well i figured i show you guys and gals what header wrap does damage wise to headers
the thermal fatigue can be seen pretty well , the turbo(eclipse) header the hole you can see , the metal around it you could push in like rubber
also you can see the pattern left behind from the wrap
im linking the pics due to their size
http://www.azjbo.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=108
http://www.azjbo.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=107
wraped headers are not good for street use , its usually best to wrap the other parts near the header that are of the most concern of getting burnt ot hot
the wrap doesnt allow the metal to heat cycle properly , it also keep the moisture inside the wrap which will also rust the header out alot quicker
enjoy the pics
That's sexy. So how well does the ceramic coating on some headers work in comparison? I've always heard that wrap does the best to keep temps down, and if you've got the cash flow to replace headers all the time, fine, but most of us don't.
ceramic coatings work really well , they allow the header to heat cycle alot better
more heat stays inside the tube , and gets expelled out the back , and the coating helps to protect the header better from rust or corrosion
the wrap actually keeps the heat in between the wrap and the outside of the tube
and you can actually touch a wraped header with out getting burnt , but the down side is the damage it causes
Wrapping will sometimes cause an overheated cat, since its not used to having temps that high.
Luckily, I pulled all my wrap off before it got that bad. It was starting to corrode around the flange when I stripped it.
I'll be the first to agree that the wrapping is what caused the premature failure of my Pace Setter header. But seeing as how I still got 2+ years out of it and that it looked AMAZING wrapped, I'd do it again.
Figures I had to buy a new one this summer JUST before the car went into storage for the 3800 S/C swap!!! Bah
lol i wish i had a camera right now to take pics of my pacesetter header that i only had for 9 months it has a huge hole on the number 3 primary. lol
Nice pics
Jeff
While i do agree on the wrap part being hardon the metal, after you wrapped the header you have to coat the wrap with a coating that keeps the water out and helps to protect the wrap. I have done this in the past and gotten several years out of a set of headers and when i removed them and removed the wrap they were like brand new, and this was a daily driver.
Also another thing is you are suppose to put the wrap on with it wet, and then let the header fully air dry on its own and then spray it with the protective coating and then intall in the car, they say if you just install it wet and think that th heat wil dry it, while it will it wil alsostart the rusting and corrosipon process faster.
And i do believe it is the best way to control the heat.
Mike
1992 GMC Sonoma GT #492. Oh, Its just a stock V6!
1999 Cavalier Coupe, daily driver, 2200/M5. Mods and pics are in my registry.
+
That pretty much says it all.
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If the header wrap caused the metal to rust, why are the flanges also rusted?
ouch... that is definitely carnage.
I was a retard, and now I'm permanently banned.
rust is a normal process , the wrap causes the area to rust and blow out alot faster
that's just hideous. I'm gonna have nightmares
-Chris
IamRascal wrote:that's just hideous. I'm gonna have nightmares
and my job is done
LOL
coulda been worse i coulda put some ketsup on um , LOL
good post.
i;m seeling alot of headers failing around here as well that are wrapped. mainly from the heat cycle deal and not being allowed to expand during that process, which in a nut shell is like trying to expand your lungs with an iron vest on...
ceramic all the way, and if you need a thicker coating, check out swain tech.
My neighbor has a 350 in his P.U. and had clear-coated his wrapped header. The header blew a hole at the collector. Looked new, except for stress marks and a hole in it. No rust though. I told him to get a ceramic one, and he should be fine. I'll give him the link to this page. Awesome topic!
It is an old thread, but at least I did the search.
From what I am hearing, the header wraps wont let the header expand when hot and it also rusts the headers by locking in the water.
If you have a stainless steel header, wouldn't it prevent it from rusting?
Also, here is an ad for the second generation Thermo Tec wrap:
Quote:
Better wrap for your exhaust.
These Thermo-Tec Generation II copper header wraps are designed to improve heat resistance by up to 30 percent over current technology, by utilizing a new proprietary coating developed by Thermo-Tec. They create more horsepower and reduce underhood temperatures, increase exhaust scavenging, withstand continuous heat up to 2,000 degrees F, and contain no asbestos. Locking ties are sold separately.
The first gen Thermo- Tec states that it allows the header to expand.
I don't know what to do, I don't want to have hot under hood temps and dry rot all my hoses and electronics.
But I also do not want to have my header blow out.
Any suggestions?
My wife's 2003 Ecotec 2.2 liter Sunfire:
* 2 1/4 inch turbo muffler
* 2 1/4 piping to a 2 1/2 inch resonator
* 2 1/4 inch catalytic converter
* 2 1/2 inch down-pipe
* a match ported 4:2:1 RK Sports 'clone' header
* an AEM true cold air intake NOPI edition
* 8 gauge ground wire kit
* Toyz front strut brace
* Vibrant rear strut brace
* and Russell stainless steel brake lines all around.
Mike85220 wrote:I don't know what to do, I don't want to have hot under hood temps and dry rot all my hoses and electronics.
But I also do not want to have my header blow out.
Any suggestions?
DO NOT DO HEADER WRAP. end of discussion. your under hood temps will be fine. thank you for searching. i think there have been more recent threads than this.
____________________________________________________________________________
my carDomain updated 5/8/09 Goal to be forged by Labor Day!
I wraped the OBX header I was using and after a few years I sold it to someone else. As far as I know he is still using it two years later with the same wrap on it. I guess its all personal choice.
I saw Edubs(CobaltSS.net) RD Fabs header that was wrapped for 2 years(i believe). It looked brand new and showed no signs of any decomposition. Of course it was made from 304 stainless steel.
Swearing off header wrap is too broad. I wouldnt use it in any of Pacesetter's crap, but a header that is made from a quality stainless steel i would.
Tinkles
2003 Cavalier 1SV
Bagged and Blown
My tsudo is made from cheap stanless but I wonder it would do allright wrapped.
Don't buy from MANTAPART!!
There is no easy ways to get HP, no magic box or gizmo... And if you get more hp, there's no way to make your car still behave and sound like a stock one. More hp usually makes your car louder, more vibrations and harder to drive...but still people hope or think maby there's some magic way to have it all, comfort, stock sound and drive.
I'm using "Header Jackets" for almost 3 years and as of now no issues. Now you don't want moisture trapped on the material.... turn on your engine, within a minute what ever moisture you have on the material will be evaporated.
Under hood temps with the header on and without these jackets was unacceptably hot.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
i still dont understand how moisture can get 'trapped'. the header gets over 1000 degress. that moisture would be completely boiled off.
I'm tired of wasting my time... now I'm breakin' free.
FastFireTwoTwo wrote:My tsudo is made from cheap stanless but I wonder it would do allright wrapped.
I'm gonna wrap mine on race day only
the links didnt work for me.....
horsepower is the force that determines at what speed you hit the wall, torque is the force that determines how far you take the wall with you after you hit it.
