if i customize my intake i can make it all nice n perhaps have it as close to the grill as possible n save alot of money. or should i jus trust aem n spend more $$??

 

Your going to get the most possible performance out of any AEM product, whereas if you make your own you would still probably get a performance increase over the stock air box, but the increase wouldn't be close to that of the AEM. Plus, if you put your intake right up next to the grill of your car, you may want to be careful in the rain. Are you thinking SRI or cold air?

 

But in the end, the difference between an aem setup and a custom is a very small percentage on a stock system

 

Very true, on a stock system there won't be too much difference. Depends on how much your going to do with your car later on...or if you go turbo you'll have to lose the intake anyway.

 

Also, with the AEM it comes with a special mount so your intake isnt just being supported by the throttlebody.

 

Yep, it screws in right near the suspension, but it was pretty hard to screw in. The coilover got in the way big time. Just thought I'd throw that in so you know what to expect. Regardless, the intake is pretty light so, there shouldn't be a problem with weight.

 

i was thinking the same thing.....a set up like this

http://www.geocities.com/bretq/DIY_Icebox_CAI.html

but with a K&N cone at the end to prevent too much wetness from getting in.....

 

Thats kind of in a way what i did to make my short ram aem intake into cold air intake, i just got a 90 degree pvc pipe same size and my intake, then ran it down out of my engine bay and made myself a nice cold air intake srry i would have pictures of it but my mom is on a trip with the camera