I was wondering if any AEM intake owners could give me some advice.
I am considering buying an AEM V2. Is it necessary to also buy the air bypass valve?
I have read that adding this valve reduces performance of the intake. However, if there is a risk of hydro lock this will obviously become very costly and kill my car altogether hence reducing the performance anyway.
Do you have the valve on yours?
Also what is the best price in the Uk for an AEM V2? and where from?
I've seen them advertised in the US for App

 

Good question re: the water contamination. I have a V2 and often wondered what depth of water you can drive through with it. I paid about

 

Andy,
im not an owner of one of these but i have read posts about people hydrolocking their cars with one of these on. I almost bought one
of these myself with the bypass valve. Then I read quite a few posts
about people finding water actually sitting in the intake pipes after a downpour. To stop this you have to block up a drain hole in the engine
bay and then buy or make an umbrella to sit over the AEM.
After reading to some more posts and I also noticed that most of the people posting seemed to be paranoid about goign out in the S if it was raining outside. In fact i was caught a few weeks ago in a such i hard downpour that i beleive that this would have probably killed my S if i had the AEM on it.

I came to the following conclusions:
the AEM V2 requires:
- fitting of a bypass value ( which reduces performance )
- fabricating or buying an umbrella
- blocking of a drain hole in engine bay
- monitoring of weather...(no thanks)?

This put me off completly... I have now ordered an K&N FIPK kit which
boasts 10HP and does not have these issues and gets a simular sound.

Your choice... i suggest reading all the posts.

Barry

 

I don't think you'd ever get 10bhp from any CAI. The claims are rubbish.

Noise is what you do get

 

I must admit, I was out in a downpour last week when it crossed my mind about hydro lock and the S is my daily driver.
Bit disappointed as the AEM has such good write ups and does seem to claim a small power increase as well as sounding without spending Mega bucks.
The other consideration was the K&N Gen 2! Although havn't really researched it properly

Thoughts please gents and ladies

Andy

 

Andy,
when i say K&N FIPK its the Gen 2 i have ordered.

 

Just for completeness, it seems the most problems from what i have read are not from running through standing water with the AEM on as this would cause the bypass valve to take effect. The problem I beleive is that if you leave your car standing out in the rain with out the umbrella etc is that water collects in the end of the intake, due to it being angled upwards (!). When you come to start the engine this water gets sucked into the engine and the bypass valve does not protect you from this aparently.
The hydrolocking effect is caused by the water which is not compressible like air and causes bent valves.

Again.. derived from what i have read on the AEM V2.

 

Sorry, but thats bollox & i suspect put about by a lot of competitors as the AEM is a cheaper competitor to other CAI's.

I fitted my AEM months ago & its pissed it down here for the last month. No problems whatsoever. The filter itself is raised way above the bottom of the front spoiler & is curved upwards protected by the bodywork. You have to twist your arm halfway up your back to get to it. There is chuff all way anything is getting in there. There is also a duckbill drain NR valve at the lowest point of the pipe anyway.

I drove through a 4" deep flood through a canal underpass within days of fitting it & i shat myself. For no reason. Not a problem. Fitting a hydrolock valve will not decrease performance as the AEM doesn't improve performance, regardless of any claims to the contrary.


ED

 

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/tech/010...r_bypass_valve/

MB

 

Echo 66 is was your original thread on the AEM which inspired me to start reading up on them . I think it was after your blast through France.
Where did you get yours from and how much if you don't mind me asking?

MB Thanks for the link, it would seem the valve is worth the extra then and doesn't appear to detract from performance.

Looks like I could yet again be in pursuit of the AEM V2 then.

Thanks Andy