I'm talking about the splash guard under the cai that sits between it and the road. I know some folks use it and some don't. I'm not talking about the plastic cover in front of the cai that is where a fog light would go, of course that needs to be removed in order to take on fresh air.

 

not....wont protect you form anything

 

Hmm, I read an article somewhere that said the splash guard also keeps some of the heat down that rises from the hot asphalt, which would increase the air temp that the intake takes in, besides the fact that air funnels directly into the hole in the bumper where the fog light cover was and your cai sits, and under the bumper along the bottom of the car, but not around the bottom of the bumper and up inte the cai.

 

Since we are not talking about an air tight space, replacing the splash guards is fine and will help against 'splashes' and dirt. It will also avoid having to spend more on a bypass valve.

 

it will keep you from getting a bunch of crap in there... it wont stop you from hydro locking your car if something like that where to happen... but it could give you a lil extra time as the water has to kinda seep in... and like a said it will keep a lot of road crap out

 

Speaking of hydro lock, I absolutely have no idea how folks manage to do this, I have run my car, without the splash guards, through carwashes that do intense underbody washing, and have never even been able to get one drop of water out of my filter ot intake pipe when I take the filter off immediately afterwards just to check and see. I think one would have to completely submerge the entire filter with the car running to hydrolock their engine.

 

for one it is oiled so your filter does pretty well at repealing water... and you would have to totally submerge the filter to get a strong enough vacuum to suck the water into the engine.

 

Splash guard - I always ran it. Especially with the slush in Ohio...

Hydrolock - I've had my filter soaked during rain storms. I really believe you have to submerge the sucker.

 

yes. get it. filter = not as dirty?

 

yea, keeps the dirt out but other than that it will not make a difference.

 

are you asking what you should do or are you asking what general lancer drivers do. well, if you drive primarily in ohio, i agree with blacksheepdj, i would say stick with the splash guard becuase of the slush and crap. Now for me, when i was in arizona it wasnt really needed unless you go to desert parties then the splashguard would keep out debree. Out here in virginia, i use it as well, better to be safe than sorry i guess.

 

I know what to do, I was just asking what other drivers do with theirs just for general info.

 

i guess i'm one of the proud few that has had the pleasure of experiencing "hydro lock". and it's scary as a b!tch! mine didn't totally seize up, but it wouldn't start for a while. stuck on the side of the highway in torrential rain in a car that won't start sucks. when i got home i took my filter off and took the bottom section of the CAI out and dumped about 2 cups of water out. sucked a$$.