Question for those who live in Snowy Climates

[FINN444]

Hello,
So I was thinking of getting a fwi for my SSEI, but I saw on some website that when it is cold out there is rattling and stuff when you first start your car if you have a fwi... I want to know if anybody who lives in places with cold climates (Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc...) knows if this is true? And I also wanted to know if there is any way of snow to enter the fender where I would install the filter. I just don't want the airflow to get restricted. I was also wondering if there are any upgrades that I will need to do before adding a fwi?

Thanks,
John

[bs009]

Yep, these things can be pretty annoying in the winter time when the engine is still warming up. I hated hearing it on my Regal every morning.
It goes away after the engine warms up and idles down though.

[nos4blood70]

It is absolutely obnoxious when the motor is cold, like below freezing. At least it was on my car, but I never heard another one like it. Do not worry about the snow at all. No upgrades necessary for the FWI.

[RJolly87]

I would describe the noise as being similar to a metallic grind. It is normally steady, like a white noise. It is essentially air rushing by the open IAC valve. As soon as you crack the throttle it stops, and comes right back at idle.

The noise is a necessary evil, but not one that would cause me to reconsider an intake at all. It may just land you some funny looks in parking lots.

[nos4blood70]

Mine sounded like a giant vacuum cleaner. No grind noise. Just a ridiculous hiss.

[vogie01]

Mine sounded like a giant vacuum cleaner. No grind noise. Just a ridiculous hiss.

It sounds like a terrible and loud shop-vac when it is running cold. It is pretty dang loud too. It goes away as the car warms up and does not take that long. No need to make any changes though. Some people do like to remove them in the winter due to the salt and snow.

[harofreak00]

To a non-car person, it sounds like your car is going to die or blow up very soon. Kinda embarrassing.

[Wes]

Mine sounded like a giant vacuum cleaner. No grind noise. Just a ridiculous hiss.

This is the extent of my experience with a FWI too. No other issues with rain, or snow clogging the filter.

[Jfridge92]

My FWI sounds like a shop vac when it's really cold. My wife hates it, but that's the worst that's come of it. I don't have a splash shield on my car, so the filter is pretty exposed (I do clean and oil it regularly though) and I haven't had a single issue with it flooding from rain. We don't get enough snow down south to comment there, but I'd imagine for you to get enough snow in there for it to be a problem, the car would be buried completely.

[FINN444]

Ok, thanks for the info. Does anyone recommend a certain fwi kit? I like the Intense one, but I want to see if there are any other good ones out there.

Thanks,
John

[Jfridge92]

Most of us recommend the Intense if you're looking for a kit, or if you have a little more know how, you can buy the parts and fab up your own kit. Intense sells their tubing by the foot, or you can use aluminum tubing to make one.

[FINN444]

I'm pretty sure I would be able to make one myself, but I think I would rather just buy the kit. Seems like that is the easier route and the less likely to develop any kind of problem. I guess I have one more question too, how often do you guys clean the K&N filter on your fwi?

Thanks,
John

[00Beast]

I usually cleaned mine once a year. I drove 5 winters on mine and had no issues.

[nos4blood70]

I never cleaned mine in 3 years and my car has no splash shield. It still looked okay when I uninstalled the intake a couple weeks back.

[Jfridge92]

Mine's a bit more exposed than the 2000+ models, so I check mine every oil change to make sure it's good, but I've only cleaned it once in the year that it's been on the car. Just keep a good eye on it, and it will tell you when it needs cleaning.

[freneticburn]

I live in Minnesota (not very far from you too) and use the FWI kit from Intense all year round. No problems aside from the already mentioned noise on cold starts. Quite frankly it's still loud on cold starts even in the summer but not like it is in the winter. It's a sound you eventually get used to and yes people will look at you weird like your car is busted when you start it The louder whine you get when you open it up is worth it all alone if you ask me.

[BonneMe]

To a non-car person, it sounds like your car is going to die or blow up very soon. Kinda embarrassing.

Especially with cars... I try not to get embarrassed when uninformed people or those just assuming really don't know what they're talking about.

[00Beast]

I always told people it's the sound of horsepower. The G8's exhaust vastly out-louds the intake, so I don't have this problem anymore, lol.

[FINN444]

Do any of you use the drycharger or precharger on your K&N?