toddk911

OK. That is what I was thinking because if there were all these cases of fires and manifolds being crap after 2 years, there would be no one still buying and using it.

JET951

exactly

special tool

Okay - Noone is really wrong here.....

The fires are ALWAYS caused by flamable fluids, and NEVER by the wrap.

HOWEVER - because the wrap tends to dry out, it is quick to absorb and HOLD more flamable fluids - indirectly leading to ignition.

The bottom line is, if you are going to maintain or frequently check for oil leaks and want more energy retention between head and turbo - use the wrap.

toddk911

Cool ST, thanks!

When did you find time to learn to ski jump????? LOL!!!

tconn

Jet951, yes the coolant lit up. I was surprised too.

That being said, I still have the headers wrapped and will be wrapping
the crossover next because it works. I check for leaks more offten now.

JDeitz951

Wrapping increases power. That's why porsche wrapped our exhaust in the first place.

The alusil block will melt before ceramic will "turn to dust". That's why our exhaust ports are lined with it.

If your car leaks flammable fluids, you have a fire risk, wrap or not.

Our headers are stainless steel. They dont rust.

Wrap looks cool.

Rogue_Ant

How about wrap vs ceramic coating?


Rogue

Bri Bro

Antifreeze is made from ethylene glycol and it will burn after the water in the solutuon vaporizes. Note the auto ignition temp of 748F.

ETHYLENE GLYCOL
Fire:
Flash point: 111C (232F) CC
Autoignition temperature: 398C (748F)
Flammable limits in air % by volume:
lel: 3.2; uel: 15.3
Slight to moderate fire hazard when exposed to heat or flame.
Explosion:
Above flash point, vapor-air mixtures are explosive within flammable limits noted above. Containers may explode when involved in a fire.

special tool

And that is very close to the exact idle temperature of all 4 of my header pipes 1 inch from the head.

JDeitz951

FWIW: A few months ago, before I wrapped mine, I researched the forums and somewhere I saw a post that said the surface temp of the cermaic was higher than that of the wrap, meaning the wrap insulated better.

And you know if it says so on a forum, it must be true...

Bri Bro

So, the wrap (old, dryed out) absorbes the antifreeze solution and holds it over the very hot header while the water in the solution vaporizes at 212F, then the ethylene glycol auto ignites as it is heated to 748F. I would be more worried about oil but the burning of antifreeze can happen.

reno808

Can you spary somthing to the header wrap to prevent this?

KuHL 951

I think it all comes down to maintenance. My headers, x-over, and downpipe are wrapped past the starter and I try to keep nuisance leaks under control. Every so often when the car has been sitting for 2 weeks or so I'll get 'The Smell' but no real worries. In the case of a full blowout of oil or fuel the least of my problems is the header wrap...I have a fire to put out none the less, wrap or not. Personally I would prefer a pre-formed hard shell metallic sheathing over the wrap job...but it's not available. The significant performance gains from retaining lost heat is not a myth but there is always a better way to do it. Ceramic coatings and linings are great but it doesn't take much failed lining to screw up a wheel at these rpms so I keep all ceramic coatings on the exterior for now and add the wrap. Check out the exhaust passages of your head next time and these were done under perfect conditions. I've never seen a perfect one yet but I'm a noob.

billindenver

Having seen the fire first hand caused by oil on wrapped manifolds, I can tell you it was no where near a full blowout of oil. It was a small leak from the rear of the cam tower that went unnoticed. Since unwrapping, and in the many track miles since I've had numerous oil leaks...and no fires. The wrap acts like a wick in an oil lamp.

We often do many things that endanger our cars, track time, street racing, putting GWB can blow me stickers on the windows......but intentionally risking fire more than once is not my bag.

Bill

TheRealLefty

Like anything else, wrapping is a risk-reward-cost continuum.

If the question is "does it work?"....sure does.

If the question is "Is this the least expensive way to beneficially increase exhaust temperatures at the header?"....sure is.

If the question is "Are there ways to accomplish the same outcome with less risk of fire?"....sure are.

Do these other ways cost more?...sure do.

So is it worth the risk?....for the guys who do it and never have a problem....you bet....for the guys who've had problems...probably not.

And thus it goes for everything from running 20 psi with a Guru chip and a Wide Fire installed under your shade tree to buying a $45K motor from JME