Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S Cowl Induction Question

Discussion in 'Tuning and Performance' started by Red Bull, Oct 6, 2015.

  1. Red Bull

    Red Bull Active Member

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    I've been thinking about trying out a cowl induction scoop for the JCW airbox. All of the scoops I've seen for the MINI, like Orciari, have the opening facing forward. All of the muscle cars Im familiar with open towards the cowl/windshield. What would be better for an R53?
     
  2. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    Actually yes it is! About 6 years ago a buddy of mine on NAM designed and built a prototype cowl vent panel and tested it, however by the time he added enough height to make it effective the scoop was nearly 5" tall! Needless to say, nobody went further with any kind of production design just because of how but ugly, and flat out dangerous it was... He said he could barely see the road over the scoop!

    The best option is to keep the stock pieces, its been prooven that there is nothing you can do there to make any measurable difference.
     
  3. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    The best option is to keep the stock pieces, its been proven that there is nothing you can do there to make any measurable difference.

    ^^^this. When you open up the rear of the air box and allow the box access to all that nice cool ambient air, no need for anything else.
     
  4. Red Bull

    Red Bull Active Member

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    Thanks! That was third third, unasked, option I was thinking of... that it wasn't worth the time or effort to experiment with it.
     
  5. Firebro17

    Firebro17 Dazed, but not Confused
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    I agree with the advice you've been given. As I understand it, the air pressure generated at the base of the windscreen is such that fresh air is more likely to enter the air box with the stock intake screens, vs. the aftermarket scoops. I think they are nothing more than bling that results in a relative waste of your money.

    If you opt to use the JCW air box, you need to open the hole for the air to enter the rear of the box, via the collector that's provided near the firewall. I originally went with a well known aftermarket air box and was satisfied. I chose to go with a JCW air box because I didn't want to have an issue each time I went to have my car smogged...

    Good luck on your project.
     
  6. caseydog

    caseydog Well-Known Member

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    I live in North Texas, and my completely unscientific opinion about getting cool air into your engine really has more to do with external conditions, than what you do to your car.

    I know guys who put dry ice in front of their intercoolers to get a good lap time.

    As for me, I'll take a 20-degree morning with 20-percent humidity over any mod I can afford to make. When it is 105 degrees here, there ain't nothing I can do to my car to make up for the fact that it is 105 f-ing degrees.

    This may seem like a post that offers no help, but after years of trying to get more cool air into my cars, I have come to realize that Mother Nature can spoil my best efforts. So now, I don't put a whole lot of time and money into mods that aren't likely to buy me much performance. Yes, there are reasonably priced mods you can do to improve airflow, and get somewhat cooler air into your engine, but I wouldn't alter my car's bodywork or spend a ton of cash on that quest.

    Just my 2 cents.

    CD
     
  7. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    Nothing beats a cool morning.

    But meth is a reasonable substitute. Have been spraying a small amount of meth for cooling for over 100k miles with no issues, other than going through several pumps and solenoid valves.
     
  8. mrntd

    mrntd Well-Known Member
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    I have the Orciari scoops but I didn't pay anything like the asking price and never would have. I like the look and so do others by the comments I get. Performance improvement, not likely.

    I have found the best way to think about getting the air in is simplicity. Make sure it's outside air not from under the hood. Remove restrictions and smooth the flow. With our cars there is no argument about turbulent vs laminar flow because it all goes through the SC. Then you need to cool the compressed air.

    I saw a Viper with a system the had the ac evaporator in front of the air intake. The guy claimed to made up the difference plus that the ac took to run. I'll question that.
     
  9. Eric@Helix

    Eric@Helix New Member
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    Many moons ago we taped several pieces of yarn on and around the cowl vent to see which way the air was flowing at speed precisely because of the question raised in the OP. Turned out that the air does flow front-to-back on the MINI. That having been said, there are at best modest gains available from a second source of 'cold' air.
     
  10. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    I have my CAI completely sealed off from the engine bay. Also I cut a BIG hole at the rear of the box so it gets all the outside are it can handle from the vent under the windshield. The best byproduct is a very loud SC scream at WOT! I can tell it added 100hp. :D
     
  11. vetsvette

    vetsvette MINI Alliance Ambassador

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    Minimum!
     
  12. Red Bull

    Red Bull Active Member

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    Thanks for all of the good advice!:Thumbsup: I did think it could probably be more of a waste of time and that's one of the reasons I asked the question.

    My plan was to make a clear, vacuum-formed scoop, so it would have been more for a cool little detail/functional mod than bling. I'm already running a de-flapped JCW box so I'll just figure out another way to use my time.

    You can never run out of ways to spend time with a MINI :yesnod:
     
  13. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

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    I read the thread title as "Cow Induction" and was confused.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Red Bull

    Red Bull Active Member

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    No, I already know Cow induction is not good. My friend ran into a flash dust storm cresting a rise on a country highway and it turned out to be from a heard of cows crossing the road... Toyota 4Runner 0 - Cows 1 :(
     
  15. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    [​IMG]
     

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