How effective is exhaust wrap tape

ZenArcher · Postby **ZenArcher** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 8:54 pm

Anyone use this stuff?

Don't bother telling me to get my extractors ceramic coated - it's not an option as I can't be without my MX (being a daily driver) as I need it to get to work etc.

So I am looking at the exhaust wrap tape. At around $20 for 10 metres x 2inches wide and 3mm thick from autobarn, I would think that I should only need about 5 metres or less for each pipe so will only need to spend about $40 plus 8 hose clamps.

The guy at the shop said it is really effective and thinks that it is worth extra horsepower as well as reducing heat uner the bonnet. Don't know and don't care about the horsepower, just the heat. Besides after the cams that Mania installed I got nearly 30kw extra at the top end and a big boost all the way through the rev range, so will be happy for a while - until one day I will no longer be able to resist the call of the darkside and go FI.

Sheck · Postby **Sheck** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:02 pm

I've got it on my dump pipe and covering the turbo, all i can say is that it works extremely well! It does get old an brittle but as long as you dont get oil onto it or damage it, it'll last ages.

Dave

PS if your worried about damaging the extractors then you can just make a metal heat shield, but it wont be as effective. I'm planning on making a metal sheild for my turbo and lining it with the exhaust wrap to make it more effective.

sabretooth · Postby **sabretooth** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:14 pm

Bloody itchy stuff. My car used to have it, but I removed it when I redid the dump pipe and turbo manifold. - I'm going to HPC coat my dump pipe instead, and use this ACL heat shield stuff I have.

Babalouie · Postby **Babalouie** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:51 pm

I've got it on my headers and it does work very well, and cuts down cabin heat (from the trans tunnel) quite noticeably. You can almost touch the headers with your hand without getting burned. Altho some ppl say that if you park outside, it'll trap moisture and make your headers rust...but in my case I've had the headers wrapped for 4yrs with no prbs.

sabretooth · Postby **sabretooth** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:17 pm

I have to say I personally think the whole \"makes your pipes rust\" thing is bullshit. Hell, my pipes have no covering at all and even they've got surface rust. COMPLETELY normal.

Sean · Postby **Sean** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:56 pm

I had it on my extractors when my car was NA, no problems, worked quite well.

ZenArcher · Postby **ZenArcher** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 1:15 pm

Yes,

that was my next question as well. How much do you need and also what is the preffered method of keeping the wrap on the pipes. I have heard people using hose clamps, but have also been talking to some auto shops and they recommended I use stainless steel metal cable ties. But strangely none of the shops stock these ties but they stock the exhaust wrap. I've even been to hardware shops and they don't have it either, so I may just have to order them in at one of the auto shops.

SuperMazdaKart · Postby **SuperMazdaKart** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 1:28 pm

think i used a whole 50 metre roll with very little left over doing two layers held by hose clamps

ZenArcher · Postby **ZenArcher** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 1:52 pm

Why two layers? That must have ended up pretty thick when you were fininshed.

dab · Postby **dab** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 8:54 pm

You could wrap tiewire around the final layer of wrap and tie it off at the start/finish. It will look alot better then hoseclamps, it will take longer to install though.

Babalouie · Postby **Babalouie** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:48 pm

ZenArcher wrote:Yes,

that was my next question as well. How much do you need and also what is the preffered method of keeping the wrap on the pipes. I have heard people using hose clamps, but have also been talking to some auto shops and they recommended I use stainless steel metal cable ties. But strangely none of the shops stock these ties but they stock the exhaust wrap. I've even been to hardware shops and they don't have it either, so I may just have to order them in at one of the auto shops.

I found the steel cable ties quite fiddly to use, and if you say muck it up and have to remove it to re-wrap, you can't. So anytway mine has stainless hose clamps, which go a shade of gold with the heat.

ZenArcher · Postby **ZenArcher** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:10 pm

Well, just wrapped my X-Force extractors this afternoon and ended up using the hose clamps. The guy at autobarn tried to persuade me to just wrap some stainless steel wire around the extractors instead. But not just at the ends, but to wrap it around on top of the header tape in the same fashion. Hose clamps were easy. But then again, I also took the extractors out of the engine bay as well, otherwise it would have been impossible to wrap them.

I'll see how they go over the next few days.

Thanks everyone for the advice.