Originally Posted by CG5TougeMaster
oh ye of little intelligence... what gives you power is the cold air being sucked into the engine. also, a well engineered tube will channel air more efficiently with less turbulence, therefore cramming more air into the engine faster, and smoother equalling more power. it's all about air flow. the filter's less restrictive of course, but if all the air gets tangled up inside a restrictive poorly designed pipe, then you haven't done anything. the size and bend angles to the pipe are very important in determining the flow characteristics of the air once it's in the tube. same thing with exhaust systems, or any other piping for any other application. there's a little thing called r&d that goes into intakes made by companies that don't build them out of toilet paper rolls, and stockings. you get what you pay for. if you want a cheap intake just because it looks good, or makes noise then buy one. if you want power, get a proven system.
You were correct on your second point about air flow but dead wrong on your first point. 'cold air' intake is a marketing ploy...the difference in air temperature between an OEM intake and a 'cold air' intake is very little. The actual temperature of the air does make quite a bit of difference in the performance of the engine, but unless you're going to hook your AC condensor up to it there won't be much of a difference from getting a 'cold air' intake. Resonance length and air flow (similarily, the shape of the tube as well) are what make some aftermarket intakes perform better than OEM intakes, although most OEM intakes already have the length correct. This is why short rams on the J30A1 produce more power than CAIs.