I used to live in Louisiana. I drove my aem through three hurricanes and countless 4-6" thunderstorms. It is very unlikely you will hydro-lock if you don't try and ford your car.

 

Comptech is also a nice alternative.

And yes, on the dyno it actually does make a difference. Usually, longer pipes create more HP because of resonance tuning. Piping diameter also creates the intake velocity of the car.

 

I have the fipk and the v2 cold ass intake. Both are great intakes but the fipk is louder than the v2, imo.

 

I've driven in heavy rain w/ my V2 as well. You just have to be careful and DONT leave your car parked outside when its raining.

 

The biggest difference with the K&N FIPK is a thin metal airbox vs a thick plastic stock airbox, which means you will hear the intake much more clearly with the K&N setup. Or you can simply remove the stock airbox lid and drive like that - no serious side effects and you can actually hear the intake.

Bottom feed CAIs (like AEM) are not a good idea imo - too much risk of hydrolock and I don't think they work any better than stock. The stock system is a designed CAI anyway - air is tunneled in from ahead of the rad - its just a matter of where the air filter is and what you consider piping.

 

The newer V2 intakes, like the one I have, have a duckbill drain at the bottom of the hump. Leaving the car in the rain posses no threat now. I don't even have a rain shield over mine, and my car is daily driven and parked outside.

You can order a 1/2" duckbill from McMaster Carr and pop a hole in the lower part of the pipe. It's a $3 fix.

 

^^ Yup

I have mine installed. I ordered the original AEM one and also the AEM filter dust cover.

Check it: My AEM V2 Install w/ duckbill valve and dust cover.