lsx engines are just beasts nomatter what they are in. a little 302 is never going to keep up with an ls1 until you get the mods goin.
just go ahead and put a 4v 5.4 in and see if a chevy will keep up.haha
well ive got the c&l maf and flow tube and my car it mostly stock but when i put it on i noticed a little gain. plus it looks good so i say c&l unless you are going bigger inj's a c&l is not a good idea.
i live in nc the only problem is going to the H pipe. most people around where i live dont really look at it but as long as you dont be to loud when you goto get it inspected you will be alright...but if you have tint that might be a problem. most people check that now.