1st Gen R53 Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Intercooler Air Diverter?

Use cardboard and duct tape... I hear it works wonders.

(Sorry, I have nothing actually productive to contribute to to your question.. hope you figure it out!)

 

save your money

spend your dough on stuff that actually works. Over time, it has been proven time and again the factory diverter works at least as well as the aftermarket ones.

 

Forget the Alta it doesn't seal up to the hood, and when they get older the powder coat cracks and they rust.

We use the DDMworks in stainless steel and it works.

 

there ya go

someone with more recent info than I had as I had only dealt with the poor alta one. is this a great place or what??

 

RTV Silicone Rubber

I applied a clear RTV Silicone to all sides of the foam that seals the intercooler cover to get more air flow into the IC fins. The silicone cured into rubbery, heat resistant, and flexible clear film.

How much did it help? I don't know... but better than the porous foam that came as OEM.
Just a homemade project that I also shared in NAM.

 

Yep - I have a DDMworks one from Way and love it.

 

I don't believe that Alta is available any more. I have an Alta that I bought used & yes it did rust. It does however seal up against hood. Seems like the DDM is the only game in town now.