Hey I just installed my cold air intake last weekend and I just took a peek through my driver-side lower grill today to look at the filter and I noticed some piece of cover blocking most of the grill.

Should I take off this cover? Will the filter be more vulnerable to water?

Here a picture:

 

you can remove the cover......an air filter is only in trouble when completly submerged into water....and if that cover is there or not makes no difference really

 

i cut through mine cause i was installing some fogs into the grill. Meh'... really didn't make a noticeable difference?

 

I did this mod 1-1/2 years ago. The lower front air ducts (ie, faux air ducts) were made fully functional by removing the obstructions. You say "air diverter", I say "obstruction" .


Pic below shows obstruction that was removed.




Pic below shows obstruction that was removed.









Some people will wonder if this mod will allow the air filter to become water logged during a rainstorm.

This is my daily driver with no days off due to bad weather. I have been thru more downpours than you could shake a boat oar at.

For example, I have drove thru 10 miles of very heavy rain. On the freeway, all traffic was doing 30-40 mph with wipers on "high". This was a non-stop intense downpour for 10 miles.

The exposed filter has always done great. Once I get away from the rain and back onto dry roads, I have normal throttle response. I romped on the throttle in various throttle positions to test. Perfect throttle response.

On the other hand, I did not do this mod to allow the air filter to breathe better. The obstruction does not hamper air flow to the filter. This mod was done to increase air flow into the engine bay.

 

Thank you for the informative post. I'll take mine off and give it a try.

 

Exactly right.

It's not like there is some magic vacuum underneath the car and you have to "put" air in there. The CAI gets plenty of air with or without the mod.

 

^ Thanks for highlighting that Bearcat94. I was tempted to put that part in bold when I posted it.

 

The only thing I'd be concerned about if you live in snow country is a small rock they use for sanding the roads pentrating the filter media. The rocks are small enough to go through the grill work and have enough velocity to crack a windshield.

Now if you did this mod too I'd be less concerned. But I'll still leave the deffuser there.

 

I had a CAI on my old RSX-S and had a racing air duct installed in my bumper. It rains a lot in Florida, so all I did was throw a Hydroshield on it and had no problems with it at all. Never hyodolocked.

I tested it one time and put my CAI in my bathtub completely submerged in water and nothing really went it. Granted, it wasn't sucking anything in either so... who knows?

I vote take it off to let that baby breathe better and let the air flow!

 

AEM dryflow filter media is hydrophobic. It resists absorbing water.

I say leave it in/on. Despite being hydrophobic I dont like the filter being that exposed (unless that's what you were going for in terms of looks). And as mentioned above, it's not going to improve the performance as it's pretty hard to get heatsoak in that area where the filter is especially when the car is moving even with the "blockage".

 

Just my 2 cents on it .. The area where the filter is has lots of available air. The only way your going to make it better is to create a force and just opening it up doesn't do that when there is other places for the air to go . Path of least resistance.

Now if you created a complete housing that encased the filter and was only open at the front the increased pressure at speed might be a benifit. Same as the cowl induction on the old Chevelles.

 

Yeah. I don't think it's even a matter of heatsoak, or even just the temperature of the intake air. The thought is to increase pressure at the filter. However, the difference is so minuscule IMO when compared to the vacuum of the engine, that there is no appreciable difference aside from a wetter/dirtier filter.

 

Miniscule is right.

Even 0.

Just to say it again: There is no special law of physics that magically creates a vacuum behind your TL bumper - there is PLENTY of air there. Always. Without exception.

OK, 1 exception: when you drive though a lake. But that's it.

As far as increasing pressure, you'll get NO "ram" effect. Unless you add JATO gear to get your speed up to ~200 mph.