Cold Air Intake + Rain?

[BoostedJoe]

Is it safe to drive in the rain with a cold air intake? I have an AEM intake and it recently rained in LA but I didn't drive while it was raining. I'm curious if driving in the rain with this intake would suck up the water and result in hydro-locking the engine

[vincent_nguyen2]

Is it safe to drive in the rain with a cold air intake? I have an AEM intake and it recently rained in LA but I didn't drive while it was raining. I'm curious if driving in the rain with this intake would suck up the water and result in hydro-locking the engine

Well just don’t drive over big puddles or into any body of water especially with full throttle, but with or without a CAI you’d probably avoid doing so anyway. A factory intake is going to suck in some raindrops too. It’s whenever a substantial amount of water is splashed into the intake that it’ll start being detrimental

[BoostedJoe]

Well just don’t drive over big puddles or into any body of water especially with full throttle, but with or without a CAI you’d probably avoid doing so anyway. A factory intake is going to suck in some raindrops too. It’s whenever a substantial amount of water is splashed into the intake that it’ll start being detrimental

I won't drive in puddles but even In heavy rain will it be ok? I remember one time it was raining heavily and it was also windy so the rain was literally going sidways lol

[vincent_nguyen2]

I won't drive in puddles but even In heavy rain will it be ok? I remember one time it was raining heavily and it was also windy so the rain was literally going sidways lol

Heavy rain is fine as long as you don’t go full throttle all the time. With so much engineering, something simple like rain isn’t going to completely destroy the engine. Sucking in large amounts is another story, but think of jet skis. They have intakes as well and with all the water rushing around them, they still function. There must be some fail safe within the design

[BoostedJoe]

Heavy rain is fine as long as you don’t go full throttle all the time. With so much engineering, something simple like rain isn’t going to completely destroy the engine. Sucking in large amounts is another story, but think of jet skis. They have intakes as well and with all the water rushing around them, they still function. There must be some fail safe within the design

Yeah I hear you. I just remember that I was watching the youtuber (Autovlog) and he had a brand new C63s and he was in heavy rain and his engine got hydro-locked but I do believe he was going through puddles or something I don't recall, and his had a stock air intake, no fail safe there lol

[old guy]

Get one of these and you will not have to worry about puddles. Even BIG puddles ;-) Clicky click®

[BoostedJoe]

Get one of these and you will not have to worry about puddles. Even BIG puddles ;-) Clicky click®

[BMWManiac]

If you have a hood, why wouldn't you be able to drive in the rain? As far as puddles, the A4 intake/filter is pretty high up in the engine bay, so no, don't submerge your A4

[Chuckster]

I’ve hydrolocked an engine before. Non-Audi. Low speed, low rpms, high vacuum, filter sat low to ground for great cold air sourcing, but became a water vacuum and bent the rods. Never again.

Oem intakes either place the filter high enough to greatly reduce being submerged and are shaped to mitigate the small amounts that may enter from rainfall. Wherever your filter sits should be the water level you avoid driving into and if the aftermarket system removed the factory precautions, use a dry wrap, sometimes called a prefilter, to block the small amounts of water.

[BoostedJoe]

If you have a hood, why wouldn't you be able to drive in the rain? As far as puddles, the A4 intake/filter is pretty high up in the engine bay, so no, don't submerge your A4

I’ve hydrolocked an engine before. Non-Audi. Low speed, low rpms, high vacuum, filter sat low to ground for great cold air sourcing, but became a water vacuum and bent the rods. Never again.

Oem intakes either place the filter high enough to greatly reduce being submerged and are shaped to mitigate the small amounts that may enter from rainfall. Wherever your filter sits should be the water level you avoid driving into and if the aftermarket system removed the factory precautions, use a dry wrap, sometimes called a prefilter, to block the small amounts of water.

well I have an AEM intake which is aftermarket but it sits in the same place as the stock one did. It's just that the stock air box is more complex which I would think water is harder to get in there but the aftermarket its just straight to the air filter



this is pretty much how it is

[awdconnor]

We live in California. We get rain once in never. We should be more worried about ash coating our intakes, than the light rain.

[Quattro420]

In Canada we get some crazy rain storms I run a k&n cai and have no issues, I don’t winter drive it so can’t say how it holds up in snow but my b5 has on and it’s fine all year round (it’s my winter car) and I have a truck. I should try and find the pic of th cai on my truck when I was in high school one winter messing around in parking lot and then stopping to look at my filter, it was 200% covered in snow couldn’t see it all and it still was running I cleaned it and 11 years later I still have the truck and never had a issue

[Nano909]

We live in California. We get rain once in never. We should be more worried about ash coating our intakes, than the light rain.

Just keep the air scoop filter on and we're golden. Hahaha

[Chuckster]

To me, that sits high enough and is safe. Plus, if that becomes submerged, you’re probably floating to the bottom of a lake. Lol

[BoostedJoe]

To me, that sits high enough and is safe. Plus, if that becomes submerged, you’re probably floating to the bottom of a lake. Lol

yeah I'm not too worried but just wanted to hear your guys thoughts on it, or if anyone encountered issues

[ps2cho]

yeah I'm not too worried but just wanted to hear your guys thoughts on it, or if anyone encountered issues

You’re concerned over absolutely nothing.

[doublespeeded]

Even the Great Ones Fall, to Hydrolocking!