check out the classifieds on the audizine youll find something for liike 375-400 (a chip with an ecu so you'll have yours as a backup). thats your best bet. or $500 if you go to GIAC or APR

 

Definitely the best route is to buy someone else's used ECU.
That way you still have your stock set-up as a spare in case there's ever a problem.

I have a Carbonio in my B7 and I like the results, but looking at your model and the options vs $$$......I would definitely go the DIY box-mod route as everyone is suggesting.
It just makes more sense and you have dozens of people that have real-world experience with the mod that have posted their opinions and advice in that thread.

 

im pretty sure any water getting into there will get no farther then the turbo...where it will be turned into steam from the heat, i have a box mod done, and its worked fine for quite a while now, even with the stock filter, i think for inter im just going to fiberglass up the bottom of the box to keep snow/slush from getting lodged up in there...im working on a soloution so i dont have to have holes in my inner fender.. just dont have any time to finish it.. maybe tommorow

 

the main thing with the box mod is debris and moisture, now I know the turbo will burn up all the moisture, but I can still get sand and **** in there even if I put the screen on. Now, another thing that worries me is that I have school correct? Well since Im a kid I dont wake up in time to let it warm up, and I live about 4 or 5 blocks from school (just a tit too far to walk for me lol) so basically, if the engine isnt warmed up, the turbo isnt going to melt the excess water.

I was also talking to my sisters boyfriend who has a Eclipse GSX (forgot which year, but it has AWD, 16lb turbo, upgraded wastegate, basically the works), and he said that he wouldnt take the chance with running an open airbox like that, he told me to check out AEM cold air intakes or something. Unfortunatley AEM and other manufacturers dont make cold air intakes for a4's, I think I saw a short ram, but thats not what I was looking for.

Is there any cold air intakes I could buy that are similar to the AEM's? because I didnt find anything.

I also doint want to do the box mod and then have to cover up the holes every winter, and even if I did, I would have to cover it up within a few weeks now (it already started snowing a few days ago, but it didnt stay).

Ha I also just noticed in the title, I mispelt the name, (crabonio instead of carbonio) so I fixed it.