Originally Posted by Dave B

FYI, there is no loss in "lowend" power with any kind of intake. It's been proven time and time again on the dyno. This lowend loss that people experience with POP/hybrid intakes comes mostly from the lack of a steady column of air near the throttle body at part throttle. The stock intake and CAI (somewhat) pressurizes the intake slightly so that there is a steady amount of air therefore part throttle input feels far better. The steady column of air also allows the MAF to get slightly more accurate readings and offers more linear part throttle acceleration. At WOT, there should be no difference because the engine is trying to suck in as much air as possible and the pressurization effect is lost. Automatics are far more sensitive to aftermarket intakes because of their longer gears and the fact that the engine rpms stay quite a bit lower during normal driving. This is why everyone complains about their lack of lowend power.

As for the MAF/ECU not being able to compensate for increased air/exhaust flow, it's incorrect. Older speed density units, many domestics, and higher end imports aren't able to compensate for increased air/exhaust flow due to limitations with the ECU setup. The 3rd+ gen Maximas aren't one of these cars. The ECU is more than able to accept large changes in flow and it's been proven on the dyno and track. The ECU can compensate for just about anything you throw at it however you may exceed the limitations of the injectors, fuel pump, rods, valvetrain, etc if you get too crazy (ie boost, nitrous, etc). Many disagree that the ECU "learns" your modifications, but I've experienced it first hand dozens of times after changing intake setup and such. A prime example is swapping my CAI with a resonator for a hybrid setup. After installing my hybrid setup, the intake growl was slightly louder, the car felt boggy, I can barely hear the VI switchover sound, and my MPGs go to poop (less 20%). 120 miles and one week later, the car feels much more powerful, more responsive to throttle inputs, the switchover sound is Honda-like, and MPGs are back up by 20%. Something had to change in the tuning of car because I've experienced everytime I swap intakes or add mods like a Y-pipe, ECU, etc.