MOSS Intake :: Install & 12K mile review

Better late than never. In fact this review will, as a direct result of my slackidazicalness, provide us all with a more well rounded view of what life is like before and after the installation of what is, in my opinion, the most under-rated Cold Air Intake on the market for the New MINI Cooper.

A few weeks after taking delivery of my 2002 MINI Cooper I order my first engine "mod" - a Cold Air Intake system from MOSS MINI. I had shopped around a little bit when considering this change- and it became apparent to me that it would be relatively easy to be overcharged for what is essentially a piece of pipe with an air filter on the end. Though there are were (and still are) several intake systems to choose from- most are in the $150 to $200+ range. This seemed like an awful lot of money for a pretty simple part. When I came across the MOSS Intake the price was just too good to pass up: $99.95 for a 2.5" polished pipe and Reusable cone filter. Seemed like a good deal to me so I made up my mind to follow my gut instead of the hype and ordered the intake from MOSS.

A short time later a small box containing the intake components and a full set of instructions- along with some cool stickers (we know I love stickers) arrived at my office. Everything seemed in order- and I was impressed with the quality of the Intake Pipe itself. The version I ordered came with a gorgeous polished- chrome finish (they are also available for $20 more in red or blue anodized finishes).

The following weekend I decided it was time at long last to take wrench to MINI. I had never worked on the car before and so took some time inspecting the stock intake setup- looking at all the mounting points, reading and re-reading the installation instructions and so forth. To be honest - that took longer than the install itself. As far as installations go- this one is a breeze. All you need is basic tools and a little guts.

The stock intake assembly is surprisingly large and takes up quite a bit of space in the engine compartment. I was surprised what a hole it left once removed. It came out without too much fuss- though I do recall having to muscle the intake hose from the front of the car off of the filter box- nothing too drastic though- and hardly any cursing :) .

The new intake installed to existing bolts in the engine bay just like the instructions said it would and attached to the throttle body perfectly. I think the whole process maybe took an hour- and that was really taking my time.

I have to admit- though I had done this mod on a few other cars- I still had that moment of trepidation when I buttoned it back up and turned the key for the first time. Much to my relief the car started and appeared to be running fine- no real noticeable difference at all. I revved the engine lightly a few times and thought I could make out a bit of a grumble- but all in all it seemed quite tame. "OK" I thought- "Time for the road test"

I packed up all my tools- washed my hands- grabbed my sunglasses and headed for one of the best public test facilities known to man- The Pacific Coast Highway :)

I think I got the first inclination of what was to come when pulling up the steep incline of my parking garage exit ramp. I had to juice the gas a bit to make it up and the car all at once seemed a little meaner- it was a sound akin to poking a bear that has been sleeping. Maybe it's just me but it felt as though the MINI was as surprised as I was to suddenly find a new set of "guts" under the hood.

As I navigated through the streets of Santa Monica, making my way towards the California Incline that would lead me to PCH- I found little opportunity to open her up- hitting stop light after stop light amid the Saturday afternoon bustle.

Soon enough I found myself sitting at a red light at the bottom of the California incline - eagerly anticipating the green light - and the subsequent open road.

I revved a little bit- eyes fixed on the stop light - I reached down and flicked off the DSC it wouldn't be necessary where I was going and I didn't want anything to hinder my take off...

The light flicked green and I gunned it- the car leaped forward and as the rpm's climbed I heard a sound so glorious it almost brought a tear to my eye- the engine let forth a growl that can only be described as:

GRRWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRP!

And I mean it SCREEEEAMED! The acceleration was so much fun that I actually slowed down enough to downshift and do it again- What I found was amazing- the car was actually pulling all the way to redline now (this was not the case with the stock intake)- and it was pulling hard. Regrettably I do not have a sound clip to post at this time- but I am working on it.

The difference is not very noticeable at rpm's below 4000 though- which is good - (no need to scare the old ladies at the grocery store) however- when you need it this intake gives you not only the power- but the audible attitude necessary to maximize the experience of performance motoring.

Regretfully I haven't had the opportunity to get the MINI on a dyno to measure HP- but the trusty old "butt dyno" tells me that adding the MOSS Intake has increased the fun factor of the MINI by quite a bit- and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a modest HP increase to boot.

I would certainly recommend this intake system to anyone with an MC who likes to drive the car hard, and takes joy in winding it up through the twisty's.

I've had the intake in the car for about 12k miles and had the car in for service- without any grumbles from the dealer. It has performed exactly as I would have hoped and I can't help but feel a little smug that I was able to get a quality part without paying a premium price.

For those interested in this mod- it can be purchased from MOSS MINI (NOTE: MINI Mechanic is currently not affiliated with MOSS MINI in any way)

Here are some pics of the intake in place- I think it looks pretty slick.



In other MINI news:

I got an email from a reader interested in replacing his factory body color grill with a snazzy new chrome grill. He is having trouble removing the outer bezel strip which surrounds the grill. I have been looking into getting him a write up for this procedure - if any of you have any ideas please feel free to send them in- and I will pass them on.

I guess that's all for now-

Coming next week...

Stay tuned because this weekend I am going to watch qualifiers for the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That should be a good time - and I will be sure to take lots of notes and pics. I'll try my best to get that write up together for next week.

Thanks for reading!

-S