ram air intake vs cold air intake

I have a 1994 formula, mostly stock, but I'm putting a magnaflow catback on it before it goes back on the road next week. I've been wanting to put some sort of fibreglass hood on it since I got it, probibly won't happen this summer, maybe next depending on money.. anyways... I see cold air kits costing anywhere from around 200 to 400.. the ram air kits with a hood(which I would get anyways) cost in the higher end of that range.. so my question is, which has more of a gain... the ram air kits or a cold air kit. I'm looking at them, and from just a visual point of view, the ram air is a strait line right out the front of the car. The cold air kits have the elbows etc. and its a longer run from outside to inside...

so long story short, which is better a ram air kit or a cold air kit, givin that at some point, I'd be buying a hood for it anyways

they are the exact same thing. really a preference in looks depending on if you want a smooth hood, or the scoop. but they are both just cold air intakes. the "ram air" name is a misnomer. ram air dosnt happen until you reach very very high velocities, and is pretty much only found on things that fly very high and very fast. unless youre breaking the sound barrier, either mod will perform equally well.

I knew the "supercharging" effect of the air being forced into the hood wasn't much to speak about.. tho I thought it mattered somewhat at highway speeds... but more along the lines of that air enters front of hood, goes into air filter and strait line to intake. vs. Air enters at bottom of car, hits a few corners inside a hot engine bay and has to travel further... path of least resistance, then again, it could also be so small that it would only matter in really advanced modding, not generally what I would do, givin my budget and whatnot

A friend of mine had a cold air kit on his (I'm not 100% on the brand) and the air filter hung so low a rock went through it and was caught inside the filter. When he was changing the oil he seen it, not knowing how long he went "without a filter".....just something to think about when checking kits out...

As stated, both will do the same thing, it all boils down to what you like, who has the best system (least amount of bends and other choke points) and the prices.
The "best" inlet system was on the old 2nd gen T/A's with the shaker scoop open in the back. There is high pressure air back there at the base of the windshield which, if given a place to go, would almost act as a true "ram air" (to a limited degree).

We've had debate after debate on this topic and it always came down to a washout. The key points that made the cold air intake a hair better was the price and the cooler air. The ram air intakes were thought to heat up a little more being that they were on-top of the engine. All in all they are basically even... it just comes down to what you want to spend and what looks like the best design.

ram air is definately cooler looking.

thanks for the info... I did search the forums and I couldn't find hits with either ram air or cold air... odd, maybe the search wasn't working right that day. Its good to know that the main difference is visual and personal preference