Socal my friend, that's good information to know. A tech once told me he only goes OEM for non 12V related
mods like stereo, speakers, lights, etc. His reasoning was because engineers designed and tested their vehicles using the parts that came out of the factory. Things like suspension geometry, performance, emissions, safety, etc were taken into consideration during the R&D of the vehicle. Ever since that day I've been more in tune with using oem replacements parts and yes there are definitely better replacements for certain things. Now with that said, the only CAI I was really interested in was from aFe which isn't legal to have in CA lol. I don't see any harm in adding an exhaust system too. I've read people having issues with changing piping closer to the the exhaust manifold/turbos like primary cats, primary down pipes, secondary down pipes etc. My knowledge on these topics are fairly new to me though and I'm learning more everyday.