Thermo Wrap... Is It Actualy Decent?

[chef_stagea]

hi all

wondering if this thermo wrap is actualy any good? seen a few cars supporting it

would like to head from anyone whos done it, brands to stay clear of, power increases, or any other bits to add to the melting pot

im unsure as to how it works on exhaust... is it to keen the head in the manifold/pipes, to reduce heat soak to pre engine bits, or are there other reason...

also i rarely see intercooler pipes with any on it...

[Big Fella]

if your exhaust is mild steel then stay away from wrapping it. seen a few cases of front pipes rusting out fairly quickly(even to the point of my mates 13BT front pipe collapsing in on itself).

Ceramic coating is the way to go for ultimate heat protection

[chef_stagea]

Wats the reasoning for such serious fast rust??

I think my catback is but 99% of front pipes are stainless... Much reason u wd do the catback anyway??

if your exhaust is mild steel then stay away from wrapping it. seen a few cases of front pipes rusting out fairly quickly(even to the point of my mates 13BT front pipe collapsing in on itself).

Ceramic coating is the way to go for ultimate heat protection

[Daleo]

hi all

wondering if this thermo wrap is actualy any good? seen a few cars supporting it

would like to head from anyone whos done it, brands to stay clear of, power increases, or any other bits to add to the melting pot

im unsure as to how it works on exhaust... is it to keen the head in the manifold/pipes, to reduce heat soak to pre engine bits, or are there other reason...

also i rarely see intercooler pipes with any on it...

Heat wrap/ lagging is predominantly used to protect surrounding components from heat damage in the case of exhausts. There is an amount of evidence to show keeping the heat in the pipes also improves gas flow due to higher temp as opposed to cooling (shrinking) gas where heat is shed. I'd stay away from heat wrapping intercooler pipes, unless they were routed near the exhaust, the pipe will shed heat better without it.

I'm just using steam pipe lagging on my dump & front pipe, it was easily available to me through work, and performs the same as any other type of "specialist " heat wraps for cars.

Resist the temptation to paint it though, you will be subjected to a life of burning paint fumes until you finally give up and remove it; as my friend found out...

+1 with Big Fella on mild steel, use only on stainless.

[SMOKEYV35]

my understanding was that it was more the domain of cars with high mounts and big tuned length manifolds that put a lot of the 'hot bits' quite high up in the engine bay etc - and obviously cars that are doing serious work. all the reasons above obviously apply. other things can be as simple as it protects the paint work from being damaged from heat exposure as well as other plastic and rubber bits that live in engine bays.

i guess there would be an arguement that it would keep underbonnet temps down on a stock car, but i think a simple cold air feed would probably do more and be better at overcoming heatsoak.

the stuff is also frightfully expensive! i think your money is better spent elsewhere unless you're planning on a 35/40 highmounted to a 6boost, but if you ARE then go for it!

[pipster11]

for the cost, you may as well get the stock cast manifold hpc coated inside and out

like some ppl said, it keeps the heat in = larger volume of gas = faster gas flow

will also cool down your engine bay no end

get your dump done at the same time, thats about the only sections to worry about getting it done to

[RubyRS4]

It adds 10+kw. Tough as

[chef_stagea]

So blue mesh would be a better option roo??

So it would do more holding heat in, than protecting it in i/c piping??

Im not in the market for it, just saw a bit if it and wanted to know more about it,

And yes yes its not cheap!

It adds 10+kw. Tough as

[eXquiSit]

why not ceramic coat mild steel parts then heat wrap it?

the ceramic coat is used also as an antirust correct?

[Stinky Rooster]

ceramic coating and heat wrapping do 2 very different things and you need to be aware of which one you are chasing.

Ceramic coating is a heat barrier that inhibits heat transfer to other parts of the engine (ie exhaust manifold to cylinder head) because, as we all know, heat = less power (inside the air pump we call an engine, anyway) Used on the entire exhaust side of the engine process, it forces the exhaust to carry away "waste" heat and not let it soak into the engine, whereby forcing undue load on to the heat exchange cuircuit.

Thermo wrapping of exhausts is a different kettle of fish altogether, and especially on race cars, is not there to stop the heat being absorbed into other engine components, its to keep the heat in the pipes. If it was to stop radiation then simple waffle shields would be used (like on factory set ups) combined with an efficient CAI setup.

The main reason for its use is because a gas's volume will increase in proportion to its temperature, which in turn increases its pressure. Exactly how much benefit this would provide in a turbo charged car I am yet to be convinced of, but in a NA application, when combined with a free flowing exhauist and a well designed set of extractors, it increases pulse scavenging by a huge amount, which in turn provides many ecomony and power advantages.

[KezR33]

It hides my shiny HPC aftermarket extractors from the piggies' eyes.

[eXquiSit]

ceramic coating and heat wrapping do 2 very different things and you need to be aware of which one you are chasing.

Ceramic coating is a heat barrier that inhibits heat transfer to other parts of the engine (ie exhaust manifold to cylinder head) because, as we all know, heat = less power (inside the air pump we call an engine, anyway) Used on the entire exhaust side of the engine process, it forces the exhaust to carry away "waste" heat and not let it soak into the engine, whereby forcing undue load on to the heat exchange cuircuit.

Thermo wrapping of exhausts is a different kettle of fish altogether, and especially on race cars, is not there to stop the heat being absorbed into other engine components, its to keep the heat in the pipes. If it was to stop radiation then simple waffle shields would be used (like on factory set ups) combined with an efficient CAI setup.

The main reason for its use is because a gas's volume will increase in proportion to its temperature, which in turn increases its pressure. Exactly how much benefit this would provide in a turbo charged car I am yet to be convinced of, but in a NA application, when combined with a free flowing exhauist and a well designed set of extractors, it increases pulse scavenging by a huge amount, which in turn provides many ecomony and power advantages.

is this to say you are not suppose to ceramic coat and thermal wrap the entire exhaust side?

because wouldnt it be a double hit if you do a coat and a wrap?

[Stagea_Neo]

keep away from the wrap, it absorbs moisture, hence the rust.

[chef_stagea]

wow quite a can of worms ive opened here

so are we kinda agreeing that its not worthy of putting on an exhaust of a street style car??

i was kinda looking at ways to stop heat soaking into the intercooler pipes and alike (pre-engine components obviously)...

would you attack this by stopping heat coming off the exhaust, and leaving the cooler alone, or would you wrap the cooler pipes... while locking in what heat is there while your at it...

[Daleo]

wow quite a can of worms ive opened here

so are we kinda agreeing that its not worthy of putting on an exhaust of a street style car??

i was kinda looking at ways to stop heat soaking into the intercooler pipes and alike (pre-engine components obviously)...

would you attack this by stopping heat coming off the exhaust, and leaving the cooler alone, or would you wrap the cooler pipes... while locking in what heat is there while your at it...

No, definitely worth putting an exhaust on a street car.

If you want to insulate pipework post intercooler, go for it, I'd resist insulating pre intercooler; you'll be able to shed some heat there.

[chef_stagea]

Just zorst manifold and dump pipe...?? My cat back isnt stainless so more money than its worth there... And with cooler i was just thinking as it came back into engine bay...

Do u just do a single layer or over lap effectivly giving u double layering

No, definitely worth putting an exhaust on a street car.

If you want to insulate pipework post intercooler, go for it, I'd resist insulating pre intercooler; you'll be able to shed some heat there.

[Daleo]

Just zorst manifold and dump pipe...?? My cat back isnt stainless so more money than its worth there... And with cooler i was just thinking as it came back into engine bay...

Do u just do a single layer or over lap effectivly giving u double layering

On mine; I insulated Dump, and front pipe, leaving cat exposed, with a 50% overlap, this took me to level with the back seat. Again, you mightn't want to get that excited, my wrap was free . Do your exhaust manifold if you like, I'd be happy with the factory heat shield in most cases.

[JayM35]

Just don't wrap stainless, especially cheap chinese manifolds.

Ceramic coating is where it's at

[southern_tango]

Hey,Chef ,I had the same doubt as you so my cheap ass solution was the ACL heat shield, still hot around but not direct radiant from my Xforce ss dump pipe,did it about 8 months ago ,so far so good ...

Cost me $45 +$5 on ss ties, you can see it in the second pic ...