User 462021

I am just wondering what the benefits of wrapping your headers?

I have my headers off of my bike right now and wondering if it is something worth doing or not...

led

I've been thinking for a while about doing this to my car. What I've been told is that they will help reduce heat in the engine compartment considerably, but since I haven't done it yet I can't say so from experience. On a bike however the headers aren't confined on the engine compartment so I wouldn't say they'll do much as air passing by cools them. Although, like I said, I don't know much about it...

Skip

Tim, there's some truly good info in the archives - last 6 months or so - some very thoughtful responses, and the typical badger game included. Best to read there first for sure.

I'm for ceramic coating over wraps. I like the BMT over the Turkey Club too

Good Luck!

Skip

Ski

Jet Hot coatings. Your exhaust will have the temps cut by almost 200° and they will look outstanding! Intakes are only coated on the outside while exhaust components are coated inside and outside.

<a href="http://www.jet-hot.com" target="_blank">www.jet-hot.com</a>

keith

Here is the info I got on coatings, from one of the coating manufacturers: The coatings will inevitably crack on turbo exhausts, because the temperatures, while not exceeding the limit of the coating, will expand the metal beneath the coating (the coating will not expand). Eventually, heat cycles cause cracking in the coating.

However, George Roffe has been running a very good coating for a year now - let's hear how it is holding up.

As far as exhaust goes, I'd personally use Swain's stuff there. Jet Hot would be acceptable in other spots, in my mind.

The wrap won't crack with the metal expansion, and if it did, it is only ~$50.00 or so...!

ram_one

The major benefit to wrap over coating is cost. About $70 to do the whole header.
It does reduce underhood temps considerably. Many have posted that the wrap will shorten the lifespan of the headers.

keith

keith

[quote] Many have posted that the wrap will shorten the lifespan of the headers. <hr></blockquote>

On our cars (stainless headers)? Or mild steel Chevy headers?

If anyone has evidenced this life-shortening effect of wrap, please post! I need to know before I wrap my own!

If it is just hearsay, well we need to know that, also.

Geo

[quote]Originally posted by keith:
<strong>Here is the info I got on coatings, from one of the coating manufacturers: The coatings will inevitably crack on turbo exhausts, because the temperatures, while not exceeding the limit of the coating, will expand the metal beneath the coating (the coating will not expand). Eventually, heat cycles cause cracking in the coating.

However, George Roffe has been running a very good coating for a year now - let's hear how it is holding up.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I wasn't able to get the heat shields off. With the FWD layout on my car and little space between the turbo and the fans, it's hard to get in there. I tried to get the main shield off, but there is a bolt somewhere that is hidden. I'll try to find my assembly photos and find out where that bolt is and see if I can get to it w/o removing the radiator.

That said, for header, you won't have any trouble, or at least I didn't have any trouble. On my heavily built NA engine I used a header coated with Swain's White Lightning for a year and it held up great. No issues what so ever. I had to pull the engine from the car however, so I only have a year's experience with the header. The turbine housing might be a little more prone to cracking than the header on a turbo car.

[quote]Originally posted by keith:
<strong>As far as exhaust goes, I'd personally use Swain's stuff there. Jet Hot would be acceptable in other spots, in my mind.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I personally would only use Swain products. Basically all the other coaters out there use derivation of the Jethot coatings which in the case of header coatings is not much more than ceramic paint.

A little story about the White Lightning coating....

When I was researching my article for Sport Compact Car I sat down with Richard at Swain to discuss their coatings and he related a great story about White Lightning.

They have a client that has underground locomotives and they needed to reduce the surface temperature of a manifold from 925 deg F to 425 degrees F. They tried several other coaters who could only bring down the temps a couple hundred degrees. They finally turned to Swain who got it down to 475 deg F on the first try and with a little thicker application on the second try they hit 425 deg F.

On a personal note, I ran my G20 for 2 years as an NA with a header. My car's under-hood temps are now cooler with the turbo and the White Lightning coatings than it was when it was NA with a more conventional coating on the header.

True stories.

Ski

I have several thousand miles on the exhaust, cross over pipe, and turbo down pipe and they are still as new; the Jet Hot Sterling 1300. I also have 8 years on the intake and exhaust manifolds on my boat, which does run much cooler than the 951, but they are also still as new. I figure if it will hold up for NASA and afterburners on aircraft,,it will hold up for a while in a 951.