Header Wrap [Merged 3-8] thermal DEI headers exhaust

[95GST2841]

I got a tubular header off of ebay..

I want to use some header wrap..

I want PERSONAL experiences only.


I hear sometimes it can trap water inside and cause it to crack?
I've also heard it will eat up the valves because it traps all the heat in the header...


either one of these true?

I think itd work well on a turbo car, underhood temps lower..

 

[Mike1992]

I heat wrapped a pacesetter header back on my 2.0 NA Eclipse back when I first got into dsm's. Also used a silicone spray product on the wrap to defend against water absorbtion. After a few months the header cracked and was leaking, I sold the car

In a turbo application where the heat in the manifold is hotter I would suggest staying away from tubular manifolds for daily driving. Its only a matter of time before they crack.

 

[NewTurboTuner]

I've tried wrapping headers on a couple different cars. The idea always seemed good, but it never turned out as good as I thought it would. Over time it became more of a pain than it was worth.

I agree with Mike1992 about tubular headers. Stay away from them in turbo applications. If you are Only racing the car, then it is ok. But In street applications the tubular header gets too for too long. It wont last. For the street get a good ported 2g, or EVO mani, and it will last a long time.

 

[95GST2841]

how would a tubular header with header wrap be any hotter then a 2g manifold w/o heat shields?

why isnt this a good idea to run daily?

 

[The_EE]

I would say because its a welded peice of metal. The welds are weak points in the manufacturing of the tubular headers. As the metal heats and cools, it expands and shrinks, which causes micro cracks. When it stays hot for long periods of time, it can sag as well because when it gets hot, it gets softer. All that can cause stress fractures in it causing it to fail.

Dont take my word for that explination, I am just basing the answer on a logical best guess. Cast it better because its one peice I would say.

 

[95GST2841]

That makes alot of sense and it did put it into perspective for me. So would it do the same process with heatwrap on it?

 

[NewTurboTuner]

Yeah the welds are the weak points, and they just cant hold up to the stress of everyday driving

Heat wrap keep the heat from getting into you engine bay, but not from getting the manifold hot.

If you want all out power, then go for the tubies
If you want reliability, stick with the cast iron mani's

If you already bought the tube mani, I'd go ahead and run it. It will last you awhile. We're just saying they dont last as long. Its not going to kill you car if it starts to crack, but you will want to change it as soon as you do see cracks. I dont see how water would get trapped in by the heat wrap. The mani gets too hot when you are driving, and if the car is just sitting around the hood should keep water out if it rains.

 

[The_EE]

It would trap the heat in, keeping it hotter longer. The point of the heatwrap is to keep the engine bay as cool as possible. I use heatwrap on my UICP to keep heat away from it so that the heat from the engine bay does not reheat the air after it has been cooled by the FMIC. In Theory it works, I dont know how well without testing air temps before the FMIC, After the FMIC and after the UICP. Since I have no way to test one location let alone 3, I wont be doing it.

Since I have some left over, I may be doing it to my intake as well since that is also made of aluminum and heats up.

 

[nightspeed87]

On my old n/t dsm engine I had 4-2-1 headers with heat wrap and the heat wrap I guess kept heat in better, but I had an exhaust leak after a while ( like 4 months time of everyday driving ) and I guess like mike 1992 said maybe is true, but since they were wrapped up I never check to see if that was a leak, but all i know is the header started sounding funny, like tinny and metally sounding...
As far as moisture, it doesnt nessecarily have to rain to get moister somewhere, there is moister in the air , or in humid enviroments, or for instance you walk out side in the mourning and the windows are moist, and the car is moist, well there you go... Thats probably what he was talking about.
I do think they do have some good use, for the uicp i dont think it would hurt or help, but maybe more so for the licp if its in a close proximity to the dp or manifold, then id say yea use it... But its almost 50 dollars a pop, ( at least down here,) so consider the worth.

 

[compass]

I feel that the heat wrap on a tube header will let it cool at the same rate and not cause soft or hard spots, so no cracking. I made my own header from s-40 weld gas pipe, and I put header wrap on it. Been working on the street for 3 years now. I see no problem. Maybe I'm lucky. (Knock on wood)

 

[nightspeed87]

i thought of a custom manifold set up before, got the guy who can do it... Just dont know on reliability or hp gains... Im sure as long as all the runners curve around to be the same length it will gain hp if done right on a custom header... Can you post pics of yours?

 

[compass]

All my runners are 1.5"W * 13"L S-40 gas weld gas pipe, into a 16G turbo.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[thilaksharma]

compass : it looks nasty hahaha

just want to ask u guys
wht should be opt to if the compressor housing is too big

i run a t04e hybrid t05 CHRA and evo 3 turbine housing
it cost be a bomb to make one of this

but i dint plan it right, it cant be bolted on because the compressor housing hits the
block if i run on stock cast manifold.

 

[95GST2841]

compass - how did that happen?

 

[nightspeed87]

All my runners are 1.5"W * 13"L S-40 gas weld gas pipe, into a 16G turbo.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

who cares how it looks, just wrap that sucker up with heat wrap and it will look like real aftermarket tubular headers under that ... I want to know how it performs, and I give you credit for the idea and motivation of doing that... ( A real tuner and enthusiast is not scared to try new ideas for their cars even if it was a waste of time, its the thought that counts ) Good job

 

[WatchItExplode]

I use heatwrap on my UICP to keep heat away from it so that the heat from the engine bay does not reheat the air after it has been cooled by the FMIC.

Heat wrap is for keeping heat in, not keeping heat out. Believe it or not, there's a difference. That's why there's an altogether different kind of wrap for intake piping. I don't know if heatwrapping your intercooler piping will actually hurt, but it will definately keep your intercooler piping from cooling off as fast as it would otherwise. Think of it as insulation, rather than a shield.

When it comes to gimmicks like this, it helps to think in terms of exotics and racecars. You don't see the most finely tuned cars in the world with heatwrap on their intake piping.

 

[compass]

Thanks nightspeed, the pipe works great. but it wieghs a ton, the pictures are when I just finshed welding it and needed to clean the slag off. I also made an o2 house and downpipe.

 

[Blitzeclips]

Alright, whos got this?!?! Does it actually work or not? I've heard that this WILL decrease underhood temps, but it also keeps the heat within the turbo isolated, making it hotter then normal.

The outer edges of my hood's clear coat is peeling, and theres a foggy spot above where my turbo sits. So I'm assuming it is a result of heat from the install. I want to ceramic coat my manifold, exhaust housing, and downpipe, but for now I'd like a turbo wrap atleast.

Areas I'd like to put heat wrap or reflective tape:
* Coolant tube above manifold
* Coolant tueb running from back of head to the ^^^
* Lower coolant tube going to radiator----> motor
* Top half of my radiator. (Gets surprisingly HOT)
* Hot charge pipes

If I could decrese these temps I'd be happy. Also, I was thinking of a small duct on the very bottom of my car. Any air traveling underneathe would be directed up into the bay. I was thinking of going to Lowe's and grabbing some sheet metal, measuring the 4 mounting points and welding some brackets to hold this in place.

Any ideas, experience, suggestions, advice, comments...???

 

[Talon ESI-T]

Short term it works good on a street car. The problem with prolonged use is that it traps moisture as well and you know what that does.

Containing the heat is a good thing.

Get a heat barrier for the hood from DEI or a stock one froma turbo car.

Terry

 

[eclipsers-t]

My hood has actually done the same. It looks like little cracks in the paint. I am going to have my manifold and exhaust side ceramic coated, not only will it look better but it will be helpful. Good luck!

 

[91 Turbo Mitsu]

As the title said I want opinions as to whether or not I should wrap my stainless steel header. I noticed it gets really hot(duh). I am concerned about to much heat in the engine compartment. Thanks for the advice. Travis

 

[95RedTsiAwd]

Yes, I definetly believe so, especially with the stainless headers. Only important thing is to not wrap below the level of pipe that might get regularly splashed with water. There is alot of speculation that water can get trapped in the wrap and cause corrosion. Wrapping the header would be fine, should not be seeing water spray. It surely lowers underhood temperatures. Also make sure you use the spray coating for the wrap, it greatly increases it's life and also it's efficiency.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

I am assuming you are talking about a turbo manifold.. unless of course your n/a...

I would say no, wrapping can cause the manifold to crack a lot easier and surely decreases its life.

If your concerned about heat, contact punishment-racing or another shop and get it Jet Hot Coated.

 

[merqury]

I would advise you to do so. Not shielding the header can cause many problems, including overheating and eventually damaging the alternator. Also, it increases under-hood temps, and this will result in more hotter air going in through your intake.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

You going to regret wrapping it...... IMO