some worries about the new cai

[africanmarty]

hey all loving the new CAI however i'm reading horror stories about water getting in there, will it still be ok or worth it if i put the splash guard back up over my tire ? or should i put ot up somehow ( not sure how i would do this ) thanks regards marty.

[terrastrife]

id rather have teh splash guard to protect the SUSPENSION components, nto the intake. unless you be driving in 50cm deep pools all teh time, no probs.

[white90dx]

Like the first response said, you want the factory wheel well guards in there to protect your car, not necessarily the filter. You have a lot of wiring above the tire that is critical for the operation of your car - you want that protected.

There is no problem for a bit of water to get on or in the filter. Heck, people specifically inject water into their motors in turbocharged applications (small amounts, but definitely noticable amounts!). Unless you completely submerge the filter, you will be fine. You will still want the stock splash gaurd on there to keep the filter from getting dirty to fast...

-Charlie

[HomeGrown]

That was my first concern when I saw the filter in that location. While it's true that you most likely won't get enough water sucked in to do any harm, the location will trash the filter in no time, especially if the road is a bit wet. The concern obviously isn't with submerging the filter, but with all the road grime being sprayed onto your filter from the tire, with even very light rain.
I don't think I'd leave it there on a daily-driver. I don't believe the benefits of marginally cooler intake air merit the hassle that lies ahead with maintaining the filter in that location.

[atobe]

never had a problem with mine sucking up water... not that hard to clean it once awhile

[africanmarty]

ok sweet thanks for all the replies, i'll leave the filter put, but i'll put the splash guard back tonight. thanks guys.