This will probably get moved but I figured I would ask the people actually racing these cars to see their ideas and opinions.

The heat shield around the muffler dividing it from the fuel tank is it really nessecary? or can I throw it in the garbage like the floor pan ones? This is not a daily driven car and it probably never will be. i am hoping to finish the car for autocrossing. I have already removed the tar and interior deemed unnessecary by myself for weight savings reasons as i don't plan on making big power gains anytime soon over stock. Just a car to have fun with. Let me know what you think. Kepp it or throw it away. I know the ehaust system gets much hotter on a rotary powered car than a piston powered one but is it really that hot at the muffler? Thank you in advance for any intelligent replys!

 

depends, would you like your gas tank reciving 800 fahrenheit or more of heat constantly?

 

So the answer is not a safe thing to do then right? I kinda figured I'll leave that part on then.

 

Leave them all if you havn't pitched them yet. They don't weigh much and keep the car comfortable, not a car-b-que. I once had a problem with the muffler shield being removed on a race car, after a 20 or 30 min session the gas tank was uncomfortable to touch by the muffler. This also caused issues with the fuel expanding and pressurizing the system beyond what the vent could handle.

 

id keep it too. if you need to cut the tire side for clearance thats ok.

also we're just getting the mazda5 recalls in which apparently the muffler gets hot enough to set the car on fire, the recall is a more shielded muffler, and replacing all the heat shields under the car.....

 

My race car floor used to burn up until I put heat shields back on. I could spit on the floor and it would boil.

It is also important to put a heat shield between the exhaust and the transmission.

These things are not real important for a 45 second autocross run, but if you graduate to track days running many minutes at race speed, then the heat will be a serious problem.

 

Thank you all for your input. I don't think I'll use the car enough to warrant any of the sheilds but the muffler one. I probably didn't mention but the car has a dash and two seats and that will be it. There is litterally nothing under the dash except a wiring harness and the ecu... oh and the pedals. I don't care too much about the comfort. As long as the windows can roll down I think I'll be alright with the heat transfer to the interior.

 

Daily driving a car without the floorpan shields isn't too bad. It is a little more comfortable in Texas in the middle of summer, but it doesn't really make much of a difference. I keep the tank shields more for rock protection than anything else... only way to get the sucker is to spin backwards into a Spec Racer Ford or shuck the stock lugbolts and run over the tire (ask me how I know...).

 

ive never had any of the sheilds except the muffler one and never had a problem with even the hardest driving you can possibly do on the street or autox.

speedturn has a real race car. Thats crazy that you can boil things off of your floor pan from the heat. I must not be running my car nearly hard enough!