OK, I'm a little late on this one, but firstly, that is a "silencer" of sorts for the intake. No biggie.


The reason you shouldn't have those holes exposed to outside air is because you're sucking in UNFILTERED air. You can seriously damage your engine this way, especially if you live in a sandy climate.'

A better solution perhaps is to cut the ends off of the baffle piece, and use them with the stock box that surrounds the baffle. This way it still seals tight, and should be louder/arguably flow more.