BACK on topic..........

The JCW intake is quiet, but is a noticable difference from stock. With the intake, you can hear more of the car noise when you drive. I really like the sound of my JCW intake, but its an expensive sound.

(Cost wise, the ALTA is lots less $$.... and still has a great sound.)

If you get it, I'm sure you will love it too

 

Got mine from Helix for $250, and paid my local MINI dealer to install. Total cost $450.

Love the sound at +4500 rpm; it's there when I want it, not all the time.

No change in mpg.

 

Doubt it.. I went to a JCW intake and so far have noticed no MPG imporvements... but a slightly better pull and the sound is cool

 

If you claim to gain 10 mpg from an intake, you are on crack.

If you spend $450 for an intake, you are wealthy.

 

mikem... how would you be in the position to doubt his claims based on your experience when you don't even have the same intake?

 

The JCW is a completely different piece of engineering and won't yeild much if any mpg gain overstock b/c in most situations it does not allow any more air to the filter than stock, and upwards of 4500 RPM the flap opens at which point you are usually on the gas much harder than regular street driving.

The ALTA is always open and never restricted so I'm getting the Cold air atvantage all the time, another reason I chose the ALTA over the JCW.

 

I have the JCW intake.. You will get a stock looking mini approved part. It is quiet when you want it to be and it comes to life with a bit more power, better response and a nice supercharger whine. The sound is very nice.. its not noise.. but the sound of a precision device giving off a very nice mechanical whine.
I ordered the upgrade kit and split the cost with someone else who took the injectors. I had it installed when I had my pulley done so it didn't cost anything extra.. For me it was about the same price or less than the others out there..

 

Have you heard anyone else getting 10mpg increase from an intake? How different do you think the airflow is on these various intakes? Common sense is all it takes to see this. Don't you think mini would have used a different setup to achieve 10 mpg more? They would have sold many more just based on MPG. No intake is going to give you a 10 mog increase... not unless there was something wrong with the one you are replacing

 

You'll find nothing around here more heated than a good 'ole CAI debate.
Maybe we could talk about how much more dirt a gauze or foam filter lets in than paper? Better not.

 

I would love to see facts to back this up.. The JCW intake has another opening on the cold air side and a matching hole in the partition. It gets cold air all the time and also from the front side. The filter is MUCH larger than stock and has much more surface area. There is plenty of air moving thru this setup...

 

Also take a look around at everyone that complains about the added noise resulting from less restriction. MINI made their intake to sound like their market research said it should not because they wanted optimal preformance, do you think the size of the hole in the stock cowl, and the extra plastic on the front induction is random? Its all a matter of MINI trying to sell their car to the masses.

 

I haven't -- but I haven't gone looking for it, either. I just know that my own fuel economy got markedly better, so other people experiencing other gains (with other mods) doesn't seem out of line. And no, I don't think they would have used a more efficient intake, necessarily; one could make the argument that aftermarket bits are able to squeeze more hp/torque from the car, so why didn't MINI use those from the start.

In any event, i'm just saying you can't write it off just because you haven't experienced it.

 

I've got better things to do than go over this age old debate. I did the research and the test drives and got a 10mpg gain, believe or don't I'm still saving more $$$. It helps to take a look at everything out there and make the best decsion for your own personal budget, and it doesn't hurt to be open to new ideas.

If you want something that has duality the n go for a JCW or Dinian; if you want across the board gains (JCW felt restrictive on my test drive and owner report zero milage gain, so its fair to say the gain is after 4500 RPM) then look at some other the other options out there.

 

I am not aruging the fact that you will get better mpg or better performance. 10 mpg is not inline what anyone else is seeing or claiming. Nor is it logical to be expected as the stock setup is not that restrictive. The manufacturer has saftey,reliability and NVH to deal with.. so they always hold back some power in exchange for reliability. More power for them means more brakes, driveline components, etc.. more cost..
10mpg is a huge increase.. that just doesn't match up to the differences or as to what others are experiencing..

 

http://www.helix13.com/html/products...ew.php?p=6&h=m

about 3/4 of the way down the page

 

jcw intake for $315.00 here:

http://www.myminiparts.com/proddetai...rod=JCAB&cat=7

dinan intake for $249.00 here:

http://www.myminiparts.com/proddetai...prod=DAF&cat=7

Which one is better?

 

Another option is to purchase the JCW Upgrade Kit (intake and 380cc fuel injectors). This kit lists for $560 but you can probably get it at 10% off from Classic, and sell the injectors for about $300.

 

I couldn't help but notice that you've had over 5,000 posts since last Oct. That struck me as funny.

No way does what essentially amounts to a filter change yield a +30% mpg improvement. I've built and worked on enough cars to know better than that and others that don't know how cars work should remain very skeptical of your claim. I've removed silencers / airboxes from other vehicles and experienced the difference - which is a slight throttle response improvement. (that was on an '03 Cobra which sucks a LOT more air). In this day of high gas prices does anyone honestly believe that Mini would give up the chance to tout an extremely high mpg in addition to the other performance attributes of the vehicle? I do believe you think you are seeing these gains but I also think you have rationalized this in your own mind and / or changed your driving habits. I mean no offense to you but what you are saying is just not possible and it could lead others to make some bad choices.

 

Also, a 10 mpg increase gets you into hybrid territory.

I'm sorry, but count me in the non-believers on this one. There is no way I would expect a 10 mpg increase from adding a CAI on my MCSa. Even with changing my driving style to the egg attached to the go pedal model, I wouldn't see a 10 mpg increase.

 

Now that would be a hot topic

Randy
m7 tuning

 

And to think I hardly begab to post until mid January, spent my first 10 weeks on NAM doing 94% reading, Here is a thread from 2002 that discusses some of the same things mentoned in the thread, Also this is one of at least a dozen BMP vs Rouge intake debates. Just cause I wasn't around to participate in the learning curve of finding out about just what the car could do and how it was initally setup, doesn't mean I haven't done my reasearch.And for those who don't believe my mpg gains, like I said it doesn't bother me in the least, I just need to reagjust the way I'm sitting cause the gas money actually stays in the wallet for a little while when pulling in more than 30 mpg.

 

I think real question is, why were you only getting 20 mpg before the intake swap? There have to be other factors at work here.

 

Thats what I mentioned in my previous post... There must have been something wrong with his previous intake.. I get 26 -28 mpg avg. Same as I was getting with the stock setup... but I am getting better performance now with my mods. I can get 30mpg too if I drive like granny...

 

back to the original question.... to what end?

are you trying to make the fastest Mini or the Mini with the most hp? if so there are metrics for that.... are you trying to own a car you are proud of and enjoy....you have your internal, subjective metrics...... unless this car is going to be competing...it's about your ownership experience.....if you can afford $450 for a JCW intake and you feel that is the way to go...do it..... If your asking which puts out the most hp or gets the best mpg that is a different question.....very few of us are seriously competeitive at the track so go with your sense of what makes you happiest with your....emphasis on your car...... some people here it is all about the $s and some people it is about max power.....make your own decision based on your intuition after reasonable "creative problem solving" personally even though I have never owned any of it I like to see the JCW cars.....there is a certain undefineable "thing" about them.

 

Its great for the person who wants the following:

1. Keeps their MINI warranty intact with no questions asked.
2. Doesn't want the additional noise associated with a CAI until they lay into it and the car goes over the magical 4500rpm.

Just my $.02