Do homemade ram air intakes actually work...or is it a waste of time?

Nope...well, it depends on a lot of things. I saw one example where someone crunched all the numbers and for (I think it was) a chevy 350 to benefit from a ram-air setup it would need to go 185mph. I saw another page where a motorcycle would benefit from some ram-air system at something like 130mph. The motorcycle one actually tested it using huge fans blowing air to replicate driving speed and put it on a dyno. Anyway IMO, no they don't "ram air" but they will pull in cool air from outside the hood and thats a benefit. Plus they generally do it with less turns than something like a FWI so it has that as an added benefit.

Not really they just look cool

Yes, it does work. But it depends on what you're trying to do with it:

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...am+air+ambient

It looks like thats dealing with temperature, which as I said is a benefit. But as far as 'ramming' air into the intake it seems that doesn't really happen. I dunno, I've not tested myself but I did have a very long debate with someone else and we both ended up agreeing that its basically worthless as far as its 'ram air' abilities.

Ramming doesn't make much sense with a Supercharger already pulling all it can take, so that'* well said.

The cooling worked out better than I hoped or expected. Both for the intake charge and the external supercharger cooling.

heh yeah, but naturally aspirated too. For cooling, you're dang right its good at its job, I've seen your low *** IAT readings ..but it doesn't actually 'ram air' if that makes sense.

For cooler air its well worth it. I think the word "ram air" is just for advertising purposes.

ok in nascar they have the intake between the hood and the winshield where the high pressure is at, and in nascar applications they can get positive boost

I still highly doubt that the air in the intake is pressurized even at 200+mph. We're talking about an engine that is turning at 9,000rpm here. At 9,000rpm a 350 cubic inch motor pulls in ~900CFM. That'* a LOT of air. Even at 200+mph you aren't going to get positive pressure anywhere close to the carb. In comparison, that motorcycle (for conversations sake lets say it'* a 2 stroke 1L or ~60 cid and turns 10,000rpm) would require ~340 cfm of air and (as stated earlier) it only benefitted at air speeds inexcess of 130mph with a scoop facing into the wind.

Now all that technical stuff asside. I assume that given a large enough scoop and the fact that your car could overcome the wind resistance generated, that you could make more power with 'ram air'. But that just isn't practical by any stretch of the imagination.

**EDIT** to correct for stupid mistakes