Rich, cut it and put it on mate....it's there for a reason.

Here's a pic to use as a guide:



Next time your out for a belt, let you car idle down for a minute or 2, then pop the bonnet and put your hand on & around you TMIC.....it will be blisteringly hot, worse on a warm day.....good idea to ceramic coat it too before you put it on OR just get a turbo beanie.

I ceramic coated heat shield, dump and turbine housing...the difference was massive to under bonnet temps so much so, that you can touch the heat shield/dump pipe within a couple of minutes after a good flogging!