exhaust heat shields necessary?

[guibo09]

So i dropped the exhaust to do the subframe rehaul.

The rear-most exhaust shield right above the muffler was completely rotted away. the 3(?) studs that hold it up are also beyond reuse. do i need to replace this shield?

the shield that protects the gas tank looks like it was home made. and is now extremely rusty. is that #8 in this picture?

[guibo09]

bump

[TrentW]

I'm wondering the same, my pass side one is getting ready to go too.

Who has an answer?

[scott_is]

Is your car stock? If it is then no. the last three car I owned
didn't have any (removed them because they where trashed)
I did this to my tercel, impreza and my 318is never had any problem

[asubimmer]

It is there for several reason's. Mainly heat, to protect the CSB and lower fuel lines/tank. But it also blocks dirt, water, salt, etc from the driveshaft and related components. Removing it would also make the interior of the car slightly louder if your lower rubber shift boot isn't in the best shape. And this won't matter much unless you are tracking your car, but it also smooths out the air under your car. Which helps the air move faster, and in turn reduces lift.

Removing the sheild isn't going to make your car fall appart as soon as you get on the road. I would personally leave it on there, but if yours is rusted out I think you should be ok without it. Although I would look for a good one at a junk yard to replace it when you get a chance.

[ghonarea318i]

^ what he said

[16v of E30]

my friends car caught fire on an hour and an half trip to vancouver after getting a muffler job, and didnt replace the heat shield. a leaky gas tank caused it to ignite.

[gearheadE30]

Well, I think that is a tank problem more than a heat shield problem. But the heat shields also keep some of the heat out of the cabin, which is nice considering the rather underpowered AC in e30s.

[AlarmedBread]

No exhaust shields for several years in my e30, done rallyx etc. too and no problems, but I clean the underside of the car better than I clean the topside so....

[txtorquemade]

My rear shield over the muffler is out. Havent had any problems yet, but the one up by the gas tank is fine and IM leaving that one in.