Accordion Air Duct - Do They Always Fail?

[Erik]

Been reading about the accordion air intake duct, and it seems accepted wisdom that they will fail. I gave mine a squeeze, and while it seems soft, I don't know how soft it needs to be to actually effect the performance of the engine.

I did rev it some in the driveway and didn't see it move. But a few driveway blips are likely sucking no where near as much air as a wide open run.

Finally, is there any consensus on the best correction for this? Marc uses wires inside, while Jerry uses a harder rubber tube. Is there a third option I've missed?