well the thing is, you usually cannot put the cone shaped filters on your stock intake, which are better for airflow. As for the intake, short ram will definitely be better than the stock, but of course not as good as cold air, but if you are buying a short ram intake you do not necessarily have to get an AEM. The piping isnt really what gets you the power its all in the filter so even if you get an intake which is cheaper make sure the filter is K/N.