scottie,
One main advantage to the "MAX AIR" airbox is it uses a thermal wrap around the outside of the airbox. In my test the thermal wrap was as effective as the airbox itself. If you haven't already you can see some information at
www.geocities.com/steve_jarvis_me/Airbox1
You will need to cut and paste the link for it to work. You will also need to minimize the free advertising to see the buttons that will allow you to page through the presentation. On page 3 you will see that the max. intake temps (at the filter) went from 122 degrees to 110 degrees. When the thermal wrap was added those temps came down to about 98 degrees. Basically the airboxes without the thermal wrap will only give you about half the gain of a "MAX AIR", because they will only reduce the temps by about half as much.
You will also note that the "MAX AIR" uses the large air intake that comes into the side of the airbox. None of the other airboxes continue using this good source of air. This adds more cost, but I thought it was worth it to do it right.
The interesting thing is the other airboxes don't have the thermal wrap or side intake duct and they cost almost as much.
I used wheather-stripping to seal the top of the airbox for a several reasons.
1. You can remove the filter and clean it without having to remove the airbox lid.
2. You can remove the headlight at the dragstrip without having to remove the airbox or lid.
3. The under hood insulation does a much better job of blocking heat than a thin layer of aluminum.
4. When you open the hood it's nice for people to be able to see your intake and not just an aluminum box.
Finally be aware that some of the other intakes are nothing more than a lid with sides. The sides don't actually seal against the chassis of the car. This defeats the purpose of the box all together.
Hope this helps, Steve