KB used to make some killer Buick stuff, which I believe is how they made their name. If they're not the same as they used to be, it's unfortunate.
Regarding magazines - most of the tech stuff is bullshit, catering to the advertisers, but I still subscribe to a bunch of 'em for entertainment value, and to see what current trends are.
Somewhat analogous story - in September '86, when I saw what the '87 restyling looked like, I bought a new '86 5.0, 5-speed notch. It had a stumble on tip-in; everyone that drove in for the first time, stalled it. Dealers acknowledged the problem, but the port EFI was like voodoo at the time, and no one knew how to troubleshoot it.
A few months after I bought it, Hot Rod introduced their project 5.0, using Advanced Engineering West / Kaufmann Products as their technical resource. The results and reviews were so glowing, you'd think the publisher owned those companies. Desperate to get my 5.0 to run right, I made an appointment, and drove 5 hours to SoCal to have them look at it.
First, they wrote me up for a higher hourly rate than what they quoted me the week before - though they changed it when I bitched - and then handed me over to Mark Sanchez, who you may have seen written up in a bunch of magazines. Mark was an absolute HACK; totally fucking clueless. After dicking around for a couple of hours, the man Chris Kaufmann came out, loaded for bear. He listened to it, retarded the timing - no light, just cranked the distributor - drove me around the block, and stated that it ran perfectly. When he went back into his office, I demanded they put a light on it. Timing was now 2* ATDC, as opposed to 10* BTDC spec. I had Mark adjust the timing to where it should be, and I got the fuck outta there. Absolute waste of time and money.
Synopsis - don't believe what you read, in any car mag or on the 'net, without qualifying it. Oh, and there are no 20+ HP cat-backs out there, either.
I opened a can of worms by calling out one of the bigger shops on their CAI claims for the S550. And when I say CAI, I mean HAI, as in Hot Air Intake. The factory S550 airbox is sealed to the front grill opening and will flow as much air as a 123mm CAI/MAF. You can't beat that with a stick, tons of nice cool air. But, this shop put a open element "CAI" on a S550 and made all sorts of claims. I called them on it. I said let me see some data with the hood shut and the engine bay up to normal operating temp. I got piled on by the fanboys. Morons.
When I had my Magnum SRT8, there were insane claims on the major forum about HP increases with an aftermarket intake. I did the same thing; called 'em out about the open hood, and asked for comparative #s with the hood closed. A number of boys jumped on me, and reminded me of what an idiot I am.