Is it really worth putting a Cold Air Intake on 370z and what HP gains

UNKNOWN_370

A lot of educated guys on here have modded this car way before many of us. I have modded both G35 and G37 and I am now modding the Z. From what I've learned from these great guys on here is your first mod will net you your largest gains. So if you put on an intake first you will see and feel close to 20hp which is felt. If you do a exhaust first your largest gains will be there. All secondary mods will gain you lower hp gains. This is what I know. Most autos run 13.1 to 13.4 stock. With full bolt on s the numbers drop to about 12.6 to 12.9 seconds on the quarter. On the manuals the average run is 13.3 to 13.6 completly stock. Add bolt ons and 12.8 to 13.2 second quarters become the norm.
Opnion #1
So going with complete bolt ons is worth it to some degree. The real question is... where do you want your gains to come from. Ok this ismy logic. To me, $525 on a CAI is not worth it for up to 18hp if my second mod will be an exhaust that cost somewhere between $1300-2200. Installing a quality exhaust like an FI, with post MAFS and a K&N intake filter set as the secondary mod is much more cost effective. The cost will be around $180 vs 525 on the post MAFs and will net the same exact gains than the guy who put the CAI first and the exhaust second.
From what I been able to notice though is the guys who opt for stillens and takedas vs. Post MAFS are they lose 3-12hp down low before the rocket backup to base line then gain another 12-14hp, thus giving them this false boost of 20+hp. The exhuast mod seems to drop the least hp before a rise and this is why I choose the exhaust as the first real mod over the intake. The intake in my opinion is the support mod which can be done more cheaply and efficiently than a full stillen G3. If you like the chromey look though and want to pull your front end off everytime you need to clean or replace your G3 filter? Then hey, be my guest. Me personally, I'm not risking the beauty of my cars front end from a cai that nets the same power gains as post mafs if I just start with my exhaust first than start with my CAI...
Disclaimer:
That's just an opinion and observation based on different cases on here. I do not promote or endorse my statement as a fact or a source for argument or rebuttal. Its just a personal opinion.
Opinion #2
In the end... we should all strive for some type of FI if we are serious about power gains? Any bolt on mod is just a base mod anyway.
Disclaimer applies here as well.