Are aftermarket AIR INTAKES really a waste of money as many people say?

Question

Please, only people who have actually had had air intakes installed in their cars; No "I heard" stories or anything like that...

Answer 1

I bought a K&N FIPK for my previous car. There was an improvement in power, although it was small. It also added a nice sound to the engine. They don't add much power, but they do make the engine slightly more efficient.  

Answer 2

they will give you a performance boost and an hp boost, but it's usually only 5-15 hp (the smaller amount on small engines, the larger amount on larger motors).  as a percentage this is only about 2-5% of the hp that your car has to begin with.  in a run down the track this is only .1-.2 seconds... little enough that a single bad launch or bad shift will completely erase the gain.  

from the seat of your pants will you really be able to tell?  no... not much.  

motor trend just added one to a car they were building.  they got 12 or so HP out of it, just like advertised, but only a tenth or two.

the other part of that is that most of your HP gains will be at top end and you can see a little torque loss at low RPM, so your day to day driveability will be unchanged.  this is why many people who go to the shop whine later.  unless you're running all out you won't ever find that HP gain.

Answer 3

I have never actually owned a vehicle with one installed. But I have had first hand experience with these from working in a garage.

Typically what happens is someone will purchase one and have an ear to ear smile because of anticipation their car will have this drastic improvement in horsepower and performance. However, this great big smile on their face turns into a disappointed frown when the performance gain is barely noticable. The car sounds nicer but doesn't seem to run any faster.

Unfortunately the car owner then thinks the shop should be at fault even though the shop did nothing more than install the part.