R53 Let's Change Something !

Discussion in 'Car Builds, Projects, Idea's Experiments' started by Precision Engineering, May 18, 2018.

  1. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

    May 17, 2018
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    Hello to everyone again !

    Just in case you do not know me I leave the welcome thread link below:
    https://www.motoringalliance.com/threads/hello-to-everyone.30635/#post-404487

    I created a build thread so you can keep up with the charge pipe development and whatever I do to my MINI. Some people asked me about my car ,10 years of ownership of course you will think I will have an amazing MINI !! But.... no !!
    It's an r53 in very good condition with the OEM+ approach. I have done the usual mods like:

    B14 coilovers
    Camber Plates
    Rear Control Arms

    Tune
    Injectors
    16% SC pulley
    0% Crank pulley
    Exhaust

    And.... that's it :D:D
    I told you nothing special !!

    [​IMG]R53 Development Car by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    [​IMG]R53 by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    So that's how my car looks right now.
    The last year or so I decided to create a start up. As i said in the welcoming post I am an automotive engineer with experience in CAD, Flow, Stress simulation and metrology. I took a different approach. Having worked already in a big Company , I wanted to create something on my way. What's that? Extreme attention to detail, thinking out of the box and as much as possible engineering though.

    So I start thinking how the OE intake system of my MINI could be better. And that's how everything started. For the last 11 months I am working hard on a prototype charge pipe kit. I am saying kit as I want to be a complete set, plug and play.

    Now let's speak a bit (you are bored I know, pictures coming soon ! )

    Charge Pipe:
    Due to many geometrical changes there are turbulence created in the airflow path. To avoid that the charge pipe needs a nice tapered diameter (keeping the throttle body ID as much as possible). Then a smooth transition to the supercharger flange ensures a nice and smooth airflow path to the entrance of the supercharger.

    [​IMG]3 by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    [​IMG]section view Charge Pipe by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    The OE mounting points remained the same, the opening towards the supercharger inlet has a tight fit, like the OE unit, thus the flange seats perfectly ensuring a perfect sealing. Additionally the bypass and the vacuum take-offs remain in the OE position.

    You can see below a picture of the whole assembly

    [​IMG]Charge Pipe Prototype by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    Material:

    The material of the charge pipe will be carbon fiber. The reason for going with that material instead of a casted solution is that the available space was not enough.( I tried the casted solution but it was a big failure!! a lot of money,time and ....back to the design board!!:Banghead::p) . I wanted a thin wall, 2mm , which is extremely hard to be done by the traditional casting methods (and the more advanced :eek:). Carbon Fiber gives the mechanical properties I need plus the extra thin walls. The only problem was the redesign of the mould, with now having more than 10 parts in total. As a result the initial hypothesis of 3 months of design jumped to 8 months.

    So I said I am using fast prototyping methods as well, so I evaluate everything first by printed my models:
    [​IMG]Precision Engineering 3d printed Prototype Charge Pipe by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    Ok seems nice but does it fit ?
    Yeap , just !

    [​IMG]Charge Pipe frontal gap without spacer by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    As you may know MINIs have a spacer between the crash bar and the frame. So although the pipe does not touch anything I want a bit of safety, thus I designed the OE component (spacer). A combination of 1 up to 3mm will be used until I found which one is perfect.

    [​IMG]bumper spacer by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    A while back I tested a pre-prototype ( pre-prototype:eek:? It's not exactly finished thus I can not really drive around!) So here is a photo from that:

    [​IMG]Prototype Charge Pipe Precision Engineering by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    You can not imagine my happiness that day.

    Machined Adapter:

    I wanted the kit to come with a machined adapter for the air filter in order the PCV system to operate as it was design by the factory. Additionally the PCV adapter ensures that the vehicle operation is environmental friendly and it is not a MOT fail (depending the country). Lastly your aircon will not have any oily smell when you operate it (in some vehicles there is an oily smell if the PCV hose is disconnected.) So I designed one, I only have the 3d printed part in my hands, I have already made arrangements with the machinery shop.

    [​IMG]Precision Engineering Breather Adapter by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    And the Printed part:
    [​IMG]3D Print Breather Adapter by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    If you see, I tried everything to have a smooth transition.

    Heat Shield:

    Carbon fiber heat shield that ensures no hot air will go to the air filter. The shield is extended up to the bonnet and the way it is designed (see pics) hot air from the radiator will not go to the air filter.

    [​IMG]Precision Engineering Heat Shield for the charge pipe kit. by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    Below there is a foto from the 3d scan I did. I have the whole engine now in my computer for faster evaluation ;) Happy days !! Not for my computer :p

    [​IMG]Engine 3d Scan R53 MINI by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    Some videos that i have done so far:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzruN7pA2GqkNxNWu8fRzRA

    Please give your toughs, comments, recommendations; it will be a create help for me ! I hope you enjoy it so far, I will try to update the thread as much as I can. I have some other side projects, but for right now I am spending all my resources to the charge pipe.

    P.S
    Sorry for the long (maybe boring post)
    P.S n2
    Sorry for any mistakes, English are not my native language.

    Best,
    George Tsakonopoulos.
     
  2. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Are you planing on doing before and after dyno?

    It looks good so far
     
  3. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    Thank you,
    Yes of course there going to be many data to support it ! The plan for the testing is:

    Dyno ( 2 different cars )
    Racetrack ( 1 car )
    Dragstrip (maybe not necessary, I will see that)
    Road Testing (heavy traffic, 2 different cars)

    In all the scenarios I want to compare the delta factor not only in the power figure.

    I made a small diagram explaining the way I work so far:
    [​IMG]Design and development by Precision Engineering, on Flickr
     
  4. Whine not Walnuts

    Whine not Walnuts Active Member

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  5. Sully

    Sully Administrator
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    looks like you are approaching this very systematically.. good stuff. Can't wait to see the build continue and the results on the dyno. Thanks for posting the process and design!
     
  6. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    Just in case you wondered how a 3D scanned engine bay looks like ! I though it will be nice to share with you guys.

    The picture on the top is the engine scanned file and picture below is the engine bay with the charge pipe kit (3d model).
    [​IMG]Charge Pipe 3D scan by Precision Engineering, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Powder white spray for 3d scan by Precision Engineering, on Flickr
    I do not know if you are familiar with 3d scans but that's how you have to prepare the engine bay for the scan !! In order to capture a detailed model it is preferable to have a white mat surface in a low light environment. And yes, you have to spray that white powder all over the place !
    Charge Pipe 3D scan by Precision Engineering, on Flickr
     
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  7. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    Following.....
     
  8. Sully

    Sully Administrator
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    Yup - me to. :D
     
  9. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    Hello guys I haven't update the thread for a while. I have some excited news ! Tomorrow I will try for first time a fully functional prototype made from carbon fiber.
    The last two weeks I have been trying to make a complete closed airbox. You can see a picture below. What do you think? Which version do you prefer this or the previous?

    Test prototype airbox.PNG
     
  10. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    OEM is a closed air box.........not sure how this is really any better?
    What kind of filter are you designing this for?
     
  11. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    It's a different approach. I want to test both so I can compare. I really like the looks of the airbox but the heat shield is not bad either. Both systems are designed to have similar filter (not a panel one like the OEM). If you see I really try in both designs to eliminate hot air. With that said I would like to test some printed models and see the differences. Also I want to see how the charge pipe will perform tomorrow. I am only going to drive around the city for the next week just for evaluation reasons.
     
  12. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    Hello guys, finally the prototype is ready!
    I finished the installation late last night. I will update the thread shortly with some pictures from the installation. So far everything went according plan. Fits perfect, no contact at all with other components ( so no need for the spacer), no air leaks and smooth operation.
    And a small teaser... :Thumbsup: Carbon Fiber Prototype.jpg
     
  13. Goldsmithy

    Goldsmithy MINI Alliance Ambassador
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    Great work= following
     
  14. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    Hello guys . The last 3 days I am driving the MINI with the charge pipe, no problems at all everything seems nice! I am pretty excited so far, it turned out to be better than I thought. I dont want just to say things thats why I will wait for data to present to you. I played a bit with a video so you can have an idea how it sounds. Its just a small clip. My editing skills are not perfect, so please be aware of that. If you are curious of what program I used, it is Vegas Pro 14. Pretty nice video editor, first time tried and I am very happy with it.
    So what your thoughts? Do you like the sound (its a small clip I now) ? Any comment or question are welcome.
     
  15. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    In terms of performance, what was your goal for the pipe - additional HP? smoothness? and how will that compare to the cost of the kit?
     
  16. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    The main goal is extra torque and no just hp. That's something many people easily confused. So by altering the flow characteristics of the charge pipe you can achieve smoother operation, increase in torque and small difference in the intake temperature. Main goal when I started designing it ,was to remove any unnecessary geometrical changes in the airflow path. From that point with the help of cfd simulations I tried to keep a tapered design (thus increasing the volume) without creating problems to the airflow. Ok so far everything ok! But the main restriction is the available space! That's why it took me so many months trying different 3d print models. Ofcourse I have to prove everything with real data I know, I am working on it !

    Cost:
    The thing is that the charge pipe is a prototype. It is not a finished product. I am trying to make a startup. I have a very good estimation for the cost, which I would prefer not to say as it is not a product yet! Now if you ask me how the cost is connected with the gains I will tell that:
    You should think the kit is 2 products. The charge pipe plus the intake. Charge pipe and heat-shield (or airbox) are made from carbon fiber. Everything comes with the kit and it is completely plug and play, no interfere no modifications and seals perfect. Even the throttle body cable comes as a ready extension, with BMW connectors and cables. So yes it will be a costly kit for sure.
    But again it is not finished. For me sharing with people is a very big test for my skills (communication skills or answering technical questions) but also a nice thing sharing and listening all your comments!

    I am sure everyone is bored by now! I hope I covered your question; whatever else you need just ask me.

    By the way did you like the sound of it guys? I recorded it with my phone.... :Nailbiting:
     
  17. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    The sound was nice but I don’t care about the sound. The torque gained is where my interest is.
     
  18. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    I totally agree with you. I didn't pay attention until yesterday which I had the first proper test drive. Torque wise feels very nice. Especially in the low rpm range. Me ... I love it so far :D a friend of mine, that drove it last night, with a very strong R56 said exactly the same. And the test drive was without the heatshield... but even with 50 degrees intake temp it felt so good (oem cooler, 16% sc pulley, Greek climate :D)
    But I am very careful of what I am saying, I want to share Delta factor and proper data.
     
  19. Sully

    Sully Administrator
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    Pipe looks very nice! Carbon fiber is always sexy. The sound to me is good. That said, I don't have an R53 so hard for me to compare.... I will be very interested in the Dyno and track testing to see what gains are made.. Good thread and thanks for detailing out the build process. :D Cool to see how the sauce is made.
     
  20. Precision Engineering

    Precision Engineering Active Member

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    Thank you very much for the kind words. Dyno should come next month as I will be out of Greece for some days. I spoke with a friend who is a photographer, so maybe I could make a nice video as well! I want to do 3 back to back pulls with the stock setup and next day 3 with the charge pipe (Conditions will be very similar trust me, temperatures from 35+ Celsius are for sure here! ) . Yesterday I drove it a lot. Stuck in traffic, motorway and mountain. I gave the car to one friend with exact the same setup plus a gp cooler, and he loved it. There is a small suspicious that the intake temps are affected as well ... Thus so far everything goes according plan. Next is the heatshield. I will test the Breather adapter and Heatshield first as 3d print parts! Sounds weird I know, it will be a blend of ABS and Carbon (maximum temperature around 150 Celsius). So perfect for first testing! Ofcourse the final product will be aluminium and carbonfiber.
     

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