FWIW, I have been driving my car without that panel for about 9 months now. I didn't remove the panel by choice, though. Mine was literally ripped off by crossing a low water bridge during a heavy T-Storm. The water was deeper than I thought, and the current grabbed that panel instantly and yanked it off. I freaked at first, but got over it. I thought for sure my driving lights would burn up, but I'm still on the same bulbs today. If there is a disadvantage with the panel being gone, I have yet to find it. I drove the car all winter in rain, snow, and have crossed the same low water bridge with no problems. I'm not sure if removing it will actually help feed your CAI cool air, but it seems like it is worth a try. If you don't see a difference, you can always put it back on. If youre worried about everyday driving, my experience without the panel has been fine.
BTW, I have hit 112mph a few times since the panel was ripped off, and I never noticed the front end of my car lift at any time. Don't know if that's considered high speed or not, but that's the fastest my zetec would go before the speed limiter kicked in.
HTH
