[g82king]

Please delete if in wrong place. I recently purchased and installed front mount cold air intakes from RK Tunes. Sounds very good and also looks very nice behind the grill. My question is, should i be concerned about my engine being hydrolocked? Since the intakes are sitting in the front (right behind the grill), can’t water get in easily when it rains?

I’ve heard that there are sock like filters I can put over them but are they effective? If so, if someone can provide a link for one that’ll be great.

[Dawgz]

Originally Posted by g82king

Please delete if in wrong place. I recently purchased and installed front mount cold air intakes from RK Tunes. Sounds very good and also looks very nice behind the grill. My question is, should i be concerned about my engine being hydrolocked? Since the intakes are sitting in the front (right behind the grill), can’t water get in easily when it rains?

I’ve heard that there are sock like filters I can put over them but are they effective? If so, if someone can provide a link for one that’ll be great.

Unless the car is in water that is up to the grill (like the shallow end of a lake or something), there is nothing to worry about that.

[forcefed]

Do you go full throttle for long periods of time when it's raining? Only then I imagine it would suck in water, whether that would hydro lock the engine is another question.

[TopJimmy]

The F-bodies have run front mounts for years with no probs. Nobody has hydrolocked yet off an intake going “snorkel”.

[MasterM]

I honestly don't get the fascination with the front mount intakes. Between possible hydrolock and needing to remove the front bumper to clean or change your filters it just doesn't seem worth the "cool looks"

But I'm sure I'll get brigaded here as usual for a logical comment.

[Info@mad-us.com]

Absolutely not and issue unless the water level reaches those intakes. Be extra careful not to drive to fast in deep water and you will be fine.


Rain is a non issue.

Originally Posted by MasterM

I honestly don't get the fascination with the front mount intakes. Between possible hydrolock and needing to remove the front bumper to clean or change your filters it just doesn't seem worth the "cool looks"

But I'm sure I'll get brigaded here as usual for a logical comment.

The sounds produced from them is second to none and the intake air temps are excellent.

[mike@x-ph.com]

not issue as i have never heard of it happening on any BMW platform

[yeetyeet]

I installed mine also, and rain and stuff of the nature has already dwindled from my mind of issues. I’m curious though, going through a touchless car wash, where it power washes super strong, would blowing water directly at the filter as it passes compromise anything?

[forcefed]

Originally Posted by yeetyeet

I installed mine also, and rain and stuff of the nature has already dwindled from my mind of issues. I’m curious though, going through a touchless car wash, where it power washes super strong, would blowing water directly at the filter as it passes compromise anything?

I would turn the car off in that case. I doubt it'll cause any issues though but you never know.

[yeetyeet]

Originally Posted by forcefed

I would turn the car off in that case.

Most likely I am going to manually wash in a wash bay or other options, but figured I would ask the question out of curiosity

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by g82king

I’ve heard that there are sock like filters I can put over them but are they effective? If so, if someone can provide a link for one that’ll be great.

You’d want to search for car air filter pre-filters. They come in different shapes and quality. Higher quality ones are definitely waterproof and will keep the actual filter dry. They also extend the life/cleaning time of the filter because it minimizes the amount of dirt that gets imbedded in the filter.

[Tall Tom Cruise]

Originally Posted by Info@mad-us.com

The sounds produced from them is second to none and the intake air temps are excellent.

Mike -- what are the ballpark IAT's from the stock intake system (which is very very good) VS. the IAT's from a front mount system?

[Info@mad-us.com]

Originally Posted by yeetyeet

I installed mine also, and rain and stuff of the nature has already dwindled from my mind of issues. I’m curious though, going through a touchless car wash, where it power washes super strong, would blowing water directly at the filter as it passes compromise anything?

Nah it would have to be submerged. The cotton filter stops a good amount of water from getting through if you have ever tried cleaning them.

Either way the motor doesn't have much of an issue ingesting water many people use water injection as a form of knock reduction.

Flooding a cylinder to the point it cannot compress the the piston is where you have an issue aka hydro lock. This happens on factory airboxes as well if the water is high enough.

[yeetyeet]

Originally Posted by Info@mad-us.com

Nah it would have to be submerged. The filter stops a good amount of water from getting through if you have every tried cleaning them.

Either way the motor doesn't have much of an issue ingesting water many people use water injection as a form of knock reduction.

Flooding a cylinder to the point it cannot compress the the piston is where you have an issue aka hydro lock. This happens on factory airboxes as well if the water is high enough.

Sweet, thanks for the explanation. Probably would be fine then

[Info@mad-us.com]

Originally Posted by Tall Tom Cruise

Mike -- what are the ballpark IAT's from the stock intake system (which is very very good) VS. the IAT's from a front mount system?

Think you are referring to me.



Check out this post I made earlier. Front mount tends to be a few degrees cooler than the stock intake 60-130

https://g80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...3&postcount=47

[Skyscraper]

You can smile driving in the rain knowing your cleaning the carbon off the pistons.

[Info@mad-us.com]

Originally Posted by Skyscraper

You can smile driving in the rain knowing your cleaning the carbon off the pistons.

Thought that was only with meth injection.

[Skyscraper]

Originally Posted by Info@mad-us.com

Thought that was only with meth injection.

You dont remember the water injection systems from the 80’s. Was a big thing before meth.
You had a water tank, pump and intake sprayer.

[g82king]

Originally Posted by Info@mad-us.com

Nah it would have to be submerged. The cotton filter stops a good amount of water from getting through if you have ever tried cleaning them.

Either way the motor doesn't have much of an issue ingesting water many people use water injection as a form of knock reduction.

Flooding a cylinder to the point it cannot compress the the piston is where you have an issue aka hydro lock. This happens on factory airboxes as well if the water is high enough.

How do I wash the car though? For example when I wash the front of my car where the intakes are, am i supposed to avoid them?

[Info@mad-us.com]

Originally Posted by g82king

How do I wash the car though? For example when I wash the front of my car where the intakes are, am i supposed to avoid them?

If my car is going to sit out in the sun and dry I don’t really worry about getting them wet but I don’t hose them down unless they have some debris stuck in them.

Things to consider though

- oiled filters will eventually need reoiling as the water washes it away.

-a wet filter won’t flow like a dry filter will

[Info@mad-us.com]

Originally Posted by Skyscraper

You dont remember the water injection systems from the 80’s. Was a big thing before meth.
You had a water tank, pump and intake sprayer.

I do and have ran many of those systems. I just wasn’t aware water only cleaned the pistons and valves I thought that was only the meth that did the cleaning.

When people are worried about a little water in their intake I have to chuckle thinking back at how many gallons of water I shot into my engine on a weekly basis on purpose.

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by Info@mad-us.com

I do and have ran many of those systems. I just wasn’t aware water only cleaned the pistons and valves I thought that was only the meth that did the cleaning.

When people are worried about a little water in their intake I have to chuckle thinking back at how many gallons of water I shot into my engine on a weekly basis on purpose.

Maybe so, but there was also a bit more room in that quench area on older engines as well due to several factors, so… maybe I’m old school, but unless the engine is NA, I don’t worry much over a couple of degrees of intake source air temp to want to run an exposed setup like this. It’s not worth it. I’d rather concentrate on more efficient cooling after compression of the air. I also have driven through some seriously heavy and long torrential storms that would definitely and easily soak those filters and then some…. I don’t want to have to deal with potential crap just due to that, it’s stupid.