I have the Injen and my friend with a CL-S has the aem, and another friend has the comptech icebox. I had the bypass valve on and when i took it off i notice the car got louder and a little more responsive. The Injen is way louder than the AEM and gains are similar for both. Now here is for the ice box. My two buddies cars are set up as followed:
2001 CL-S:
-Aem Intake with bypass
-OBX Headers
-HKS axle-back Exhaust
-18 Ace Alloy wheels(heavy) with crappy Kuhmo Ecsta supra 700
-comptech springs

2002 CL-S
-Comptech IceBox
-Comptech Headers
-Comptech Springs
-Comptech Sways
-Comptech Titanium Strut Tower Bar
-SSR 17 forged lightweight wheels on mich. all seasons sport

They ran a bunch of times and the results are the same. The guy with the 01 has supposedly "inferior" products in the intake and headers, wheels and tires department, but his car has tons more torque and way more power. When they line up and run from a stop the guy in the 01 pulls by 4 cars everytime till like 80, passed 80 and he pulls by more cars. Off a roll the 01 pulls even harder. Both cars are on their second trannies. The 01 kills the 02 in everything but handling. The guy with the 02 said he felt and heard no difference with the icebox. i have been in both cars the 02 felt the same with the stock air box and icebox. and header wise, the obx's make the care feel tourqier than the comptechs, and that is all tested by running the cars in real siuations. I mean i have a TL-P with Injen intake and OBX Headers on CL-S Chromes and i hung 2 cars behind the 02 with headers and he couldnt shake me from a roll. Before mods they both ran side by side and whoever hooked up first got a lead and they stood that way, they couldnt shake each other.
Sorry for the long post but these are my facts and opinions.

 

This really doesn't say much good about the icebox...

I'm glad I have Injen!

 

heh the good old "butt dyno"...it doesn't work!!!
go take it to a real dyno, and you'll see the real results. BTW the AEM is not an "inferior product" at all. They are just different designs.. As for OBX headers being better than Comptech ones..i highly doubt that. In any case, the comptech ones will probably last longer.

 

That's okay, OBX has a lifetime warranty too.

 

i got my obx's the same time my friend with a 6 speed cl got his comptech, i have done more winter driving than him and when we were both on a lift hid comptechs looked like crap while my obx, looked like they should, they were bronz yet still shined. How are you going to say to dyno the ice box and that comptech headers are better, when a guy in a cl-s with obx headers and aem destroyed a guy in a cls with comptech everything everytime they ran. For god's sake the guy in the o2 had ssr lightweight wheels too and he still got ran even when he hooked up first off the line. I dont care what dynos say, i care what i feel and see for myself. I have been in many comptech header cars and in some obx cars, i felt more torque down low than with similarly equiped comptech vehicles and more pull up high. Thats what made me buy them. If the comptechs made me feel the same way i would have purchased them instead. But i like real life tests. Plus its hard to dyno an intake without the ram effect.

 

 

Interesting post...interesting results also! Thanks!

 

so does this mean I should save myself $600 and go with the OBX headers and not feel guilty??? Cause I always thought the OBX ones were cheaper quality than the Comptechs... but I dunno now!

 

i can get some pictures of the obx and the comptechs and the way they look in about a week when my friend gets back from Cali. But i do think the price is well worth it. Save yourself a few hundred and get exhaust or springs or intake or swaybars.