Yeah, I'm going to just keep an eye on it for now and see how much it deteriorates; if I get in the mood, I might try elevating the filter an inch or so. Maybe it's much ado about nothing, but I suspect that the paper won't hold up all that well.
The good thing is that even if this particular setup doesn't fit the bill, I'm sure that there is one out there that will. I suspect that an oiled gauze or even a dual stage foam filter (assuming what study you care to believe) would hold up okay because the splash shield is going to keep 99% of the water out.
I have no way of quantifying this, but the performance does seem a little better, especially when accelerating on the interstate. In addition, the growl is at it's most pronounced under heavy acceleration on the interstate and sounds pretty good. Not quite like being 17 again, but not bad.
