I use headers a lot. I get burned hide when trying to tune while headers are hot. Is there a good and better or best header wrap to consider. Do they work as you would think they should ? Anyone have a good technique for putting wrap on and securing it ? Pictures please of installations, especially new/different ideas...if any.
Header wrap will reduce radiated heat but not eliminate it. Whether it reduces temps enough to prevent burns will depend on where on the pipe it is. Close to the head or at turns, probably not. It also has the tendency to attract and hold moisture when cooling, so it can rot a set of headers faster than you'd think under the right conditions.
I use Safety Wire to secure it in more than one place. It's cheap. Replaceable, etc... Just remember to pigtail the ends to lessen the chance of cutting yourself.
Forget the wrap. If you want cooler headers get them coated inside and out with Jet Hot. It's available in a few different colors and will make your headers last longer, not kill them faster like wrap. SPark
AND...just how long does it take for this "rotting" some of you experts mention ? I've been using this - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dei-010127 For MANY years on good stainless headers, cheap stainless and YES, good ol carbon steel headers..! The carbon steel header was on both my moms 454 in her Monte Carlo and my 67 Chevy II. The Monte Carlo (her daily driver) went for about 6 years before it was sold. Funny...no leaks from any...rust thru. My Chevy II (daily driver) went for almost 7 years before it was sold. Home made custom headers on that car. And again...NO leaks from any...rot..! And yea...both cars were driven in the rain...hence the "daily driver" comment. On about 7 motorcycles with varying degree of quality, stainless headers...and over 100,000 miles on 4 of'em with three still under my care...and the same outcome...no rot..! Also...driven in the rain, and washed as required..! So...please explain this "rot" some of you mention. Mike
If you drive the vehicle every day, the process is much slower. Vehicles that only see occasional driving, I've seen the wrap destroy a set of headers in less than a year... This stuff is really meant for the turbo boys. There, more heat kept in the exhaust before it gets to the turbo means more power plus it helps keep engine compartment temps down.
Stainless headers aren't going to rust anyway. Mild steel tubing headers, yes, they will rust faster with wrap on them. And that will depend on the quality of the headers too. I have seen cheap unwrapped headers rust out in a few years. My last race car I built in 2003 had a set of hooker headers I put on it that were made in 1971... Sent from my Moto G Play using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Have witnessed a few fires resulting from header wrappings that managed to absorb various flammables like motor oils, hydraulic fluids, etc, over the years. Not common, but it does happen.
I have wrapped headers on bikes with the copper style stuff and it looks great but the rumors are true, it does speed up corrosion. The bikes i wrapped had chrome pipes and the chrome looked like brown fur after a season. Tie wire with the proper tool works great. Its a locking pliars with a knob on the end that you pull and it twists the pliers and tightens the wire. Motocross racers use it for their handgrips etc.
My 36 ford pickup has hooker shorty headers on a small block chev, they were wrapped spring of 1997, still wrapped, along with about two feet of pipe behind them, 100,000 miles now, all kinds of weather. No rot.
There are stainless steel tie wraps (aka: cable ties and zip ties) available in all the usual sizes. You put 'em on, pull 'em tight and trim the tails just like the nylon type. https://www.amazon.com/Vktech-100pc...D=41sL1hNxSVL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
I had header wrap on my blown small block for years, recently removed it and had them blasted and coated. The reason for this was purely aesthetic. After all those years, I had concerns about the condition the headers would be in, but they were perfect. I will admit though, only the first 12 inches or so from the head was wrapped. Not having the wrap go all the way down to the collector stopped it collecting moisture from driving in the rain, but this allowed me to check plugs at the track and kept heat away from engine wiring, starter, etc. As for installation, the brand I used said to wet it down immediately before application, I ran it through a bucket of water as I was applying it and it worked very well. I also used the stainless tie wraps as "The Shifter Wizard" suggests.
Used it lots over the years oval racing.....worked fine for me, and does make it safer to work without too many blisters. It is ugly. Saved a couple of kiddie blisters after the races too.
Thanks to all for your input/help , regarding this subject. Learned several things/ideas/tips that I wasn't aware of also ! I do believe in 'coating' the headers...inside and outside. This 'encourages' the heat to exit faster for better flow, I've been advised many years ago. Just always wondered about the 'wraps' ..every time after loosing a vaporized patch of hide. Yeah, letting it cool down prior to doing some things, is only prudent. However, there are tuning operations that a better done with warmed up engine ! Don't think that I'll be around long enough to worry about good headers rotting, although there is evidence given here both ways on the rot idea.
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