Are heatshields needed?

[pathfinder9035]

So i am sick and tired of hearing my heat shields rattle. Can i just remove the ones at my exhaust manifold. Every time hit 3000 rpm...which is when the sound of the vq really shines....,damn heat shields start rattling like a B I T C H! Can i just remove all of them without hurting the chassis of the vehicle from exhaust heat?

[fueler]

they were put there for a reason. If its rattling then something needs to be tightened, not removed, for a proper repair. If you removed them, the chances of starting a fire are slim but do you still want to take that chance?