this is a really noobie question but .. could anyone tell me a good place to get thermal wrap? also how would i go about securing the wrap onto the downpipe? zip ties? thanks in advance

 

um... ok i got my thermal wrap (DEI i think??? i cant remember the brand) it was like $50 for a not so large roll (its expensive). i got it from a local performance shop. anyway, there are metal zip ties that can be used (or connect 2 together if theyre not long enough) to secure the wrap in a few places, especially @ the ends. also, wear glovs and long sleve shirt... i didnt (its made of glass particles) and it will really irritate your skin!! -heath

 

summit racing

 

I've heard mixed results about this, i posted a thread awhile back about this and the majority posts were "Heat wrap melted my header / downpipe." So I decided to not use it.

 

The only reason that you shouldn't use it is if you have a mild steel DP, it will cause it to rust and wear out a little faster.

The two main benefits to using it, lower engine bay temps, improved exhaust flow.

Summit is a good place to purchase it.

 

If you have a mild steet pipe, just paint the pipe really well before wrapping it. I used the DEI wrap and DEI high temp paint with good results. I painted the pipe then wrapped it then painted the wrap. Turned out really nice. I think I got it from Summit.

 

What if you have a stainless steel pipe? Is it OK to use?

 

Oh yeah the kit from summit comes with the stainless ties to secure it. Or you can just use stainless hose clamps. I think the stainless hose clamps are easier to use. The metal zip ties are a pain in the butt. They have a little metal ball in them (part of the securing mechanism) that can pop out and hide from you.

 

I have used it on both types with no problems. I think the lower underhood temps make the wrap worth the money. I wraped my T78 down pipe and I could really tell the difference, my LIM stayed alot cooler to the touch than before. I bought the DEI turbo wrap kit, which also comes with the stuff to wrap the down pipe. I have another roll of wrap which I will sell for 30 bucks shipped. I paid 37.00 for it before shipping. It is DEI wrap.

 

Is it enough to cover 1 whole DP? You take PayPal? Is it a 2" or 1" width? How many ft. is left?

 

Way more than enough, it is a 2" x 50' roll. It is a brand new roll. I didn't know the Turbo wrap kit came with the down pipe wrap too. So I had ordered both. I take Paypal. mahoneybrady@aol.com
Thanks,

 

HAH, just realized you're from Oklahoma.

Why don't I just hand you cash and you hand it to me so you don't have to pay for shipping.

 

mail order it from jcwhitney or summit or jegs. also, tie wrap??? you gotta be kidding me right? in anycase, use worm clamps

 

O wait, where the heck is Wilburton? I'm near OKC.

 

I am about 30 miles east of Mcalester. It is a 3 to 3 1/2 hour drive to OKC for me.

 

PM me with your phone# we might meet up somewhere? Did you go to that last RX-7 get togther in Tulsa last year. It was on May 31st. I can't wait till the next one.

 

Is it OK to wrap the pipe w/o spraying it with the high temp stuff?

 

here's my pipe.... wrapped a week ago... smoked like HELL for a long time and smelled like burning pineapples .... anyway, i dont know if im having exhaust problems but the wrap doesnt seem to be working as it GLOWS as well as everything else under there! the wrap used to be black.... now its charred white!! (you can see the metal zip ties in the picture....

 

The main problem with using exh wrap is that it pushes the heat back into the metal which can cause stress cracks, usually at the welds. If the exhaust components are quality built this would not be an issue. And just use some good SS hose clamps (1 on each end) to hold the wrap...as long as it is a tight spiral that would be all that's necessary to hold it.

 

If you have a stainless pipe it will be OK without the paint. If you have mild steel pipe don't wrap it unless you paint it with DEI high temp silicone paint first. Or some other proven header paint. Other wise the wrap will hold water against the pipe and rust it out.

Mine smoked for about 30 minutes. The heat cures the paint. The DEI header wrap is a tan color before it is painted with the silver DEI high temp paint. Which has NOT cooked off the down pipe on my T78 I painted it some time last summer. I also painted my turbo with it that DEI paint is some good stuff. I tried some other brand (high temp silver paint from wal-mart) before that, just on my bare down pipe. It immediately bubbled up and peeled right off in big flakes.

 

i wonder if ceramic coating the DP's and turbo manifolds would be a better solution to this problem?

 

Yes, I think it would. But I am in the sticks without access to ceramic coating. And my car is my daily driver so I couldn't just take it apart and wait for it to be mailed back and forth. If my car wasn't my daily driver I would have went with ceramic. Maybe next time.

 

I was thinking the same or maybe JET HOT?

http://www.jet-hot.com/pages/whyjethot.html

 

whats the difference between ceramic coating and jet hot? where can one get ceramic coating done?

 

I also think you should jet-hot coat it. I have used thermal wrap on three different cars and it works perfectly fine. However, if I would have had the time I would have had the downpipe jet-hot coated instead of wrapping it. From my experience I have found that the jet-hot coat keeps it a little bit cooler in the engine bay since the wrap essentially absorbs the heat and holds it in the engine bay. It does cut down the heat considerably, but I will have my downpipe jet-hot coated if I ever have to replace it.

About the smoking. The thermal wrap will typically smoke for a little while. After you wrap the pipe for the first time you need to let the car idle for a while with the hood open. What happens is that the thermal wrap tends to bake into the form that you wrapped around the pipe and it will give off a little bit of smoke for a while. The smoke should go away after a day or two of driving around and idling. This is a perfectly normal thing for the wrap and you should not panic when you see if smoking.

I noticed that some people are using metal zip ties, clamps and other things. We just use a heavy gauge wire and wrap it around the thermal wrap at both ends and then twist the ends of the wire together several time with a set of pliers until it appears to be snug. I have done this on three different cars with no ill effects so far and I track two of the cars.

- Cody