There is a lot of information, opinions, experience with the Alta CAI but hardly any...close to none...with Dinan.

Are Alta (and others) REALLY that much better or are they just popular?

I would think a BMW part would be pretty darn good for a MINI. Yes???

I was ready to by an Alta until the guy who owns MINI WORKS told me that many of his customers brought back their Altas and he put in Dinans.

Arrrgghhh...I have too much information but not enough. Any reports/white papers out there with just DATA and not as much subjective input?

OK...I've said enough.

 

Yup, have one and LOVE it! Looked at the others, but honestely didn't like the "made in my basement" look to most of them. The DINAN looks OEM, like it belongs under the hood. It's enclosed like the JCW to keep engine heat to a minimum, but opens to the cowl for fresh air. - hell, you've probably read enough about how they work.

Normal, easy acceleration you can't hear any difference from stock, but open the throttle and that SC whine is beautiful Think JCW w/o the flap and wiring. That's what I wanted and it performs better than I hoped.

I'm sure the others will flow better if you're pulling 230+ Hp at the wheels, but i'm not and don't plan on it. This is 1st and formost my daily driver, so no heavy mods planned, and this will meet/exceed any needs I may have in the future (ie, pully, cat back)

This is my opinion, and reason for choosing it. I'm sure others feel the same about their Alta, Pilo etc.

 

I have one. Like the Wookie, I like the factory look and heat insulating properties of it. I am running a K&N filter in it right now, soon to be replaced by a foam UNI filter.
This one single mod woke up my SC pulley.

 

We still need that K&N P/N.

 

Anyone have a picture of the Dinan?

 

Here ya go!



From miniworks.com

 

Several of us in the Puget Sound Mini Club have the Dinan CAI - and most of us did the install ourselves. You get the top part of the intake, the bottom of the factory intake stays. You also get the filter, clamps, and a template for making the modifications to the cowl. I have a 15% pulley and with the Dinan CAI that is about as far as I'm going to go with engine mods for a long time. It is a great combination.

 

I will get it tomorrow and post it here.

 

I will give my $.02 tomorrow when i put my Dinan in, btw, I had a Alta. Will post my thoughts tomorrow. I would also like the K&N p/n.

 

Why the change in intakes?

 

x2

 

The Alta was fun, and I could feel seat of the pants gain in throttle response and pull, but unless I was in a spirited mood (which is often) but now am using the car as a DD more often than not, the noise was a bit much. That supercharger whine is fun though when you want it to be! So now everything I have read the Dinan and/or JCW are decent performance and alot more civilized which is what I am after right now. My plan is to put the Dinan in, get JCW 380cc injectors and flash the ECU for the JCW kit. That should prove to be a nice gain but little pricy. As I said I will put my $.02 on how I like the Dinan tomorrow hopefully.

 

DD???

Re: the noise - Did you buy a top for the Alta or leave it open?

Thanks for the input!

 

sorry DD=Daily Driver I drive alot for work with people, and or on the phone or just in no mood to listen to the intake. I did not have the top box.

 

The K&N filter I have in my Dinan is a RU-1460
http://www.knfilters.com/search/prod...x?Prod=RU-1460

 

Thanks Partsman, I'd seen a K&N for the JCW but it was a thinner conical type. I like yours better. Any fitment issues?

 

Your welcome. I had no problems fitting it in the Dinan. There is actually room to use one that is a little taller than the one I used, if you want to research it.
The slight angle of the flange makes all the difference, a filter with a straight flange will not work.
I was trying to find a filter that would fit that had a "filtered" top, I even had one made at S&B(only $18!!)but they weren't able to use an angled flange, so instead of "making" that one fit, I just bought the K&N.
I am waiting on a Uni Filter universal foam filter to arrive at a local supplier so I can give that one a try.

 

Nice to know that K&N makes a filter that fits the Dinan. I need a new one.

 

OK I installed the Dinan. First it was rather easy to install, which is good. Then driving, it is alot quieter, only when you are full throttle do you hear the supercharger good. At normal driving you can barely tell the difference if at all. Performance wise I do see a difference in throttle response and seat of the pants power pulling under acceleration, though it is not as great as the Alta. But i think I definitly got what I wanted, little bit of power and not all the noise. Now for the injectors, but in looking at where they are that looks like a chore to get them out... anybody done it? Overall I am satisfied.

 

+1!

Just installed my Dinan intake + Alta hose - works and sounds great! Only really howls at or near WOT - which is what I wanted. And looks "good" to me.

Does have a bit of whistle at light throttle, but I read that this is normal with most if not all CAI's? Especially with the Alta hose, which doesn't "muffle" the throttle sounds the way the stock hose does...

 

The Dinan is louder than stock right? Just not as loud as the Alta?

 

The Dinan is a little louder than stock - but not as loud as other brands

I love the OEM look of the Dinan - and it does work. It also seems to keep water off the filter element better than some other brands that are very "open". We don't get much rain here in AZ. but when we do get it - we get alot!!!

I have seen some other brands that had wet filters after a nice high speed run in a AZ rainstorm

I have the Dinan CAI, Mini-Madness 15% pully, B&B Cat back exhaust, Mini Mania short shift kit, and a Whalen ****. They all work A-OK together and the car feels SOOOOOO much faster than stock.

If you want a OEM look at half the price of JCW -- get the Dinan.

 

ALOT of people I've talked to say that the best intake they have TESTED is the DINAN, Mini service techs told me that they would only put in a DINAN or a JCW. I myself am getting a DINAN as they seem to put alot of R&D into their products, not only that it seems to be one of the best priced out there. DINAN all the way.

 

Got this off of the Dinan website,
Dinan's engineers have truly outdone themselves with this seemingly simple, yet very effective approach to the business of improved intake air-flow. The system consists of a replacement lid for the stock air box, designed to accommodate a larger, high flow performance filter. The lid is molded from a very specific composite material that is extremely effective as a heat insulator, ensuring that power-robbing under hood heat is kept at bay.


Now, here's where things get interesting. Extensive air box pressure testing revealed that the stock intake system isn't pressurized at speed, in fact the configuration actually creates something of a vaccuum, even with the ram air ducting provided by the factory. Naturally, from a performance perspective the goal is to force as much air as atmospheric pressure and road speed will allow through the intake system for optimum performance. Pressure tests of the stock air box resulted in a NEGATIVE 13 mbar measurement at 90 mph. By comparison, the Dinan system pressurizes the system very effectively, measuring positive pressure of 1 mbar at the same road speed. How is such a dramatic increase in pressure possible? Cowl induction.

The Dinan air box lid features ducting that picks up highly pressurized air from the windshield, force feeding the completely sealed air box with cool, oxygen rich air for optimum performance. When combined with Stage 3 Engine Software, peak horsepower is bumped up to 179 @ 7000 rpm with 159 lb/ft torque available at 4500 rpm, without any increase in boost pressure! The design also maintains the factory look and simple filter replacement procedure.


Seems to be like anyother intake but with a new lid and of better quality filter and product that not only fits perfect but looks and sounds good but thats just my thoughts, only question I have is can the filter be cleaned, or do you replace it?

 

I ran the Alta hose with the stock intake for an hour before putting the Dinan intake on - I was surprised how much difference in sound JUST the Alta hose made - it was noticeable - went from the SC being barely audible, but with no real "whine" - to actually being able to hear the SC whine. Then of course the Dinan intake made a huge difference when added.

But for any Dinan owners wanting even a little more sound, and perhaps a little better flow (according to Alta) - the hose is sweet. And it looks cool...

I know, stock looking intake + custom looking hose = what look is he really going for, anyway?