I have the Mazdaspeed CAI equipped on my car and it sits in front of the driver's side wheel-well, and, of course, the splash shield is actually vented in that area (I guess Mazda wants their cars to be modified). I've had the car since June and the intake since September and nothing wrong has happened. There have been no CELs and I have not hydrolocked, especially in this wet autumn weather pattern in the Northeast. Just tonight, I drove through a considerably large puddle after some really heavy rain praying to not hydrolock and absolutely nothing happened. TCS helps, too, but, as for the intake, I believe it sits at least a foot or so off the ground and the filter has the added protection of the wheel well, which isn't too much, but every little bit helps. Plus, the Mazdaspeed intake is designed specifically for this car and I had it installed professionally at the dealership to avoid any warranty hassle or the dreaded ABS sensor problem or whatever it is.
