na thats not true. iv never seen any pads on any car fall down and smother the fire, it would be bad anyways because you wouldnt be able to angle foam to cover the fire untill youve filled up the whole engine bay if it were to fall on the fire....i dont think manufacturers would do that.

im gonna remove mine right now. even if it does protect the paint, HA my paint is pealing like a banana

 

im thinking of taking mine off. Just put a zip tie in it 2 days ago and it already ripped throught that. so its time for the pad to go.

 

I took mine off after playin in the mud, and pressure washing the engine I think I washed out about 20lbs of dirt[:-].

 

Interesting.
I still have mine, because I've been afraid removing it will allow heat to damage the paint. If it's really only for noise reduction, I'd take mine out. Mine is in great shape, engine compartment is clean, and paint isexcellent. I'm still a bit concerned about the (hood) paint, though...

 

It's for noise. The OEM's are obsessed with NVH. Working for a supplier for the OEM's I'm amazed at how detailed they get into the noise things can make, what frequencies, etc. Even though 98% of the people out there wouldn't car less if a compent clicks at 35dba in the dash when the keys turned off, the OEM's don't want to hear it so lot's of money is wastefully spent making things quieter for all types of components in the cars/trucks. The air silencer that most hot rodders remove for cold air intakesare designed to dampen the noise. OEM Mufflers are designed to dampen "bad" noise and enhance the "good" noise.