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or as Nissan calls that over-designed piece, the "outlet drafter duct" (I kid you not - look in the docs section, pages 8H02 and 8I02). On most cars, it's just a small (about 3" x 5") plastic frame with the rubber flap that snaps into the sheet metal of the trunk tub somewhere beneath the bumper cover. And like everyone has said, it equalizes pressure when you shut the doors, run the blower, fart, etc. Anyway, Nissan really overdid this one. Not only is there all the plastic ducting, but lots of unnecessary sheet metal surrounding it (compare the left and right sides of my car behind the rear wheels in this pic): 
You can remove the ducts (4 screws for each side on the underside of the car around the duct exits), cut off the extra metal, and fiberglass the gaping holes left on either side of the trunk. Then, cut out the flaps from each duct, leaving as much extra flat plastic frame around it as you can. After finding appropriate spots somewhere that will be hidden by the bumper cover and where the flaps will "lay" closed normally, cut out the sheet metal about the size of the rubber flap. Then screw and silicone the flap assembly over the cutout onto the sheet metal. Sorry - no finished pics cause I still haven't finished mine yet - still need to glass in the holes and reinstall the vents.
 "The more "F" and the less "m" you have, the more "a" you can get." -- Brian Beckman, The Physics of Racing |
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