mx5cartalk.com

I have had my Mania cold air induction fitted,and now my strut brace won't fit. I have adjusted its height, however when I close the bonnet I notice it pushes down (very slightly) on the brace. Can I adjust the rubber rests etc to raise the bonnet about 1 Cm?

Peter,
The rubber rests are there to stop the bonnet from vibrating, if you were to adjust them you may find that the bonnet will not lock down and you may even bend it. Perhaps finding someone else who has had the same problem might be the way to go. (be sure to list all of the details).
Good Luck.
Greg.

I had a similar problem which was fixed by bending the CAI bracket slightly to lower it so my brace fit, you can adjust the rubber adjusters by turning them but you wont get much leverage given they are at the front of the bonnet.

My question is why is the bonnet touching your brace? Have you raised the brace up with washers or something or have you jammed the CAI under it, hence its raising the brace? You shouldn't need to "adjust the heieght", you just need to slightly lower your CAI by bending the aluminium brace gently with your hand/s.

Thanks for that. The CAI (fitted by MX Mania) sits quite high. I will try to slightly bend it (Gently Gently!!!!)

No worries, you should be able to get around 2 or 3 mm between the bottom of the strut and the top of the CAI once its modified by some "bending".

I have a carbing strut BTW, if you have a different strut and still have problems i suggest give Mania a call and see if they can help you out if you dont think this will work.

You could do what some have done and try to raise the bonnet from the base. Probably the 'rubber' you are referring to. Others do this to 'allow more air to travel in the engine', though the actual results may vastly differ.

Raising the bonnet a few mm at the hinge end is a very bad idea. Have a close look and you'll see a rubber strip that runs across the top of the firewall. The bonnet presses against it when it's shut. This seals the engine compartment from the air collection box in front of the windscreen.

If you lift the bonnet then you wipe out the effect of that seal. Hot air will flow over the engine and headers and into your ventilation system. You then spend all summer trying to work out why you can't turn the heater off.

Thanks all.
I have tried and admit defeat. I don't really want to mess up air flow etc and therefore will have to invest in a different brace.

Your issue is adjusting the height of the brace to accommodate the CAI instead of vice versa. The trick is to situate the CAI taking into account the tower brace you want to fit. One of these Cusco braces should fit with the MX5 Mania CAI as it has a wider stance at its high point than some of the others: viewtopic.php?f=44&t=39714

Bingo - Your dead right. Thanks for that I will look into the cusco