car is hot as hell

[theboostking]

my car a 96 tsi awd, moderately modded, has been very hot. When I step out of the car I can feel heat pouring from the front. I just put on a bra (on my car, not my tits) and the straps melted the first day. The weird thing is the temp. gauge is reading normal. I think this my be contributing to, or be the cause of, my performance problems, any help?

 

[Defiant]

Running without a manifold heat shield? Missing the insulator blanket under the hood? DSMs run hot, but not enough to melt bra straps.

 

[theboostking]

I am running without the manifold heat shield, but I have been doing so for a while and haven't noticed the heat until now.