Air Intake is usually the last thing that needs to get upgraded after headers, higher flowing heads, higher flowing intake manifold and upgraded fuel injectors. The intake is usually not the bottleneck to a cars power output, it's the valve train. Why else do you think a tune alone can often add 10% or more power in most cases to an otherwise stock motor and still have a very high degree of reliability with little to no impact on MPG? They engineer the engine output on the safer side to increase long term reliability. Highest efficiency in MGP for the most reliability, and then highest HP. That is the low on the totem pole of priorities for manufacturers.

Click to expand.Yup and he's right on a lot of levels except for his general comment about manufacturers trying to get the most HP out of an engine.