dsp26... you're completely disregarding some features of a well designed cai... proper intake lengths allow you take advantage of valve reversion, and can be tuned to add extra power at certain rpms(why AEM cai's always make a nice bump in power in the mid range, etc). This is the EXACT same concept as tuning the intake runner lenghts on an intake manifold or velocity stacks for carbs/itbs. Adding a bypass valve to the intake actually cancels out this design feature, which is why most proper cai's DO NOT have one... unless as an optional add on.

Ever wonder why an AEM V2 cai makes more power than an AEM V1, at least at certain rpm ranges? They use the same filter, draw air from the same place, are routed past the same engine components, etc, but the V2 is designed in such away to take greater advantage of the harmonics of the intake pipe.



Between a short ram or a cai, it's really a toss up... CAI for more power, SRI for better throttle response

this is why you found slightly faster 5-60 times... the slightly better throttle response gave you a slight advantage for that kind of testing over the extra power from a cai that you would have noticed over a longer distance/on a dyno