I realise that there are endless threads on this already, I have spent many hours (when I should have been working) reading through them, but please bear with me.
I have an '05 model
MCS which will soon be out of warranty so I have been trying to decide what bits to put on it. I already have an exhaust sorted so my thoughts are now turning to induction.
Originally I was thinking of going for a K&N Typhoon kit but it seems from what I've read here that the only two kits that I should really be considering are the Alta and the GTT. Unfortunately I have some reservations about both and I'm hoping that someone in the know might be able to put to rest some (or all) of my fears so that I can get on and make a decision.
Firstly the GTT.
It seems that many are now choosing this over the Alta but my worries are as follows:
1) I don't think that it looks very tidy.
2) To get the real benefit from it you have to drill holes in your bulk-head panel (although maybe you could just buy the
JCW panel which already has a nice hole in it, or even the mini-madness panel which has a really big hole in it??)
3) Possibly the most important problem for me with this one is that the only thing stopping unfiltered air from making it past the filter and into the engine is a rubber O-Ring which relies on 4 flimsy looking springs to keep it in contact with both the filter and the tube it is attached to (surely there must be a reason that everyone else uses a pipe clamp to keep the filter in place??)
Now the Alta.
I personally think that this makes the engine bay look much neater than the GTT because of the replacement bulk-head panel, but:
1) Fitting the bulk-head panel you get with the kit means that the ecu is more exposed to the elements because it is no longer sealed in the engine bay.
2) I'm sure I read somewhere that the Alta is annoyingly loud (I do want a better engine note, that's partly why I want a CAI, but I don't what to upset my neighbours in the morning when I pull away (is there a big noise difference at low revs?), and I would quite like to be able to use my hands-free kit when I'm driving on a motor way).
I'm also considering the
JCW race box with the GTT upgrade as it would be much better to look at than the GTT kit, but again I'm facing the problem with the O-Ring and the springs (even more so in fact, as the O-Ring would have to seal against the inside of a plastic box instead of a nice machined metal sealing face (maybe a bit of K&N sealing grease might help??))
Another thought I had was the Ultrik kit, which is basically a K&N conical filter and a heat shield. I could buy this kit and then add a bulk-head panel with a hole in it, but I'm not sure whether a K&N would give me as much added power as the others (even if it is getting air from the scuttle vent area), or whether it would give me a noticeably nicer engine note.
I know that this has been a lot to read but some thoughts on the things I've said here really would be very helpful.
Cheers.
