I've seen the aftermarket lids and what not that are taller and help air flow, was wondering if theres any sort of baffles or restrictors in the stock intake itself? so maybe because the hose is ribbed its slightly more restrictive than if it were smooth? what if i just replace it with a smooth hose of the same size? i've seen the K&N CAI's and I've considered making my own enclosed air box (just to keep the air coming in insulated a little from the warmth of the motor

 

what kind of camaro do you have?

There are some baffles on the underside of the air lid; you can remove them but the gain won't be anything real. You can also remove the air silencer for a 0 gain as well.