its just a heat shield. Its there for a reason, yes, but its not an essential peice. Rip it off, or try and secure it. I've heard a couple quick tack welds will shut that F-er up.

 

I took mine off no problems. Hell you might even gain 10 hp by taking it off and saving some weight

 

I'd say more like 30hp and 25ft-lbs...and a second of the 1/4 :fawk:

 

It could be rocks in the bottom of the heat sheild. I've had to remove rocks twice in a year. Where do they freakin' come from?

In the past I just had someone remove the whole thing. One time they recomended welding something. Even did it twice to get rid of it completely. All three time, I got it done for free.

 

I had the same problem with the heatshield and my Greddy Evolution exhaust. The sound wasn't the heatshield alone, it was the heatshield barely tapping against the exhaust. Since the exhaust system flexes and moves a little as you drive, sometimes it was noticeable and sometimes it isn't. I didn't have to pull mine, all I had to do was just bend the heatshield by hand a little bit to prevent it from making contact. I don't know if this will help your situation, but ya might want to try it.