A wee bit of vaseline wouldn't hurt, that's what I used, however,
I have the OLD NW CAI that has only the 90 degree coupling from the 74mm TB to the aluminum intake tube.
The MAF sensor is mounted in a weld-on bung in the intake tube, there are no clearance problems.

Rob says this older version does not have quite the flow numbers as the new one, but it is a heck of a lot easier to install .......
(excuse the picture quality - cell phone )