4.0 SOHC CAI Yay or Nay?

[MastuhWaffles]

I've been reading about these "Cold Air Intakes", and from what I found, there are so many mixed reviews on them, some say they work, some say they don't, but from what I understand, the gain is very small. So, are they really worth the $200-300 bucks? Or is it just an excuse for ricers to call their cars not stock? K&N says it gains 13hp at 5k rpm...

 

[adsm08]

You want to spend $300 on something that will give you an imperceptible gain if you gain anything at all?

Some real world dyno sheets actually show losses with just the CAI system, which is actually an HAI system if you don't spend the extra $150 for the insulating box.

 

[martin]

The factory intake is cold air and the element is paper that traps smaller particulate than the k & n. The maf measures the amount of air coming in and the computer controls the amount of fuel relative to it. There's not much on the intake side that will improve things.

 

[MastuhWaffles]

The majority of what I read says that they just do nothing, is there a difference between a cold air intake and a performance air intake? Or are they the same thing?