I know my Stainless Steel (uncoated) JDM/KOOK Long Tube headers certainly radiate a lot of heat and I'm sure others have notice this as well. I was reading the most recent copy of MMFF and there is an article in there about header wraps. I have been told and a lot of people believe that header wraps will cause metal fatigue from heat building up beneath the wraps, but according to this article that is incorrect. It says that it is all in the wrapping technique and that most people that have metal fatigue are wrapping their headers incorrectly. There are some pretty detailed instructions in the article and it says that DEI offers a kit for $122.95. IMO, this would be a worthwhile thing to do if there are no adverse effects on the headers themselves. What do you guys think about header wraps?

Also, is there anyone out there that has put a heat shield wrap on their starter to fend off the heat radiated by long tube headers??? That sounds like a pretty good idea if our starters are able to be wrapped...

 

sw, the header wrap stuff is a good idea for a track use vehicle but for every day use i think maybe you should stay away. yes you are correct with the technique part of it, there is a right way and a wrong way. for one you have to make sure the overlap flows to the back not foward, and you should wet it before you wrap it, doing that helps keep down the loose fibers of the fiber glass (itchy/messy) and once it is dry it will have shrunk to a nice tight fit. also take into consideration of how much of a tight fit it is to install the headers in the first place, wraping them wont make it any easier. as for the metal fatigue the wrap does hold moisture to an extent,(even though the heat should burn it off) and this will reduce the life of your headers that you paid so much for . just think about it ofcoarse they are gonna say it dosent fatigue ,but any manufacture is gonna tell you their product is superior and so is the magazine who is doing the write-up because they are probably getting paid to say what the product manufacture wants them to, for example jet hot says their coating is the most durable out there so how come it rusts through , i have had so many sets of headers coated by them (for various customers and myself) and they never hold up ,i personally tried their 2000 series coating (the most durable and highest temp. resistance)and you guessed it its rusting through its a good thing they have a life-time warranty.
take it for what its worth im sure everybody has their opinion but your headers are doing a fine job not to mention the wrap isnt cheap and it is EXTREMELY TEDIOUS AND CHALLENGING.
good luck and sorry it was so long-winded

 

Thanks for the info. Someone on another forum recommended the Jet-Hot coating to me, but now I am thinking twice about it. My headers aren't hurting anyhting right now with the heat. I was just looking for a way to reduce the temps under the hood that the SS headers create. What about header shields?

 

I would not wrap the stainless headers unless they are made using the 321? stainless.That one is made for high temps the 304-6 is not and will heat crack[brittle] What i did with my headers was coat the INSIDE only and not the outside.that way the heat stays in the tube and can not radate out as easy.and as for the coating I have tried them all and all, except for Custom Coating in AR. are JUNK.His is the only one that has stayed on under the condiitions that I subject the exhaust to.Jet hot and Airborne both said send them back and we will recoat it.But it is the same stuff and would do it again so how is that helping?custom coatings ceramic coating looks just as good as the day I picked it up[whole exhaust]even after the cats is still shiny ask the other companies if theirs will!Stan

 

What about exhaust wrap blankets? They sell for $70-$75 on Summit. Part # THE-14003.

 

I used header wrap on two sets of longtubes on my old 93 Mustang. They were good headers, Hookers. Both sets rusted through in a very short time, less than two years. I'd never had that happen before, and attributed it to the header wrap - which I will never use again. It could have been from improper installation, but I did my best to wrap them according to the instructions.

 

As stated above it's a sure way for your headers to crack.

 

Thanks for the info fellas. Has anyone had any experience with the header blankets I mentioned above?

 

Similar problem. If it traps heat it will contribute to the cracking. The type of stainless used need to "breathe". In a race application where every possible advantage is needed and a large supply of spare parts wrapping may make sense. For a street application or part time drag duty it's a waste of time and money. In a race application I have experimented with wrapping mild steel, 302 stainless, 316 stainless, titanium, and the all cracked. 321 stainless and monel are the only two materials I have tested that lasted with wrapping. Also the under hood temperatures during races did not change wrapped vs unwrapped as long as the car was moving. Very slight difference if the car was not moving. Not enough to matter. We did wrap mufflers but only to prevent them from catching the fiberglass body on fire.

 

So the blankets are a no-go as well?

 

Just noticed this in the Summit catalog under "Summit header wrap": "Note: wrap voids most header makers' warranties."

 

Yeah, I think I have pretty much ruled out the wraps. I am still debating doing the Jet-Hot Coating...