yuk3

I am guessing there are planty of other folks that are running the same header and exhaust setup as you on this board without any issue of melting any surrounding items. I think you should be good without the wraps.

jleonard71

Does he want you to wrap your mufflers and exhaust tips, too??

Jowett

Good results can be had with wrap and/or proper heat shielding... but as already mentioned, corrosion issues will result with the wrap. I wouldn't consider using it with anything but a 304 or higher grade steel.

madastep

mine aren't wrapped, and if something was going to melt it would have happened by now. i wouldn't wrap um.

RCB

iTrader: (18)

There are only so many parts that are close enough to be susceptible to heat damage and they are on the right bank. The starter and tranny cooler lines are what comes to mind but those parts are already protected.



The only other part to maybe worry about would be the joint on the steering shaft. I don't really think anything will happen to it and if something does it would be long term. If it starts to fail later in life I can't imagine it being to expensive and it takes 10 min to change.

The only thing I protected was the rear O2 sensor wire that runs along the trans. I took both connectors out of the clips and moved them away from the headers. I did this as something to protect from rubbing and heat but I don't even think it will really help much.



As you can tell I have no heat wrap and agree with everyone that it's not a good move. Like Lobuxracer said it will just cause corrosion.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

To all those that say it is a bad idea, well, kinda... Corrosion is the ~only~ downside to wrapping them - every other aspect of it would be a benefit - temperature reduction in the engine bay, keeping exhaust gases as hot as possible speeds them along the exhaust faster which can actually make more power, and protection for vital parts close to the exhaust...

So, don't be quite so negative to his mechanic - he is suggesting a performance improver and something that will protect the engine components... perfect for a street driven car, perhaps not, but definitely not a huge negative as you all are suggesting...

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Here's an almost good article on the subject. Everything he says is good until he says a cooler running engine is better and it's possible to over scavenge. Those two statements show his complete lack of understanding basic engine physics. Other than that, it's a pretty fair treatment of the subject.

One thing to keep in mind - there is no downside to ceramic coatings except cost. There are definitely downsides to wraps, and there is definitely a downside to leaving the metal uncoated, even if it's 304 SS, especially if you live in a place where the roads get salted for snow.

Evil Teo

iTrader: (13)

don't wrap it...the headers have a dual layer of coating. wrap is just added weight that isn't necessary.

Jowett

Interesting article, unfortunately, it only speaks of material durability and corrosion. What about performance, emissions, and underhood temperatures? Again, I'm not saying wrapping is the answer... but they only touched on the negatives.

DonTN

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for all of your detailed input!

DCoolBeans

The wrap will end up scratching the jet hot coating plus keep in moisture when it rains outside...both are bad Mmm-kay

semnosNSX

Bringing this thread back from the dead.....

I recently purchased a set of headers (not coated) and was thinking about buying some wrap because according to RR-Racing's website, it says...

"RR-Racing recommends using 2" wide titanium DEI heat insulation with these headers. We also recommend wrapping the starter with heat insulation when the headers are installed."

However, I know this thread is old, but it appears that everyone is against wrapping the headers.

Has something changed over the past 4 years? Why is RR-Racing recommending to wrap the headers? They obviously know their stuff and have done plenty of testing....

Thanks!

MileHIFcar

Interested in hearing on this as well? Would be nice to hear from PPE/Sikky or RR-Racing on this topic......

jspecvtec

iTrader: (4)

I titanium coated my ppe headers. I think that's the right way to do it. Heat wrap makes it thicker and harder to install, condensation and it also only insulates the outside. Coating does both inside and outside which help the exhaust gases exit faster

MileHIFcar

How much did that cost you to titanium coat your headers?