Ok, so I've done some searching and there seems to be two camps... Camp One say; "If you put header wrap on you'll ruin your header because the wrap holds moisture and it'll rust it out"... This doesn't make a lot of sense to me water boils at 212F and any residual moisture would boil off within minutes of warm up. You'd also have to assume once you've parked for the evening, the header would be nice and toasty, so even if you drove through every puddle in a driving rainstorm, your header would continue to flash off any moisture while it cools down.... so unless you're allowing water to soak the wrap once the car cools down...how can the moisture remain?
Camp Two says go ahead and wrap'em...keeps the engine bay cooler and has no ill effects.

Don't want to start a war here....just want to figure out what the truth is.

 

I'm in Camp Three, which also does not support header wrap. My experience may be extreme or atypical, but leaving Grattan after running an open track day lunch session, my wrapped RB header shattered. It sounded like I was running over a bunch of metal coat hangers. Since then, I’ve had no issues during more rigorous full track days, with an unwrapped RB header.

 

Why start a new thread here when theres one already going for this in the NA
section: https://www.rx7club.com/naturally-aspirated-performance-forum-220/whats-everyones-opinion-heat-wrap-926199/

 

Thanks TG....I normally don't search outside the 1st gen section, the post I read there were mostly opinions ...and not much fact.

Forgive me, but it seems like guys with outlandish tales seem to scream "DON'T DO IT!", while the more rational (and usually more knowledgeable) members will either say, "yeah, the stuff works", or "It won't hurt...but I don't use it".

I just want to know the facts....so far what I gather is satan doesn't make header to ruin perfectly good headers.

 

Header Wrap....that was suppose to say, satan doesn't make header wrap to ruin perfectly good headers....

 

facts are short! the FACT is that really the success of the wrap kind of depends on the thickness and grade of the metal used, PLUS the heat load.

IMO i think the moisture thing is not really correct. its more like the wrap can overheat the material.

my friend an i wrapped our FD downpipes back in the day, i did mine in 1999, and he did his in maybe 1998.

mine is a nice stainless piece, and it STILL looks fine, and it used to get hot enough you could see the bolts going thru it.

his was a welded up mild steel part, and it failed at the welds, but it hit the body too, so it would have failed anyways. it just happened faster with the wrap

 

Ceramic coat the header inside and out.

 

I've coated my turbo manifold and downpipe with the BHK coating from this company. We'll see what happens next spring when the conversion is complete and running:

http://www.techlinecoatings.com/hi-p...m-coatings.htm

RXDad

 

Header wrap works great for me, "HOWEVER". mine is not a daily driver and almost never sees rain. Since I have a camden sitting above my header it was a great solution for my application

 

So this confuses me...you are looking for answers, presumably based on others' experiences, but the two options that are held up to be "knowledgeable" and "rational" are "yeah, the stuff works" and "It won't hurt...but I don't use it". These are essentially the same.

Forgive my critique; I'm feeling a little irrational, tonight.

 

No need to sweat it .....perhaps I could have worded that a little better. I meant to say: After doing an advanced search and reading those posts in the 1st Gen section (from previously stated search)....blah-blah-blah whatever it was I said that made you feel irrational.

Please let me know if this still confuses you and I'll try to simplify it some more.

 

The point is simple; people post their own opinions and experiences, usually trying to be helpful, and doing so doesn’t warrant labeling them outlandish or stupid.

 

I'm sorry...did I call anybody stupid? Or did you add that to make a point....Please don't misquote me.
I thought I was pretty clear, but I'll try to simplify my point even further. I am asking for facts. I have searched and read numerous posts going back years. I have read a number of posts which seemed outlandish (in my opinion). In my opinion, members like 84Stock, j9fd3s, t_g_ferrel, Trochoid, and Hyper4mance2k, have given clear concise information and backed it up with sound rational discussion. When these guys take the time to offer their opinion it's usually well thought out and backed up with solid evidence and experience. I was merely pointing out that the negative comments I've read usually are from guys who are giving 2nd hand information about a buddy's car that blew up 2 weeks after he added header wrap. I'm not saying it didn't happen, I'm saying I'll listen to Trochoid when he says Get your header ceramic coated inside and out or 84stock when he says "Works great for me..." or t_g_ferrell when he lays out a list of facts and adds his opinion.
I wasn't calling you out nor was I trying to imply your header didn't shatter or that your story is outlandish or stupid....although perhaps you believe I did? If so, that would be your problem not mine.
If you're still confused I'll do my best to simplify my position even further.

 

I've had mine wrapped over a year now. No complaints. Engine bay is noticeably cooler as well.

 

ZOMG! HDR WRP SUXORZ!

Na, just messin' with ya. I would have to say from a logical point of view header wrap has its benefits and downsides. Logically it lowers heat radiated from the header, but this also causes issues. By retaining the heat, thinner walled materials may burn out quicker or fail due to heat cycling. Another thought is that if installed improperly you end up doing more damage than good.

I decided to stay away from the header wrap due to my own desire not to have to wrap the header myself and when with a VHT High Temp paint. Wish I had the money to ceramic coat my header.

Some interesting info I found since you piqued my curiosity on this once more:

http://www.heatshieldproducts.com/header_heat_wrap.php
http://www.centuryperformance.com/ex...e-spg-138.html
http://sccaforums.com/forums/thread/205167.aspx
http://www.350z-tech.com/zwiki/Heade...Header_coating
http://www.takegawa.nl/articles.php?cid=24&id=1

 

When you say not installed right, What do you mean? What can happen if it's done incorrectly? If spots are missed....can that accelerate problems?

Thanks

 

From what I understand, if it is not wrapped properly it will not be as effective and will cause the header to deteriorate faster. Unfortunately I haven't found anything that has been tested and verified so this is essentially just hearsay.

But thinking from a logical point of view, if the header is not wrapped properly, you offer points for corrosion, "hot spots", and so on. I would take a guess that at best you just wasted time and money wrapping a header and not getting any really reduction in temperatures and at worst possibly providing a means to deteriorate it slightly quicker.

Edit: Found a website talking about installation and a little bit of information on it, yes its a Honda... but the theory should be the same. http://www.stockcarracing.com/techar...aps/index.html

 

Thanks

 

I have run one RX-7 with header insulation and the other one is fully ceramic coated. Both RB headers.

The one with ceramic coating runs MUCH hotter than the one wrapped.

I love them wrapped. The RB header is MUCH thicker than the crappy hooker and hedmann headers you hear of failing with V-8 cars.

 

I had my RB wrapped for two years and was in camp 1, adamant that it did nothing wrong. Then I took the wrap off to have dj55b modify the header for a 13B, and lo and behold, there was a spot that was starting to fall apart on one of the elbows. Well, we can't always be right all the time, can we? Lucky for me I was doing the swap otherwise that would have stayed on there and destroyed a pretty important part. One of these days when I remember I'll get it ceramic coated, then maybe try wrapping it again. I have an RE-Speed heatshield to put on once I get around to trimming it.