Proper intake? What's a proper intake? One that delivers the air that the motor is looking for? Home Depot intake can do the job for 1/4 of the price. You want to spend an extra $175 on pretty....do your thing.
You basically answered your own question. Im paraphrasing: "Why not drop a bunch of money to make your car almost as fast as the car you could have bought for the money you put into the car you were trying to compete with."