Has anyone taken the little metal plate off that sits in front of hose at the end down by the grill? Would it make a difference or should i not waste my time? im just worried about rain, bugs, dirt chunks, etc.

 

Yep, it's there to keep rain, bugs, dirt/dust, etc. out of your intake hose. Need to keep those things out. I had a Buick Century wagon (great fam car) several years ago, and a Monster Truck passing by pushed a wave of water past its intake hose protector in a parking lot with lots of standing water. Instant hydro-lock on the engine. Had to swim out, come back later with truck and trailer, load the car, haul it to the mech's shop so he could get the water out. Not cheap, but I was lucky and the engine wasn't damaged because I was just creeping along when the tsunami wave hit the Buick. After that, my mech called me the U-boat captain for awhile.

 

My guess you should be fine. Mine came stock without a plate covering it. But if your area has a ton of bugs and your constantly going through mud/water puddles ect then leave it on.

A K&N air filer or any High Performance filter will help too.

 

I took the whole damn tube out after it acted as a drinking straw and sucked water that I was pushing with the front bumper into the motor and siezed it.

With out that tube, I would not have had the motor fail.