[BlackDeuceCoupe]

You make so many points here, and pose so many questions, I'm going to respond to your remarks individually...

Originally posted by 2ndGenTeg
Once again, not calling you out.

Yes, of course not. Why should I suspect that? You didn't say "but...", as in "Once again, not calling you out, but..."

IM "opinion," it's true- plastic is a better insulator than metal.

Good! We're making headway. BTW, this is a FACT, not just your "opinion".

It's also cheaper to use, especially after you figure in coating the metal to resist heat.

Two things here: the first part of your assertion isn't necessarily true, especially when the cost of the injection molding process is taken into account. Secondly, the Zirconia powder coating that AEM claims will resist heat is actually a sinter-bonding material used to keep the coloring from falling off the pipe. Don't listen to their bullsh!t, listen to mine. Mine will save you money, their's won't...

So why doesn't everybody use it?

It cracks. Plastic is incredibly prone to expansion and contraction in response to temperature changes. If you live in a climate that tends to get colder, a cold plastic intake being rapidly heated in the engine bay is bad news for the plastic. I don't know exactly where skull island is, but here in Colorado, nobody uses Iceman intakes because we've all seen more than one with a fairly sizable crack due to wintertime driving. The plastic used in the Iceman is especially prone because it is such a hard plastic. The stock airboxes and intake tubes aren't as prone because they're a much softer compound. True, this doesn't apply to everybody, but if you live in a climate that sees more than 4 months of snow, it's something to keep in mind.

This is where you stepped over the line, bro. I am schooled in debate and trained to recognize dishonest debating tactics. This is a classic example of the 'begging the question' fallacy, also known as 'circular logic'.

Circular logic is precisely what its name implies: it assumes the very thing that it is supposed to prove. This trick is always cloaked carefully in careful use of synonyms or long-winded arguments so convoluted that you lose your way before you get to the end of the closed loop.

Fact: ALL car manufacturers use plastic for air intakes and it DOES NOT crack.

Finally, consider this:

Given: 18.1 hp and 12.6 lb/ft is an incredibly lofty number. However, I've never even heard of Iceman even claiming these kinds of results. Also, a dyno is only as good as the people performing it, and I can't say anything (good or bad) about this dyno or these people. So if the materials/ insulation on the Iceman is so much better and the charge air is so much cooler, where are these massive (or at least comparable) gains coming from? The AEM is dyno proven to outperform every other intake on the market. Given: I have yet to see a head to head of the AEM vs. the Iceman performed on the same car on the same day. Even then, whichever was tested first has the advantage. If anybody does know where I can see one, please let me know- I'm very interested.

I would respond to this by saying almost all dyno runs are done with the hood open and a fan blowing on the motor. I have heard of AEM intakes losing 5-HP on the dyno by just closing the hood.

Remember, the air intake location is fixed on the AEM intake system and your car doesn't run down the road with the hood open and a fan blowing cool air into the compartment.

The Iceman, however, is a 2-piece system. You can configure it as a 'drylands' or 'wetlands' setup. There is no way an AEM can deliver the same amount of cold air to the intake system as an Iceman in the 'drylands' configuration. It is physically impossible.

The Iceman 'drylands' setup draws air from the vents directly in front of the passenger side wheelwell. This means that the engine is no longer ingesting the hot air of the underhood cavity and hot air saps power [10 F is worth about 1% HP]. This is particularly important from a standing start, i.e. drag strip/stoplight, when the underhood area is not ventilated by moving air.

In defense of MY 'stock airbox with K&N drop-in setup' [which you surprisingly haven't attacked yet] I would mention that there is no quantitative power differences between the Iceman 'wetlands' setup, the AEM and a 'lid-less' stock airbox with a K&N filter.

Am I boring you or should I keep on blathering???