What do you even call that section of intake? Where it scoops cold air from near the headlight?

Anyway, is there an aftermarket intake keep that piping functional? It confuses me to no end that most of the aftermarket "cold air" intakes do nothing but suck in hot engine compartment air, when the OEM intake system is a true CAI pulling air from outside. I've read that users with this type (Alta style) lose low end torque because of the extra heat.

I'm also unsure about how I feel about the AEM and DDMworks style intakes that make the hood scoop functional. To me it seems the scoop acts as an exhaust port for the turbo heat at idle or parked. I don't wanna trap anymore heat onto the turbo than necessary, and I've also read that the "functional scoop" mod doesn't actually do anything anyway. Has anyone experience this?

My goal is to increase the nice intake sound without losing any low end torque, and my hope is that using the factory cold air duct would do that. Any recommendations on brands, if any, do this?

I was looking at the JCW tuning kit intake setup:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...r/13720429380/

But am not sure if this would do anything for sound compared to my stock K&N drop panel filter.

Thanks,
-SGM

 

Any intake that would use the lower OEM air box will still allow for use of the OEM cold air pipe. I have the AEM unit, and it still utilizes that pipe. The NM Engineering unit replaces the OEM air box, but also has provisions for that cold air pipe.

Honestly, if your intercooler is working correctly, and is as efficient as it can be, doesn't matter where the turbo inlet air comes from. The intercooler is designed to make the air entering the engine as cool as possible.

 

Based off having the JCW style intake installed, it was maybe a hair louder then my stock flat panel intake. Any open box will be much louder and with the ECS CF intake it was louder then the JCW inatke but not near what an open box would sound like. The AEM one you will hear more as the sound goes through the scoop.

 

My AEM is no louder than the stock S intake was

 

I could hear a little out of the front when the car was stopped and revved. But rolling down the road yep, it was the same.

 

What year and model MINI do you have?

And is your primary goal sound then?

Do you have any other mods on the car?

 

K&N, AEM, several others.

get the K&N flat panel stock filter for the Mini, get the filter cleaning kit
clean all the oil off, let it dry overnight, then LIGHTLY spray a little oil, not even 25% what K&N soaks it with.
air flow is equal to a CIA and you keep engine heat away from the filter by using the stock air box.

you can also get a stock Wix Filter, that thing has awesome airflow, but still the K&N de-oiled is better.

dont forget you may have to reset adaptations after you change that out, usually not but it does help
one thing to not the RPM tunes that use high throttle % will lose that extra throttle bump when restricting air flow with the wrong air filter. that boosted throttle demands more air flow at lower rpm's