They will suck in water, however there are by-pass valves out there. I know AEM makes one, but I'm not sure about anyone else. Also, I'm not sure that their's would work with anyone else's CAI.

 

The CAI set-up is at the risk of injesting water anytime you drive through a puddle or in the rain/snow. BUt When I had mine on my car, I never had any issues. You have to be careful how and where you drive. But if you want the insurance and piece of mind, then purchase a by-pass valve.

As for the Ebay intakes, I had one on my car and never notice a problem MECHANICAL wise. I did however notice that the tubing itself didn't really stay cool and actually got pretty hot which I think would have a negative effect on intake temps. But if you want more info, check this thread out.

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1737&highlight=ebay+intake

 

Straight from AEM.

When to use the AEM Bypass Valve


Answer
The AEM Bypass Valve is used to protect the engine from hydro locking. Hydro locking occurs when the end of the inlet pipe is submerged in water and the water is sucked into the engine. Driving the vehicle in rainy conditions is not enough to cause a problem unless the vehicle becomes submerged enough that the inlet end of the pipe is immersed in water. Rain impingement on the filter will not cause a hydro lock condition. The distance of the filter from the road dictates the level of water that can cause damage. This distance varies with the vehicle ride height which is why there are no published numbers for this measurement.

All AEM Cold Air Intakes are to be used with the splash shield that is originally installed on the vehicle for protection and performance. The removal of splash shields actually deteriorates performance by allowing hot pavement air in the vicinity of the filter and negates any positive pressure created in the air filter area when the vehicle is in motion.

There are some instances where there is not enough room around the inlet pipe for adequate clearance of the Bypass Valve. In these cases a Short Ram system is offered or will be offered in the near future..

 

myfordperformance.com sells a weather shield for CAI. The article above pretty much tells you all you need to know. You ahve to submerge that filter to do significant harm. Also, you're talking about noise, the CAI will make noise as well....

 

ebay items tend to be sub-par compared to the other options.

 

I'll go with the classic and proven result to an intake question:

BUY A VOLANT INTAKE!

there, I said it...[]

 

Agreed, get the Volant. All the advantages of a CAI without worrying about your filter getting very dirty or sucking water into the engine.

If you don't already know, the Volant is basically a shorty ram with the cone filter inside of a custom airbox that completely isolates it from the engine compartment. It uses the snorkle intake plus another side intake on the right-hand side (facing away from the engine, most people use dryer ducting to suck cold air in from behind the headlight, although you don't have to.) A lot of people also adapt it to use the SVT snorkle, which has much better airflow than the stock snorkle.

 

That is what I was going to say. Get a Volant. AEM has been dynoed at like .2 hp more than volant, but with the bypass, the gain is worthless. CIA's tend to get dirty quicker as well. Take care.

 

I have an AEM CAI and from what I know if you are going to get an AEM CAI get a bypass valve.I know know and heard alot of storys about hydro-locking from a CAI and it aint pretty. Also, what FocuzdZX5 didnt tell you is that you loose horses with the bypass valve as well as sound. I love my AEM CAI! I think it is definately well worth the time and money. During the summer take it off and in the winter put it on. But what it really comes down to is the AEM CAI is more powerful than the Volant.I think the the gain is more like 2.2 or 3.2. Looks better too!!![^]

 

or spend like $100 less on the mac.. and 'sacrafice' the, get this!!, .5 whp, that you lose by sucking in 'engine heat'

just my $.02

(i really dont mean to sound like an *******, but i've been flamed for this intake before... so whatever..)

 

Be a man and tough it up, no bypass here and never will be. I'll take my small small chance(mainly because I don't go fording with my Focus, I'll leave that to my buddies Jeep).

 

Well i love my AEM and would not trade it for anything. But like some one else said get the bypass valve. Please stay away from the Bomz or ebay intake. Not very good quality....
I would stick to the two major brands, AEM and Volant. There are others but these are the most populer...

 

The AEM does not read 3.2 more hp than the volant. They are almost identical numbers, and the Volant is better than the AEM with a bypass.

 

you have to really soak that filter to injest water. if you drive smart and miss huge puddles, you are going to be FINE. The weather shield will help you out a lot with water flying up from the road.

 

Will the sheild hinder preformance any

 

Will the sheild hinder preformance any

I can't say for sure, but I honestly doubt it will hurt performance.

 

I've had a CAI on my Probe and never, in 5 years, including rain, tropical storms, snow and blizzards, had a problem. I've had a supercharger on my Mustang GT since 02 and that's got a cold air fenderwall setup with a LOT more suction and that's never had a problem either. The only way your going to suck water is if you drive through a puddle deeper than your bumper. And if your doing that, you have other issues to be worrying about. That sucking water issue is just a paranoya scam to sell bypasses. I had never heard of it nor considered it an issue until AEM came out with that bypass.

 

The AEM does not read 3.2 more hp than the volant. They are almost identical numbers, and the Volant is better than the AEM with a bypass.

I have seen the numbers but the thing is that it is hard to get the real numbers of a CAI such as the AEM becuse it gets most of its power from the cooler air that passes underneth the car when it is moving. So putting it on a dyno realy wound't yeald true numbers i would not think..... If this is so then the AEM may get up to or beyond 5 more hp + the 3.2 (I guess this is a standing still dyno number) just stated in the quote, Of course i am just talking out of my ass beacuse that is just what i think. Some one help me out here.

 

Are you saying that the AEM gives you 5+ HP over the Volant or over the stock setup? I can believe the stock setup, but not over the Volant.

IMO the bigger issue is having your filter somewhere where its going to be exposed to dirt and water and mud while you're driving opposed to in an airbox where it will stay relatively clean. The AEM might get cooler air or be able to draw it in easier, but you're going to have to clean/replace your filter a whole lot more.

 

I could swear I said you loose hp and tq with the bypass valve on. Who the hell races in the rain anyway???[screwy]

 

I have had my AEM on for 6000 miles and my filter is just as clean as if it were in the air box. Maybe it is because were I live. If i lived in a dusty or muddy place i would get some thing with a air box.
I am not saying it gets 5+ hp over the Volant. I am just stating that who knows how much hp the AEM puts out unless you are driving it down the road will dynoing. Maybe that was easier to understand. I used 5+ hp as a example. It is not like the volant witch is in a box. Wind or cooler air that passes under your car is a major factor with the AEM. That is all that i am saying. I was really going to get a volant and sale my AEM but a couple of people on here told me just to keep what i had and that it was not worth it since i had already a good intake.

 

Well yeah, if you already have the AEM no reason selling it. But I don't think that the Volant has any worse performance, it gets supplied cold air via the snorkle and the side intake (and the top if they ever get the ram-air attachment worked out.) I guess if you live in a place where it never snows and doesn't rain too often, and you hardly ever drive off of improved roads the AEM is a good choice, but I'm terrified of the thought of having the filter inches off the ground.

 

I know i was like that too. But The next time you are under the front of your focus look at the drivers side just infront of the wheel. There is like a pocket there. My filter is almost the same hight as the little tow thing. You know what i am talking about. The little loop looking thing you can use to tie it down. Anyway it is not as bad as you think. If it was really inches to the ground i would have not got it.
When ever they do come out with the hood scoop for the volant i would really want that. They need to come up with a little lever to open and close the scoop for daily drivers....

 

If it's raining, chances are you wont be worried about the HP ratings...becasue either way you will just spin out..screw the extra .00564 HP or whatever! LOL

 

I do not understaind???? The lever i am talking about is not for hp its to keep rain from getting in the box.[confused]