thermo wrap

[ron]

hi all.

i was in my local Autobarn store and saw these header/exhaust thermo wrap thingy. for lets say 15m length they go for $50.

what do you guys think of these? worth getting ? i heard a lot of hype for these wraps.

ron

[Craved]

yeah this stuff is really good, use it on an HQ race car not on my skyline!! i have HPC coated dump so dont really need it to reduce bonnet temps!!

but if you have stock dump and pod with no CAI then i would definately put in on!!!

[sidewaymambo]

Hi, Craved..

Where did you get your dump pipe HPC'ed in Sydney? Because I am thinking to do it too, thank.

Phil

[Craved]

bought it already done from UAS, give em a call see if they'll tell where they get them done

[Roy]

Competition Coatings in Guildford NSW do an equivelant ceramic coating to HPC ( who are unfortunately for those of us in NSW are only located in VIC & QLD.)

[benm]

...not forgetting that thermo wrapping your dump pipe will dramatically reduce its life down to anything around 6-12mths.

[Roy]

i havent heard that about reducing the life of the dump... if i have to take my maifold off i was going to give it some new threads.

Where did you hear that about the thermal wraps?

[benm]

Every exhaust/mechanic i've spoken too basically said "sure it will help but sure it will reduce the life of your exhaust, expect to replace it within a year depending on how hot things get".

Whilst its good to keep gases on the inside hot it does need to cool down and it can't do that with the thermo wrap.

For a daily driver I wouldn't bother but for a person after every last kw or frequents trackdays i'd do it.

[EnricoPalazzo]

Is this theory the same with Intercooler Piping. Sounds odd that u are the first person saying negative things about it and i know heaps of guys that have heat wrapped all there pipes.

[Busky2k]

I dont think wrapping a dump is as detrimental as wrapping headers. Ive had mine wrapped for the last 6 months and they look perfect when I unwrapped em a week ago. No discolouring or anything.

Headers run alot hotter than dump pipes and they are the ones that will suffer more heat fatigue than a dump pipe. Usually a dump pipe runs anywhere from 200-400C cooler than the exhaust manifold, which I definitely dont recommend heat wrapping!!

On the contrary, if your on a track day I would remove it, as the dump would get very hot for a long period of time! A quick boost here and there isnt enough to do any damage IMO.

[Sydneykid]

Hi guys, we have one dump/engine pipe that is 3 years old and has been wrapped all that time. Looks like new underneath. Having used wrap for 15 years I can't think of one exhaust that has had its life shortened.

But I can sure think of plenty of other things in the engine bay that have died because the exhaust wasn't wrapped. Stuff like bonnet paint, underbonnet heat shielding, TPS sensors, air con wiring and hoses, power steering reservoirs, air con compressors, inner guard paint, throttle cables etc etc

Bottom line, I believe the benefits far outway the negatives.

Hope that helps

[akeenan]

...not forgetting that thermo wrapping your dump pipe will dramatically reduce its life down to anything around 6-12mths.

i wrapped mine due to the fact i wasnt impressed with the under bonnet temps when i replaced the standard pipe. that was around 3 months ago... so we'll soon see if it affects the life of my dump pipe.

[Guest RedLineGTR]

there was a thread a while ago...about coating the pipe with some white primer or something spray and then another coat of thermal spray then coating it with the thermal wrap to stop moisture to get the best of the pipe..these were some type of high temp paints..2 coats if i remember correctly..just get a stainless steel pipe or titanium...

[EnricoPalazzo]

SydneyKid: U sayin that under bonnet temperatures could explain why the sides of my engine bay are loosin its paint. Interesting. Thanks.

[JimX]

Sydneykid, wouldn't most of the under bonnet heat come from the exhaust manifold and turbo exhaust housing though? Wrapping the dump would help to a certain extent, but I would think that it'd still get pretty hot under there.

Also is this stuff re-usable? How does it attach? I was going to wrap my new dump pipe when I could afford it, but now I'm thinking if I can re-use it, I may as well buy the wrap now and just re-use it when I can afford the dump pipe upgrade.

[Guest RedLineGTR]

i can reuse it....depends if it gets damaged for some reason. if u get the good stuff then it will last and u put and clamp it on properly it will work fine more than once.

[Lunatic Dancer]

interesting.....i read somewhere that when applying its better to wet them with water first, then wrap/clamp....

is that the way to do it or just bull?

[ron]

mmm all interesting respond.

do we clamp them with hose clamp like what we use for the cooler piping? (or just super glue them:D )

will they work for intercooler pipes too? eg to expel some of the under bonnet heat?

ron

[Roy]

Run it thru water first as it makes the tape more pliable, so eases fitting it to countoured pipes. You also should use the clear coat, kind of like a scotchguard (buy it from the same place you buy the tape) and then using hose clapms to stop the tape running. Twines of wire tend to cut into the tape and dont so as good a job of locating it.

As for shortening the life of headers... im not sure, if the turbo's weight is adequately supported then the main cause for cracking of the mainfold would be temperature changes.

So with the tape applied to a manifold, sure it would retain more heat, but also cool much slower, meaning that the red hot steel wont be rapidly air cooled (essentially quenched) making it more brittle. The controlled cooling of the manifold with tape would probably help the life of the manifold?

Any thoughts on that reasoning?

[Jetdat]

Originally posted by ron

mmm all interesting respond.  

do we clamp them with hose clamp like what we use for the cooler piping? (or just super glue them:D )

will they work for intercooler pipes too? eg to expel some of the under bonnet heat?

ron

ron

i wouldnt use them on the intercooler pipes...

you however you can use aluminium insulation wrap that air-condition/refrigeration joints use to wrap pipes to keep cool.