[Alex Twitchen]

My Cooper is nearly out of warrenty and I'm thinking of changing the air filter/induction system. I can't decide between the JCM cone filter, the cheaper route, or splash the cash and go for the JCW Sound Kit. Can anyone tell me which solution is louder or can anyone express a preference, not so concerned with performance just would like a crisper sportier sound with a little bit of a better throttle response.

[S33BBY]

The JCM cone filter will be louder than the sound kit I would think, even with the stock exhaust. The JCW Sound Kit uses the original airbox, but just has an extra filter pipe going into it to provide a bit more noise (though not a great deal). Most of the noise comes from the stainless steel exhaust. I still think a cone filter will be louder.

As far as performance goes, the JCW Sound Kit is better. I have it and love it. As well as the stainless steel exhaust, you get the slightly improved filter, but most importantly an ECU remap to provide more response.

The price difference between the two setups will be a lot, so it just depends what you want to achieve. If it's just noise, go for the cone filter. If it's a bit of noise and some performance, go for the Sound Kit.