Ask MF: The Best New Hood Scoop

Sections: Accessories | Ask MotoringFile Feb 21st, 2012 19 Comments

It’s been too long since we featured some of the many questions we get here at MF. So this week we’re going to dust off the Ask MF feature and bring a few of them to you.

Today’s question comes from David in Texas:

“Yesterday a large rock/missile hit my hood scoop and broke it clean off! The pieces flew over my windshield, but at least the rock did not hit any other part of my 2009 S. The little plastic pins that held the scoop are gone too! Any ideas on replacements? If I were to get a replacement would it come with the little plastic pins that hold the scoop on? I like the M7 Vortex scoop, but it is pricey.

We like your thinking David. Any time something breaks it’s an opportunity to make an upgrade. The pins will likely come with but even if they don’t, your friendly MINI parts department should have them on hand. If you’re staying OEM we like the carbon fiber scoop as it’s impervious to turbo heat and ads some texture to the front of the car. Otherwise you can go aftermarket and get something like the M7 Ram Scoop. However we’d not recommend it unless you’re running an appropriate intake kit like the M7 AGS-R or the Super AGS.

On a side note, has anyone else noticed how the JCW carbon fiber hood scoop has doubled in cost over the years?

Written By: Gabe

Ulrich Diederich

I would say no hood scoop. I saw a Cooper yesterday with the JCW body kit and 17″ web spokes and really liked the clean and uncluttered look of the scoopless hood. Also, the center hood stripes don’t stop and start at every crease.
Ulrich Diederich

I would say no hood scoop. I saw a Cooper yesterday with the JCW body kit and 17″ web spokes and really liked the clean and uncluttered look of the scoopless hood. Also, the center hood stripes don’t stop and start at every crease.
- Jon
  
  So you’re advocating either A.) doing a hood swap from a Cooper, (are you certain it’d fit properly?), followed by a respray so the paint color of the bonnet exactly matches the body or B.) filling in the hole in the S hood left by the hood scoop with much metal fabrication/welding/bondo and a fresh respray of the bonnet?
  
  Both options are pricey, to say the least!
  - Ulrich Diederich
    
    No of course not but I see what you are saying. I was simply stating that I like the scoopless look of the Cooper vs. the S. Spending money to go scoopless on an S would be insane.
- jeff
  
  i’ll second this suggestion, but offer the cooper d hood instead. same cooper s bulge, but no actual scoop.
  - Anonymous
    
    The 2011+ Cooper hood IS the Cooper D good, now.
- Anonymous
  
  I suspect that was a non-S or non-JCW which came stock with the hood without a scoop hole… i.e. somebody just added the JCW aero kit to their justa-Cooper.
- Hoover
  
  A little off topic, but I have a 2010 Cooper, and I ditched the chrome slats for the JCW grill that fits the Cooper. I love the look of my “poor man’s Cooper S.”
  - Tom Bailey
    
    That’s interesting. I was considering doing the opposite ie. adding the chrome grille to my Cooper S
Anonymous

That also wouldn’t work on an R52/R53 since the hood scoop is functional. Given, the OP is an R56…
Dr Obnxs

In this case, there is no “best”….. It’s a style question more than anything. By far the easiest is to do a MINI replacement. But if you want to go aftermarket, ask around about fit and finish.

Matt
Bahawton

Stay away from M7 for the following reasons:

1.) Pock marks & 60 grit sanding marks needed a lot of labor to make look good prior to painting. 2.) Paint kept popping off when the paint shop baked it dry due to trapped air pockets in the fiberglass. 3.) They don’t use a supporting flange where they fiberglass the bolts into the sccop so mine pulled out after a year.
- John Thomas
  
  Yikes! Good to know! Wasn’t planning on one anytime soon (or ever) but if I were that’s good info. As for the scoop on an ‘S’ or JCW or heck even a justa. I think the MINI looks way better with one. I’d either go with the OEM that came with or upgrade to a Carbon JCW scoop.
Veggivet

This post brings back memories of my scoop taking off without clearance from the control tower at Lime Rock a couple of years ago. It all happened in slo-mo, just like in the movies. By the next lap, there was nothing recognizable as a hood scoop left on the track.
- Markwyatt69
  
  I have the M7 carbon fiber scoop. It looks sick, also had no problems at all. It is a great fit and looks even better!!
  - veggivet
    
    I guess any scoop that stays on is fine by me! They do test these things in wind tunnels, right??
MQHayes

What purpose does the egg crate screen serve, when half the holes are solid and the hood gets hot enough above the the scoop to fry an egg? Can the screen be removed for improved vent heat escape?
- Markwyatt69
  
  Yes you can remove it or as I did you can drill out the solid pieces and that will let some heat out of the hood
  - Kunishi
    
    This is what i did, drilling out the closed tabs can be quite labor intensive, but worth the effort. I’ve had the car for 3 years, no heat warping issues yet!

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