The folks @ Steeda are good people; I should have known better. After all the CAI is throwing a parameter way out of the range the stock ECU software expects or can obviously handle. A no brainer to have expected and foreseen this.
I'm just thankful I didn't try to drive the thing and merely...
Got off the phone with Steeda. In case anyone else is in this predicament, the answer is a definitive NO, YOU CANNOT RUN THIS CAI WITHOUT A TUNE. Stock ECU can't cope with the amount of air now flowing into the intake. You can damage the car by driving with this CAI without a tune. DO NOT do...
Will it hurt to run a Steeda CAI without the tune for a day or two? My tuner shipped blank because my 2014 GT was missing the ECU sticker and it might be a day or two before I can coordinate with Steeda for the correct ECU tune.
Picked up a 2014 GT Premium with Track Pack last weekend. Traded in a 2012 Golf R. So far I'm absolutely loving it! Reminds me if my HS days, 30+ years ago. Automotive Viagra!
Looking forward to researching some suspension mods and an axle back.