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There is a pretty long thread in the F-Type section on the Mina gallery Intake Kit for the F-type, but this is a different mandrel- bent model that's a perfect fit in my XE 3.5t.
Installation was bolt-on, all parts included (I added a 1 1/2 inch hose clamp to the pressure hose nipple because I'm **** that way, probably overkill...)
I did notice the factory original intake goes from a round outlet at the airbox, changes to an oval-shaped conduit until it reaches the "Y", then re-converts to circular to the engine. All with expandable (ridged) connections.
This new pipe has way less constriction, and sounds a little better at the intake, IMHO.
BTW: K&N has a pair of filters for this 3.5T, so I installed those as well a few weeks back before this install.
The overall result is better sound and "maybe" better throttle response. Manufacturer claims 8-13 WHP gain, not sure I feel that, but I'm already tuned to 419 with the VAP tune. It certainly won't hurt, and looks great.
Update: Spent another hour behind the wheel, was able to form more solid impressions. This kit does seem to allow for a smidge more power, throttle response has improved FOR SURE.
This kit is an easy install, took about 30 min as they estimated in the ad.
I just added a lip spoiler with excellent results as well.
Next step: Taking it to Josh at Exotic Power and Performance for the Velocity AP crank pulley upgrade and re-tune.
Lot's of oohs and aahs about the new look under the hood...it looks Boss. Again, sounds noticeably better.
Looks like we're in the same city... and same car for the most parts (pun intended).
Did all my work here in the Austin area -- I used Soulspeed.com for the Velocity AP pulley & performance springs and used luxuryautoworks in Pflugerville to install Velocity AP's hi-flow cats. I have the tune that matches the pulley & cats as well and added BMC filters. Painted the calipers red, swapped out the headlight & running/daylight bulbs for better looking ones... Took it to some random place in Round rock for a Dyno but didn't really have a great run as the car went all bonkers throughout most of the test and kept going into limp mode. Didn't have a baseline anyway. I went to the Little River drag races with it once too (about an hour or so north of Austin), which was a blast and pretty sure is what led to my cats melting.
Not much left to do except maybe finish out rest of the exhaust and possibly this kit you shared . The recent thread on performance brakes has my interest peaked as well.
Not much to contribute, but other than to say you guys must be the only other XE owners around here. I'm up in Round Rock with a silver XE 3.5t that is bone stock.
I've been doing business with Collin at Soulspeed for over 15 years. Best suspension guys in town!
I tried two different sets of lowering springs. (The velocity AP Springs I had on previously are great, but are a deliberate compromise between performance and comfort. Last week I had the guys at Soudspeed switch them out for H&R's, which I personally like much better for my aggressive driving style. I sure wish there was a decent adjustable suspension from Germany for this car...)
The only other upgrade I say is a must...the ALP Laser Zammer....oops, I mean "Parking Assist." ( I would NEVER set it to the optional mode that reliably zams laser signals for user defined 1-5 seconds so it would confuse the APD instant on guns and allow one time to slow down, if one ever exceeded the speed limit that is...) It's expensive but paid for itself two times over. I've been hit dead to rights a few times, the po po just look confused. But APD is more scarce than the DoDo bird these days, which suits me fine. The crime rates are also down recently in Austin, go figure. IMHO the ALP is also the best radar detector in the market, includes smartphone interface, can be installed very stealthily.,
I also have tried two different dyno runs at two different shops.. our RWD version goes into limp mode each pull as the ECU does not detect the front wheels moving and throws code...the only successful Dyno runs I've heard of are on the AWD on a AWD rolling road.
I'll contact Stuart and see if they might have a programmable workaround we can get updated with our VAP tune, just like their tune deletes the "Auto Stop" (thank God for that little gem!)
Follow Up: I finally got preliminary Dyno results off a Mustang 500 Dyno. You need to find a dyno built for four wheel drive that has the front and rear drums linked...this gets around the limp mode issue on the XE during Dyno runs moving rear drum only..I also updated my car with the 450HP VAP Pulley and Tune, really, really fun now!
After I get new plugs installed, I'll get a Dyno run again and post.
I tried doing a before and after dyno last year when I got the pulley installed but somehow the shop ran into issues even though it was an AWD dyno. At least the Dragy did show a HUGE improvement 😎
I'd be worried that because it defeats the cold air intake you'd be pulling a lot of engine heat instead. Defeating the airboxes would for sure increase the noise.
Higher flow airfilters are usually a plus, although I opted for the K&N pleated that fit into the existing airboxes.
Ideally you should be pulling the coldest source air as possible. Gets hot under that hood. I suppose I'd have to see how they did the shroud in more detail, and where the air comes from....
@Austin7 You convinced me on the Intake kit... ordered it today. The airbox replacement @CSL shared has my interest too... might be next months project. Seems like if you do it right you could always switch back from the $145 experiment if it does get too hot.
I have a OBDII bluetooth reader laying around somewhere-- I'm assuming we have an Intake Air Temp PID that is relatively accurate? If so, like @D0gv0m1t said, I don't mind biting the bullet and ordering the kit to test out temps. If the temps are garbage it seems like a simple swap back to stock air boxes.
Found this video of the full kit on an XF on YouTube:
I put the Intake in last night (not the airbox replacements -that's next month.) Thanks for the tip @Austin7 I can't tell if there is any performance gain, but it looks great!
I did talk to a person at Mina Gallery when checking on my order regarding the airbox replacements. BTW -- their system didn't inform me that my order was on the way/shipped, but it still came within a week. I too experienced that it was about 30 min work. The only hiccup I had was to figure out how to remove a plex clamp on the small hose picture below. Googled/youtubed and found there are tools for it, but after fooling with the tabs on it with pliers & a screw driver I was able to work it off without damaging the hose. Like Austin7 experienced, I had to buy two small worm hose clamps that were not included to make sure that hose doesn't come loose.
Plex clamp that had to be removed:
Where the worm clamps went (took the picture before I ran to the parts store.)
Back to my next project -- the airbox replacements -- The person I talked to at Mina was super helpful... I mentioned the concern about heat under the hood and he said there is enough air flow under the headlights and throughout... He said if you run it hard and then try to start from idle, its possible you could feel a lag, but otherwise any movement will provide more than enough airflow to combat the under hood heat. He explained the product sat in testing for quite some time before they could bring it to market as its such a significant change. In their testing their was a significant gain when you take the limiting airboxes out of the equation.
Let me know what you find @CSL ... I'll order mine in a few weeks.
Finally received the airbox replacements yesterday-- Install is relatively simple: remove airboxes, separate the MAF housing from air box, install heat shields (one bolt each side), attach MAF housing to intake tube, attach cone filter to MAF housing through heat shield. All in all it took me about 30 minutes.
My immediate reaction revving while parked is WOW.. much louder than before. Under normal driving conditions the sound is more present even at 2K rpm. If you nanny the accelerator it's relatively easy to keep quiet. Any normal acceleration makes the whine and induction noise much more audible. The real treat is when you're driving through the rev range. Go WOT and this thing is a completely different beast. IT SCREAMS from 2K to Redline. Even at highway speeds you can hear the blower do its thing. The sound is intoxicating.
I have not been able to take video or test IATs yet; I will get a chance to do so later this week during Thanksgiving. I don't want to exaggerate but this mod gave me as big a smile as the pulley & tune did. Barring any temperature issues, if you enjoy supercharger whine, this is a must do.
Finally got a chance to get some video of the intake kit in action. A bit windy; there are shots with windows up and down, WOT and low throttle, and throughout the rev range. It still did not come out as clear as I intended but hopefully enough for you guys to tell the difference through video. Definitely much more apparent in person.
Following back up now that I too have done the other Mina gallery install -- the suppercharged performance intake kit (Airbox Delete). Can confirm @CSL 's notes on the noise... substantially different. His video doesn't do it justice -- the supercharger whine becomes VERY noticeable... like you are suddenly in a car movie with Vin Diesel. Car feels punchier too... will do many thorough tests daily to confirm.
My install was closer to an hour, mainly because the filter install on the right needed more adjustment and really had to work both filters to get them attached to the MAF assemblies... hence the bent lines in this picture. (I'll obsessively straighten them out later.) Providing pictures in the event someone else could use them as mine didn't come with instructions. Fortunately, that video of the XF earlier in this thread helped me confirm I had the right heat shield on the right side. Blue arrow notes the one screw (same on other side) that goes into a threaded hole that seemed to be waiting for this mod as it was unused & under the airbox.
I was thinking that sounded like the original Mad Max...that dates me I think. Great look! Not so sure I want that much whine though....want some cheese with that?
Following back up now that I too have done the other Mina gallery install -- the suppercharged performance intake kit (Airbox Delete). Can confirm @CSL 's notes on the noise... substantially different. His video doesn't do it justice -- the supercharger whine becomes VERY noticeable... like you are suddenly in a car movie with Vin Diesel. Car feels punchier too... will do many thorough tests daily to confirm.
My install was closer to an hour, mainly because the filter install on the right needed more adjustment and really had to work both filters to get them attached to the MAF assemblies... hence the bent lines in this picture. (I'll obsessively straighten them out later.) Providing pictures in the event someone else could use them as mine didn't come with instructions. Fortunately, that video of the XF earlier in this thread helped me confirm I had the right heat shield on the right side. Blue arrow notes the one screw (same on other side) that goes into a threaded hole that seemed to be waiting for this mod as it was unused & under the airbox.
Getting the filter on the MAF assembly was a bit of a hassle. What I did to make it easier is remove the inner tube/couple?? inside the filter and fit it halfway on the MAF. The put the filter on and slowly wiggle it in. On the passenger side for some reason I had to go grab a slightly bigger hose clamp to get a tighter seal and the cone fell off a couple times. Now it's all good.
I was thinking that sounded like the original Mad Max...that dates me I think. Great look! Not so sure I want that much whine though....want some cheese with that?
Definitely looks great! The whine is VERY loud on WOT which is more than fine by me. I dig it. If it screamed like that even during regular driving it would probably get annoying. Good thing is I can always swap back to stock airboxes if needed.
I just installed the VAP Sport Exhaust this weekend, too. Much deeper tone, louder, pops and crackles sound full-bodied. So it feels pretty balanced now-- whine from the front, vroom vroom from the back.
09-18-2020, 11:43 AM
Mina Gallery Intake Kit fo XE, 5 stars
