If you use the watir gem, you will find that it offers a class Watir::IE.
The Watir::IE class provides a set_options(options) method, which will allow you to specify the options to be used when creating a new Watir::IE instance.
I don't have a handle on the exact options to pass, buit I will continue to research. If I find it, I will edit this answer. If someone else knows, hopefully, they will edit this answer with the details.