Header wrap? Does anyone use it?
 

Is it worth the effort? How well does it work at keeping heat out of the engine bay?

I Was Wondering The Same Thing...

And Where To Get It?

If your car sees any rain driving.... Its gonna kill your headers. Just coat em or run em without it. That is unless its dry where you live.

Its personal opinion really. My car sees any weather so wrapping them is out of question.(aside from snow that is)

-Matt

Matt, what's the thinking behind that? Is it that the wrap would increase corrosion of the headers? Mine are stainless steel and I don't think corrosion would be an issue..

mine are coated and i live in az, we have set a new record for going, i thinks its like 120 days without rain, so no problem here lol.

I just need it because my y pipe is close to some plastic fuel lines

I've got them on my '94. If you hold your hand near the primaries you can still feel obvious radiant heat. I'd say it may lower the temp near the exterior by 100 degrees compared to the 1300 degree heat inside the pipe on a dyno pull.

If I had to do it again I wouldn't bother. Come to think of it. I wouldn't bother mod the LT1 at all. I'd go straight for the LS.

I had some on my '70 Chevy. It made a DRASTIC difference in under hood temp. However, it will catch on fire if you get oil on it. I got tranny fluid on mine, and it kept going up in flames every time I'd run the motor. It'll also make them rust like crazy.

I "only use it on the collectors" to keep my o2 sensors nice and warm. Got mine from summit racing equipment. Also bought some header wrap sealer spray from summit. Car does not see rain. Email me if you need install tips.

steer clear from it.
rust
fire
its a pita to put on
looks like shit after 6 months of driving.

coatings are the way to go.
good luck.

unless you are running a turbo and need to lower your temps its not worth it like others have said.

my buddy knows a guy whos header wrap caught fire

Just get them coated. No one really does header wrap anymore.

You're probably better off relocating the fuel lines if it's a real issue. If it's a;; off the shelf items you are using you shouldn't have a problem though.

Persoanlly I wouldn't run it.

Why? - Because although it may reduce the exterior temp in dramatically increases the interior temp of the headers/exhaust. It will essentially superheat them causing more issues than it's worth.

Under bonnet (hood) temps are not nearly as bad as people think, because when you are moving there is a massive air flow in the engine bay. Temp's only rise once you become stationary. If the headers/exhaust are located to near to something, relocate it or the exhaust. The use of heat sheilding (aluminium sheilding) is a good idea as it will create insulation and 'deflect' rather than trap the heat.

Hey what about Coating them. & then wraping them? dose that help more with the heaT?

Yep it helps trap far too much heat inside the header.

Coated or stainless steel headers are all you need. Anything else and you are really just making things hard for yourself with no gain at the end.

Thanks for all the help, gents. The potential for fire is enough to make me steer clear of header wrap. And it sounds like the additional heat that would be kept in the pipes is more of a detriment than it would be to allow the heat into the engine bay.

I have Kooks SS headers. The initial cost made me shy away from getting them coated (additional $250). I retrospect I wish I had shelled out the cash. I still might have it done locally. :bang:

OTOH, I have no fog lights on my car, so I might just fab some ductwork, such that cold air is directed upwards toward the engine.