I searched the tC forum (as well as Google & Ebay) and didn't find anything on this. I want to buy a custom mesh screen for my right air dam so I can get direct air into my CAI, since it's literally right behind it. Here's a pic (in case anyone needs it for clarification)


Any advice or links would be super appreciated!

 

DIY, can't be too hard.

I KNOW someone else on SL has done this, can't remember who but it has been a while.

 

Mesh of your choice at Home Depot + Epoxy and a little trimming with Dremel = Success for cheap!

 

what if you drill holes in the plastic piece to let air in? Just make sure it looks neat and your golden!

 

Make sure you protect your filter. Put a hydroshield or something around it.

Otherwise, drilling out the holes should work well. Just take your time.

 

Buy the Fig grille vents, they let air in.

 

Still, if any water goes in that, from a car in front of you, it'll eventually soak your filter while your driving. I wouldn't risk it, but it's up to you.
Get a hydroshield for sure.

 

Forget about it... you are in SoCal and we don't get THAT much rain here... you will be totally fine without a hydroshield... it's almost impossble for a large amount of water to get from that opening in your bumper up into the throttle body...

If you happen to get the filter part of your CAI wet... you would still have to submerse it entirely to get water into the motor... and the only way that would happen is if you drove the car into water deep enough to fill that hole in your bumper (depending on how low you are).

I don't have anything that covers the opening in my bumper and it's been fine since I got the car, and it's an '07 with a GFI... The filter gets dirtier than normal, but that's the price to pay to play...

But if you must cover the hole with anything, go with rangerryda's idea or _NeXuS_'s idea...

 

One thing if the filter does get wet/damp, it can lead to more moisture in the air intake which *may* lead to premature MAF failure so a hydroshield is always recommended but ultimately, you're not going to gain much, if any HP by doing this mod but don't let that stop you if it is what you want to do.

 

Once again you guys are extremely helpful. I found these on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Scion-tC-Vent-Grille-Set-04-05-06-07-08-09_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem35a21186faQQitemZ230352324346QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Also, I was very worried about the water issue, but I will definitely throw on a hydro shield.

anyone have any pics of their installed custom side vent grilles?