Promini Air Intake for Cooper - Has Anybody Installed It?
 

I'm thinking of getting the Promini Air Intake for my Cooper (non "S") as it looks to be the most complete kit out there for non-supercharged cars. Has anybody purchased it and have any feedback? The competition look like little more than an intake hose and cone filter attached.

I appreciate any advise you can offer.:smile:

Yes, I have it and its pretty darn good. Now I can't say I have had others but I am impressed with its build quality. I did have some issues with install that I can't get it in enough to stop from rubbing on the under hood black material. So there is a small groove in it so what. :razz:

All in all the nosie I get from it and performance from the Butt dyno make it receive an A in my book.:thumbsup:

Thanks much! I've got it on order.

I also have this in my Cooper. I have exactly the same issue with the bonnet insullation getting a bit dented/creased from it, but it is a very nice kit and so far it seems to be the best CAI for the Cooper, at least that I have seen.:thumbsup:

I take it that only the insulation is getting dented and not the bonnet itself? I had that problem once on an older car where a carb upgrade and air filter assembly actually dinged the sheetmetal fron the inside.

Yes, I don't think it has actually dented the metal at all. I have examined the bonnet on a few different occasions and did not notice any sort of dent from the exterior. It basically just made an indentation in the insullation.

Here's my full review with some video: http://www.motoringfile.com/intake/

BMP ProMini CAI
 

It's well worth the money! It was the first mod I did on my Cooper & certainly provided the most bang for the buck. However, it did take a few trys to get the intake housing seated low enough... I went through 2 hood insulations (the slice in the insulation didn't look so hot & the particles went right into the filter).

Here's some audio/video with intake only mod (stock header & muffler):
http://talosiankeeper.com/tunnel.html

Thanks for the extra info. I installed the intake yesterday and agree with all that's been said, including the rubbing bits (I am going to try to lower it today). What's more amazing is that Autopia managed to find a spot in LA with no traffic!:lol: How early in the morning did you film that? I'm sure there are many spots where one can motor in LA, but whenever I'm there on business, I always seem destined to enjoy the sublime pleasures of the 101.:eek2:

3am usually isn't too bad;-) My solution was to fit the housing without the filter in it with all bolts loose except for the bolt between the support bracket & rubber support mount (otherwise, completely assembed-excluding breather hose connection). I then pushed the housing down as hard as I could (being careful to put as little pressure as possible on the throttle body) to get the support bracket & rubber support mount to flex to it's lowest possible position, then tightened the inside (housing) bracket bolt to retain that position. Then pulled the whole thing out, attached the filter to the housing, & installed the whole thing. I still found it necessary to bend the outer housing slightly downward. I could find no other way to eliminate the under bonnet rub. If you deal with the intake height soon enough, you could get away with just an indentation in the insulation, but it won't take long for it to go right through. Insulation is $65 from the dealer.

Initial install w/ bonnet contact:
http://www.talosiankeeper.com/BMP_Pr...onnet_Rub.html

The insulation is already worn through. Curiously though, it seems as though the actual filter wore through with the heat shield just making an indentation. My solution to lower it involved cutting a "v" in an old pry bar and using that to physically depress the mounting bracket while having another person snug up the bolt. I was able to get it down by a few degrees - whether that is sufficient remains to be seen. I'm going to apply caulk to the edge of the filter to see if it leaves a mark before I replace the insulation. Love the intake - but the fit is pretty tight!

Thanks for your advice though!

I just opened your pic Autopia - it looks as though you had the housing cut through the insulation as well as the filter. The housing on mind just left the slightest mark while the filter edge looks just like yours. I'll be driving around a bit and checking it out tomorrow. Hope springs eternal!:lol:

Can't the insulation just be removed, then re-installed after going back to the stock intake for dealer appointments? I bet the intake would sound better (louder) without the insulation anyway.

Might the direct engine heat (no insulation) damage the outer, painted surface? As for my intake, it did cut two holes. Both the filter & housing. After I finally got it seated right, I replaced the insulation (which was $58.50, not the $65 I mentioned earlier). I read somewhere that a guy with this intake was nervous about using the tranny bolt, so he skipped the bracket all together. I gave that a try in an attempt for more clearance, but no matter how I rotated the housing, it still didn't sit low enough.

The insulation is there for both heat and sound purposes and really shouldn't be removed. I don't see a problem with the tranny bracket provided that you torque it down properly (50 ft.lbs BTW according to the Bentley manual) Also, the bracket provides necessary support which takes the load off of the throttle body. I would think that skipping the bracket would seriously increase the vibration potential and is potentially more harmful than good.

I wasn't planning on removing anything for dealer visits as I haven't had to on my other mods. Has anyone been hassled?:confused:

I just replaced the under-bonnet insulation and spent some time with a template to solve the rubbing problem. It appears that the supplied bracket has the incorrect bend as no matter how low you attach it to the transmission mount, the angle of the rubber mount end is turned too far forward rather than pointing up towards the filter housing. As a result, the filter is forced upwards in an unnatural position that not only put strain on the supplied rubber mount but also raises it by a good 3/8" irregardless of how low the bracket is rotated on the transmission mount . Since the mounting bracket is relatively soft aluminum, it was a matter of bending the bracket so the mounting end almost faces straight up when attached to the transmission mount. The result is that there is no strain on the rubber mount and the filter element is nearly touching the transmission mount (not quite but it certainly can't go any lower). A short test drive showed no contact at all but I let you all know after I drive it a bit.

Also, while I expected some mpg improvement with the intake, I just averaged 45 mpg on my last tank (steady highway driving around 70 for an entire tank). I never came close to that beforehand. What gives?

Easier to inhale. I've heard of freer flowing intakes improving MPG, but it seems like it would be pretty minor. I've had averages on the freeway hit 49 MPG (w/o traffic), but that makes me wonder about the accuracy of the on board computer. When my averages around town are showing up as 23-27, I think that's a bit more realistic.

AWESOME Modification! This was the first item I added to my 02MC. Remus Exhaust is due to arrive next week!

Good to hear. It was a good mod on my MC.

Is the under bonnet insulation as easy to remove/replace as it looks? Are those little screws that hold it on, or those push/pull type fastners? (I'm wondering for engine detailing purposes)

They're just screws. Removal/replacement of the insulation is a snap.

Replacing the insulation looks to be a snap. The intake hitting the insulation was my only gripe of the intake.

Yeah, the under hood rubbing of the BMP was a bit of a headache. I have since picked up the K&N Typhoon intake, just to have the bracket that holds the fuel injection module (clip on the stock air box originally held it & K&N never responded to my inquiries regarding purchasing the bracket only). The time has come for cleaning the BMP filter element & I just put in the K&N intake for the time being. Fitment was perfect, no nonsense. However, I really like the design of the BMP in that it utilizes the stock cold air inlet. While performance between the two intakes is relatively the same, I expect I'll put the BMP back in once I clean the filter.

Update on the bonnet insulation situation. The trick by reconfiguring the mounting bracket worked a treat. No rubbing whatsoever. I'll try to post a pic so you can see how low it actually mounted.

I too have been fighting the Promini insulation intrusion. I fit it as in the instructions and sure enough both the metal cannister and the filter put grooves in the insulation. I loosened all fasteners and pushed it as far down as possible and it just made a new groove in the insulation at a new location. Joy! So today, I used ncdave's suggestion to modify the aluminum bracket that connects to the transmission mount. I bent and test fitted, and rebent and refitted it 4 or 5 times. Finally the bracket end that connects to the Promini cannister is almost at 90 degrees to the end that attaches to the transmission mount. As ncdave states: the goal is to get the filter to almost touch the trans mount. I believe it no longer makes contact! Make sure you hold the filter down as you tighten the trans bolt - tightening it tends to "lift" the cannister.
Thanks to all of those who provided helpful hints. I love the sound of the intake as the revs climb. Too bad Promini didn't provide a correctly shaped bracket.