Header wrap... Thoughts?

[apostle228]

So I know a few pros and cons of header wrap... biggest pro being obviously lower temps in engine bay... Biggest con being accelerated deterioration of the headers due to trapped moisture, chemicals, etc...

What are all your thoughts on it? I am considering buying brand new headers, but dont want to shell out the extra cash for ceramic coated... I'm not building any extreme race-winning vehicle so it doesnt matter enough to me to go that route... SO... if I buy brand new headers that arent ceramic coated, should I wrap them or leave them as-is? What are your thoughts?

 

[Photon440]

I think it depends on where you live. In Washington, it's been known to rain now and then.

I'd probably still wrap them, but brush on some hi temp aluminum paint first. I say brush rather than spray, because the mechanical action of the brush usually promotes better adhesion than a spray bomb.

-=Photon440=-

 

[Tempest 455]

Ceramic coat before wrap!

 

[super-bee_ski]

X2

Leave as is OR:

Header Wrap is great for magazine "Street Rods" and "Ol Harleys" but the wrap goes thru moisture / dry cycles and stretches and looks like crap. Do as Tempest 455 suggests and spend the xtra $$ for ceramic coated headers

 

[Cranky]

Saw a buddy go through his headers in less than a year after he wrapped them...mine lasted 15 years with just a paint job. I won't wrap anything with that stuff.

 

[HT413]

My car came with wrapped headers. Not sure how old they were when I got me but the wrap looked brand new. After 1 year in NJ, I need new headers.

 

[Jonnyuma]

There's a thread here on FBBO about rusting ceramic coated headers...it ain't pretty.
The wrap isn't so great for real-world cars due to the reasons stated above: they promote rust.

 

[Gpuller]

Here is my driver side header. It was 15+ years old but they'd still be on the car if I didnt wrap it. Passenger header was fine.
New headers did not get wrapped.

 

[Cranky]

That's what my buddies looked like.....

 

[apostle228]

Interesting inputs, thanks all... So, now I have another question then... If I do as Photon440 suggested and paint them first, then it seems to me that rust wouldnt be as much of an issue am I right? that extra barrier there would keep the moistue off of the metal, so while they may deteriorate a bit faster than with no wrap at all, the wrap retaining moisture wouldnt be such a big deal if the headers were painted first am I right?Seems like paint then wrap would be kind of a good option... As long as the paint has good adhesion... I am not dead set on wrapping them or anything, I am just thinking max performance per dollar, saving a couple hundred bucks by painting and wrapping instead of going with the ceramic coated would be nice...

 

[super-bee_ski]

What is your application?
Headers are nice
TTI Ceramic coated are the pinnacle BUT there are many great companies out there.
SUMMITT RACING has a nice set, can be coated etc.
Check them out, nice price!

 

[Cranky]

Interesting inputs, thanks all... So, now I have another question then... If I do as Photon440 suggested and paint them first, then it seems to me that rust wouldnt be as much of an issue am I right? that extra barrier there would keep the moistue off of the metal, so while they may deteriorate a bit faster than with no wrap at all, the wrap retaining moisture wouldnt be such a big deal if the headers were painted first am I right?Seems like paint then wrap would be kind of a good option... As long as the paint has good adhesion... I am not dead set on wrapping them or anything, I am just thinking max performance per dollar, saving a couple hundred bucks by painting and wrapping instead of going with the ceramic coated would be nice...

The wrap keeps the heat in the tube and imo, they run much hotter than without and that's part of the problem. Paint generally burns off over time but run the tubes hotter, and the paint will burn off faster and then you have bare metal again. It's not so much that you have a rust issue, but also have a high running temp issue. Put both together and you have metal that simply goes away.

 

[MikeyT]

Hate it, blew a nickel sized hole in a set of headers .
I won't use again

Mike

 

[apostle228]

Very good point with the extra head burning off the paint Cranky, I had't thought of that. As for my application, just a street-driven Satellite with a 318 in it, (may swap to a 360 in the future, to be seen)... maybe the occasional trip to the track once every great while... Not some crazy race machine or show winner either, so thats why I was hesitant to shell out so much for something like TTI ceramic coated... I think that I may end up going ceramic coated after all though, because I did a quick price-up on everything, and when its all said and done, after buying headers, paint, wrap, steel lock-ties, it would cost me only $100 more to buy a set of Doug's ceramic coated headers... And for that kind of savings, is it really worth it? I might as well just buy the ceramic coated ones...