CAI, how dangerous is it really?
 

I'm considering getting an Injen CAI for my 1.6l but I'm afraid of the "hydrolocking the engine" issue, is it a 1 in a million type of thing?

I was talking to a guy from K&N that is developing all the CAI systems and he was telling me about that. He said unless you completely submerge your intake and you're pushing your engine pretty hard, you won't hydrolock.

like i always say.. just use common sense. if it looks deep enough to cause a problem, don't drive through it. if it's pouring rain that's flooding the streets, don't go out, or pull over in a parking lot and wait it out. there's always the bypass method, which i don't care for.. but a lot of people say it works. i've run my 1.6 with the injen cai through flooding water, and i don't have a hydrolocked engine. don't go flying down the street at WOT in a lot of water... your engine 'sucks'.. if its only sucking a little.. it's not gonna pull in water. if you're sitting at WOT, sure it's gonna eventually suck something up there sittin in a damn puddle. ;D just be careful.

Have you thought about the AEM. Its a short ram intake and is higher up in the engine bay so it should have a lot less of a chance of sucking in water. I don't know the HP gains but a lot of people on this board have said that they are the same. But the CAI does look better.

this is for a 1.6l. AEM doesn't make an intake for the 1.6.

CAI
 

Don't know about everyone else, but my car has a little cover in the wheel well section where the filter is located. The water would have to go through that and then go through the CAI in order for water to get into the engine. Unless I submerge my car THAT deep (which then the exhaust will suck in water first) into the water, I don't think water getting into the CAI is much of an issue. I don't use a bypass valve.

I hate this type of decisions...:o

Oops. Sorry about that, I must have skipped over the 1.6l part or it slipped my mind.

ah, this reminds me... the first time i had the injen CAI, which someone else has now since I sold it on E-bay. I did this the first time due to winter and water. Nevermind the filter on it, the normal Injen filter will work.. but I cut my intake off and made it a shorty so all I needed was another piece of straight rubber hose to put the two pieces back together to make CA again. it worked fine, and still had that cool sound everyone likes so much. :) didn't notice too much of a difference in power.

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Ok, I have another question. Is the engine bay from the sedan the same as the one in the P5? cuz as you all know my car is a hatchback. I want to know if the CAI designed for the 1.6l will fit my car.

Blow, suck ... sexually they mean the same! LOL.
 

Sorry, I didn't post it right. Didn't mean to say that exhausts actually sucks in water. I did want to say something like water would "get in" to the exhaust....

Would it damage the car in any way if water like that flooded through the tail pipe?

I still haven't decided if I should get the injen or not (f*cking up my engine is a very scary thought), I'm thinking about getting the K&N air filter, does it make a diference?