heat wrapping the header

[bevis90]

anyone done this before

wat are the good and bad side of it

[bennjamin]

premature cracking has been seen on a "heat wrapped" header....

dont bother. Get ceramic or hi-temp coated to prevent rust etc.

[joyride]

good side = under hood temperature is reduced

badside = longevity of the headers is reduced, headers may crack


heatshield or ceramic coating the headers is more effective.


damn, me and ben seem to be following each other today :o

[Eclipsor]

I did it on mine mainly so I didn't melt my hand off when doing the timing.

[bevis90]

do u have any pics of it ^^

[Eclipsor]

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/9919/p1010072iq7.jpg

[misteR_bilzz]

you have to think where is the heat going? like joyride said itll reduce under hood temp. but the heat will be kept inside the headers which may cause them to crack.
Modifying your stock heat shield to fit your new headers id say would be the best idea then u have more air flow you could also polish it and u get some engine bay bling!

[Limbo]

the whole idea of wrapping is to keep in the heat as it allows the air to travel faster. I've had 3-4 sets of heat wrapped exhausts no probs.

Your normal n/a car won't produce enough heat to crack them. The main reason most n/a car headers crack is cos they are rusting also. So main thing is to coat them properly with VHT or engine enamel paint, put a few coats and then wrap them.

[joyride]

just as an FYI, how much does the heat wrapping cost compared to ceramic coating and DIY heatshield?

[Limbo]

wrapping is much cheaper.

about $50 (5mtr at $10per mtr)

Ceramic coating is about $300

But with ceramic coating its coated internally also.

[Slow96GSR]

See here (http://www.calicocoatings.com/index.phtml?coatings).

Cool Black

An ultra high temperature matte black ceramic coating made specifically for high performance exhaust systems. Coolblack can withstand extended exposure to EGT of 1700 deg. It increases horsepower and reduces under hood temps by 20-30%.
• Increases Horsepower
• Reduces Heat
• Available Applications:
Headers, Exhaust Systems

http://www.calicocoatings.com/prod_imgs/img-30-small.jpg

CoolKrome

A high temperature, high luster ceramic Header coating that increases horsepower and reduces under hood heat temperature by up to 30%. Coolkrome eliminates thermal fatigue and looks great.
• Increase Horsepower
• Reduces Heat
• Eliminates Thermal Fatigue
• Available Applications:
Headers, Heat Shields, Air Cleaners, Intake Manifolds, Valve Covers

http://www.calicocoatings.com/prod_imgs/img-31-small.jpg

If you decide you want this done PM me and we can work out how to have it done. I get good prices since every part of my motor was coated by them as well as many of my customers parts.

[dsp26]

cracking ONLY happens if you wrap too tight especially in winter.... don;t do it too tight... we all know from science heated objects expand.

and yes heat wrap serves too main purposes i can think of

Secondary:
Reduce under hood temps yada yada

Primary Function:
- Keep heat within Header
- Hotter temps in header = faster exhaust flow
- Faster Exhaust flow = better scavenging affect within the next cylinder combustion pulse (pull/vaccuum). Meaning because exhaust flow is accelerated, it literally pulls combustion from the next cylinder pulse
- Better scavenge effect = more POWAH!!!!!!!
^^^Same reason as "Tuned Length Manifolds", for increased scavenginf efficiency....