherwise. This intake appears to be sale priced at a variety of places (Out Motoring, for instance) at about $250 which puts it in line with the Alta and less than the Dinan. The JCW comes with a paper filter but you can buy foam filters for it from My Mini (http://www.myminparts.com).

Don't mean to confuse you just offer alternatives

 

Oh and here's a thread in which Alta indicates (with some self-directed skepticism) that their own silicon hose may add as much as 4 WHP

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=80880

 

I've heard both on the Dyno and man does the Alta sound soo much better! Not sure if that counts for anything -- Johan

 

So, is there a place I can hear some sound bytes before I buy? Seems the main difference (that people like/dislike) is the SOUND!

I know I can hear the JCW on MINI.com. How about the others?

 

I noticed a foul odor when I had the alta.

 

This is a perfect time to seek out your local club. Most have monthly meetings or some other sort of event where you can walk around and check out other cars and meet owners. Ask around and find the different CAIs and ask for a sound sample.

The Dinan CAI is very smooth and stealthy compared to the Alta and other open-top CAI designs.

I'm trying to hold out for the new Webb Motorsports CAI with the ram intake.

 

How come no one ever mentions the Pro-Mini Intake- does it not compare to the ALTA?

 

Pro mini iintake is a great addition to my 2003s.

 

Get the Alta...

 

I just had the Dinan intake installed and this is my biggest worry. Dinan says that it can be recharged using the K&N filtercharger kit, but I'm skeptical. If that doesn't work, I'll try to see if the ITG filter from my old JCW intake will fit in there - if so I'll be golden.

I went with the Dinan intake because I got the rest of the S1 kit, and the ECU is programmed for the specific gain that comes with that intake. To me it sounds exactly like my JCW intake which I took the flap out of.

mb

 

I have a K&N filter in my Dinan box right now. I don't have the part # handy, sorry. I will be trying a UNI foam filter in there next week.

 

Oh oh let me know how the uni filter works and where you got it if it does!

mb