Intake kit which one is better Alta vs BMC CDA?

[asinn]

HI guys,

I just want to know...... anyone here had experience on both the Alta Intake kit and the BMC CDA kit?

the alta have a heat shield around it while the BMC is made out of carbon fibre.

power wise anyone know which one is better?

[PuijkeN]

I'm installing a BMC CDA this weekend... will tell you if I feel any difference...

I asked the same question a couple of days earlier, wich induction kit would be best a K&N of a BMC CDA but I didn't get any response...

Don't expect to much of it... a little better reaction and a little more grunt

[MINIAC]

The tubing to route air into the BMC CDA filter cylinder has a longer path than the stock set-up which can't be good for performance and makes for an ugly fitment:

[Boddington]

I've got the Alta and it looks (aesthetically and technically) better than the CDA photo above, IMO! Can't offer any other comparison, but the Alta is great - noise and throttle response both improved.

[dave_cooper_s]

Would people generally recommend going for an induction kit or a cat-back exhaust first? (assuming you can only afford one at a time)

I will be between the Alta or GTT induction kits and the Milltek cat back

Dave

[obehave]

Quote: Originally Posted by dave_cooper_s

Would people generally recommend going for an induction kit or a cat-back exhaust first? (assuming you can only afford one at a time)

I will be between the Alta or GTT induction kits and the Milltek cat back

Dave

The induction kit is cheaper.

I don't like the sound of the OEM exhaust so that was one of the first things to go..
HP wise you may get a bit more with a cat back.

[DarkMiniCooperS]

Alta CAI is a great thing! The sound is awesome and it's very easy to install.

I had MonsterMINI (ABD kit) for almost one year, and swapped to Alta. I love the Lata sound and it feels a bit more powerful too!

[Bilbo Baggins]

The new CAI from WebbMotorSports looks very interesting. Check it out.

[Richard Crofts]

I have heard very good things of the Alta from people on hear and some of the companies selling parts in UK/US. My limited technical knowledge would tell me that the Alta is better because the air surrounding the cone filter is shielded from the engine heat and its delivered straight over an open filter and has a shorter route to the inlet....thus less chance to get warm and an easier route so better flow charicteristics. The longer and twistier the route to the inlet the poorer the flow and warmer the air (bends etc cause air to become turbulent, which is from my knowledge undesirable)

I would have thought that the filter will give better bhp increase than a cat back as its actually improving air flow and burn. For the cash I think the induction kit is a better idea as you will get the same if not more hp, improved throttle response and all for half the cost of the exhaust. The exhaust will give an increase but I think less than induction. Thats all based on my experiences of tuning NA engines (not forced induction) on other cars, most of which were pre fuel injection.

****Edit**** Thought I better say now before being accused of bias, i am getting an Alta CAI and a Milltek cat-back on my S. This was advised as the best kit within my budget from a reputable and highly MINI owner recommended tuning company in the Midlands ****Edit****

[obehave]

Quote: Originally Posted by Richard Crofts

I have heard very good things of the Alta from people on hear and some of the companies selling parts in UK/US. My limited technical knowledge would tell me that the Alta is better because the air surrounding the cone filter is shielded from the engine heat and its delivered straight over an open filter and has a shorter route to the inlet....thus less chance to get warm and an easier route so better flow charicteristics. The longer and twistier the route to the inlet the poorer the flow and warmer the air (bends etc cause air to become turbulent, which is from my knowledge undesirable)

I would have thought that the filter will give better bhp increase than a cat back as its actually improving air flow and burn. For the cash I think the induction kit is a better idea as you will get the same if not more hp, improved throttle response and all for half the cost of the exhaust. The exhaust will give an increase but I think less than induction. Thats all based on my experiences of tuning NA engines (not forced induction) on other cars, most of which were pre fuel injection.

****Edit**** Thought I better say now before being accused of bias, i am getting an Alta CAI and a Milltek cat-back on my S. This was advised as the best kit within my budget from a reputable and highly MINI owner recommended tuning company in the Midlands ****Edit****

Good thinking.
You also have to keep in mind that the lack of one will impact the effectiveness of the other as well.

It's been pretty well demonstrated that it's the fact that the filter breathes better is more important than the induction kit itself.
Referencing the HAI experiment

[Wolfman]

Has anyone got before and after dyno plots of an induction kit?

I know of only a few companies who carry out controlled tests on their own products and who develop their induction kits properly.

Ideally we want the coldest possible amount of air going into the engine and placing the intake hoses in the right places is vital here. Then you have the design of the intake itself. The use of tumpets and tappered systems usually works very very well.

Its quite easy to find the optimum area to place the air intake hoses if the right instruments are used.

Unfortuntaley most induction companes just lash together a cone filter, a bracket which makes it all fit nice and some hosing. This isnt exactly what I call a developed intake design. The Mini setup probably delivers a better torque spread than this.
The biggest problem with these Cone type induction kits is that they lose the internal trumpets the origional airboxes have and this usually leads to losses in bottom end torque especially at part throttle openings (which arent tested on dynos).

The only real thing people get excited about is the noise a Cone type induction system makes. Usually there is no gain in power unless some real development work has taken place.

The BMC CDA has an interesting internal design but whether it actually works on all cars is unknown. It certainly works on the likes of the Honda Civic CTR and the BMW E36 M3.

has anyone got a link to the Alta induction?

[Rally_it]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wolfman

Has anyone got before and after dyno plots of an induction kit?

Check out this article that my Team wrote.....It has the alta and a few others. It doesnt have the BMC one though.

http://www.motoringunderground.com/f...read.php?t=700

[Wolfman]

Fantastic stuff!

Its really cool when people go out of their way to do such things and then write a detailed report on it with very good dyno plots.

The results are very interesting too.

I dont know if this has already been discussed in detail but Id like to make a few comments.

Looking at the standard intake system - id say this is actually the best for torque spread.

Also comparing the best performing intake system.

It makes 175 bhp @ 6500 rpm

Stock makes 168 bhp @ 5900rpm

But what does M7 make at 5900 rpm?.......about the same as stock and for every point below that it actually makes less than stock!

The torque curve is also flatter on the stock intake.

Basically, on the road the stock car would probably be a tad quicker as it has a much better torque spread.

INteresting when you anaylse the data isnt it. Peak power being more doesnt mean its going to be a quicker car on the road.

[Fisher]

Are this graphs done with one car in the same day?

[Rally_it]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fisher

Are this graphs done with one car in the same day?

yup

Quote: Originally Posted by Motoring|Underground

In order to preserve the objectivity of the Shootout, we devised a procedure that would provide each intake with the same set of environmental parameters. For starters, all testing was performed on Hollis Lee’s bone-stock 2005 MINI Cooper S, ruling out the inherent differences between supposedly identical cars that result from production tolerances and rolling product updates.