I just recently upgraded to a larger intercooler (G-Plus that is not a direct bolt-on), and a modified DDM Works Air Diverter. I immediately realized that the area between the top of the newly installed air diverter and bottom of the lower hood scoop are much closer to one another in comparison to the OEM Intercooler/diverter combo.

It is apparent that less air will be flowing through the hood scoop than before, or at the least be disrupted from a smooth aerodynamic transition over the intercooler in my opinion. My new install may be moot because of how high the new intercooler protrudes into the opening of the OEM hood scoop.

Anyway, any suggestions on a larger hood scoop that doesn't add too much resistance to the vehicle's current setup? Omicron keeps popping up in searches. It seems a bit pricey... There is also another Omicron wanna be on eBay that is from China that leaves "fit quality" in question. Any suggestions? Maybe a Christmas present, lol.

 

The leap range is good quality but another favorite here in the Uk is the atomspeed

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I did see the Atomspeed hood scoop. It looks like it would definitely improve the airflow into the intercooler. I appreciate the input. I purchased a carbon fiber hood scoop on eBay. It had good reviews. The price was more reasonable than the two aforementioned. It won't arrive until late October or early November. I'll post pics once I get it installed! Thanks again!

 

No problem I run the atomspeed scoop along with the Airtec intercooler and is a good match for keeping down the temps

 

Note -

Just because the scoop has a larger opening, doesn't mean that it will flow more air !
I bought one of the better named scoops some time back. After receiving and finding that the mounting studs were in the wrong place, and I had to cut up my car to make a cheap (but expensive) piece of fiberglass fit my car (NOT mounted as of yet !),the air "exit" side of the scoop has the same dimensions as the OEM scoop..!
That will NOT flow more air than an OEM scoop.

IF you want a better flowing scoop than the factory scoop, it HAS to be larger at BOTH the inlet and the outlet sides.
A "bottle neck" (or funnel shape) can actually harm the overall flow !

Buyer beware !

Mike

 

If I remove the air duct on the bottom side of the hood, that should allow some additional air flow. Not much more though. I have an aftermarket intercooler diverter that should seal to the bottom of the hood; it may require some additional foam.

I am still waiting on the hood scoop to arrive. I have been worried about the fitment of it, and I'm hoping it doesn't require too much Dremel or drill work to the underside of the hood. I won't be modifying the exterior of the hood to make it work.

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. The last thing I wanna do is to go backwards on the engine's performance and waste money.

​​​​​​Dave

 

as I mentioned I ran the airtec intercooler which seals direct against under bonnet/hood skin so all factory ducting is removed. and the scoop has perect angle to grab more air to force it down through the IC to keep things cool as have checked it with the like of scangauge for IATs

 

The intercooler and scoop look good!!!

I am hoping that the inlet and outlet are both larger on the new scoop I ordered. I have a DDM Works diverter that I will be utilizing. It sits too high and contacts the hood with the newer intercooler if it's fully assembled. I had to use it and put my own foam on it instead of the dam that mounts to the top of it. It seals nicely.

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be interesting to see as I know being over the atlantic you guys have alternate options and brands to what we have here in the uk

 

I didn't see too many options for hood scoops. Leap and Omicron kept popping up. I installed the Carbon Fiber Scoop from eBay today. Seller was in China. It looks good, but I had to shave off some of it on the bottom to get it sit right. I also had to elongate and enlarge the existing scoop mounting holes in the hood.



I will replace this faux chrome grill later. The car takes a beating. It's my daily driver that I am having some fun with.

 

if you ever spot anything over here let me know as happy to help except bodypanels

 

Thanks! That's very nice of you!

 

WHY...can't they get it right (in red above) ?
Some of these aftermarket people are building crap. They have a hood to measure, they have the original scoop to measure (and or digitize)..! It CAN'T...be that difficult to get it right..!?
It actually isn't...that difficult with todays measuring tools available. I guess they've just been on too many liquid lunches when they attempt to design and build some of this stuff.

Speaking of intercoolers. It's also too bad that the designers can't design an intercooler that actually has the same cooling effects as the OEM radiator (internal airflow directors). That is...both cool the pressurized air...and NOT disrupt the internal airflow.

Mike

 

It was frustrating that I had to remove material to get the scoop to fit. It would not have been that hard or costly for a company to purchase a hood and fit check the product. They could also 3D print one first to use as a template.

I did purchase it from a Chinese company on eBay, so my expectations were already tempered. The intercooler was a cheap purchase too. If I could do it over, I would have bought a more expensive direct bolt-on intercooler like that awesome Airtec in the previous pics... But, the money is spent now.

I have read several posts on this website, and apparently the best way to cool that hot air from the supercharger is through Water/Methanol Injection..... The intercooler location is not ideal. There just isn't much room to work with under the Mini's hood. If you aren't consistently moving fast enough, the intercooler acts as a heatsink.

A front mounted intercooler will work, but there would have to be a stronger supercharger to overcome the extra volume that comes with additional piping to route the air through it. That extra piping/ducting will cause less pressure = loss of boost.

The idea about a radiator cooled system sounds great to me! I haven't researched into why they didn't design the system like that.
Most of my daily route to work is on the interstate, and I am crushing 70 to 72 mph most of the trip. I keep it to those speeds to maintain at least 30 - 32 mpg. I drive in extreme temps in the summertime - 115 sometimes..... The vehicle's engine cooling system has been holding up well. I am always curious to how well the intercooler was/is working. The car's performance is negatively impacted by these ridiculous temperatures. So, I thought if I upgraded the supercharger intercooler system it would make a difference. To be honest, I haven't noticed an impressive difference. So, I might have been better off just replacing the original OEM Intercooler with the same part number, and upgrading to the same DDM Works air diverter that I purchased.

I will test out the new Hood Scoop this week. I don't know how much of a performance difference it will make as far as horsepower and torque, but maybe it will have a positive impact on fuel mileage. Worst case scenario, it saves me a dollar every fill up. It would be nice to recoup some of the money I spent. If anything, I do like the aesthetics of the new Hood Scoop. Regardless, I have had so much fun driving and working on this little car. I haven't worked on cars in years. This has brought me back, and I love it! If I were rich, an engine upgrade or rebuild, and a paint job would be DONE! Oh, and performance exhaust!!
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The reason why you had to shave off material is stated in the sentence before the red text. Leap is expensive for a reason. They make a better product AND have fit tested their parts unlike the china seller. My Omicron went on just like the OEM one. eBay and Amazon are NOT your friends for aftermarket car parts unless the seller is a reputable company. Most of these Chinese knockoff companies don't even have a car in front of them to even look at and run off of bs measurements from another party....and in the hopes you care very little to try and get your money back.