I have two young boy's and have had the Fj for over two years now, it has worked out great for us. we have one in a car seat and the other in a booster, with no trouble getting them in or out.
I have two small kids (4 and 8) and it's no big deal with car seats. The 4 year old is still in a car seat and the 8 year old has a booster seat. Both kids really love the FJ, and as for limited view, the car seats get them up high enough to see out all the windows.
I see your concern about the extra intake scoop, but where the air box is located the water would be almost over the head lights before it hit the air box. Also you could block off this extra scoop with a piece of closed cell foam durring water crossings.
From what I've read, The pro-guard 7 has better filtration with 7 layers of filter media. the one I got has 5 lavers of filter media, less protection but flowes more air. Either filter will do the trick, it just depends on where you drive.
Here is the CAI # 54-81162, It's supposed to ad 13HP and 21 fpt. I found one on Ebay for $285.00 plus free shipping. I did not see one for the FJ Cruiser that added 50hp, nor do I think a cold air intake could make a 50hp gain in the FJ.
Does it make the sound with the key on, but motor off? If it only makes the noise when running I would second the fuel pump. The gas tank is located just under the rear seat.
I ordered the AFE CAI about a week ago and it came in last night, Total removal of the stock intake and install of the AFE was about 35 minutes.
First impressions are at idle you cannot tell the differance, but once you are driving at normal speeds you can hear a slight differance. As soon...