baf2000_1

Anyone out there wrap their C6 Headers? Not sure if this is a good or a bad idea. It is done all the time on Turbo cars.

shurite44

I am thinking about doing this also.

Zig

i would get them 'jethot' coated instead. with exhaust wrap you run the risk of moisture being absorbed by the wrap. in fact, the recommended method to install exhaust wrap is to get it wet first. 'wrap' also get dirty and just plain ugly after awhile, 'jethot' looks like chrome but doesn't turn. it insulates the pipes or keeps the heat in just like wrap, but better.

Buffy

With a turbo you want to keep the exhaust hot to the turbine. Otherwise, you usually want the exhaust to cool as fast as possible, Hotter gas means more gas means more pressure, good if you're using that pressure to spin a turbo. Cooler gas means less gas means less back pressure, good if you're just dumping it into the mufflers.

VET4LES

I put a set of Doug Thorley Header on my motorhome and was told that if I wrapped them it would void the warranty. They had problems with rust.

NORTY

I was thinking about wrapping after the collectors. Anyone know if this with throw codes? I'm just trying to help keep the tunnel cooler.

SickRick

Get the EliteEngineering abs of aluminum, and thier thermal abs to knock down console heat...

Rick

4DCYKEY

shopdog

Its the same mass of gas regardless of temperature, at least as long as the temperature is below the disassociation temperature of the component molecules, and it is at auto exhaust temperatures. But sonic velocity in a hot gas is faster than in a cold gas, so you get better flow with the gas hot.

Zig

yep

EuroRod

Header wrap will keep your engine compartment cooler, and the exhaust gases hotter. Both are 'good' things. It will also help the cat heat up faster, and prevent throwing a code. Down side is that it can get erguly pretty quickley in a street driven car. I know a guy that wraps his headers, then re-wraps them in HD Reynolds Wrap. He's had this combo on his street driven Camaro for 5 years with zero problems.

shurite44

Well I love how wrapped headers look. My car is so clean you could eat off of it, so I am not worried about the dirt issue. It is not a daily driver. If anyone has a DIY on wrapping headers I would love to see it, does not have to be the C6, I just want to see a proper installation.

Zig

wish i had pictures. one thing you could do is, coat the headers, then wrap the back end of the exhaust.

if you're able keep more heat in the rear section of exhaust flow you will in essence reduce the backpressure further back in the pipe, creating a wider pipe for the exhaust flow. keeps it hotter longer.

fully 'coated' exhaust would be pretty nice, just not sure if the o2 sensors would like it or not. would probably end up not using cat. and running sims. itwould be pretty loud though. neighbors would lsure ove you.

soak the wrap before you use it. it will go on much easier, permit a tighter wrap, keep the 'dust' down, etc.

i've got wrapped pipes on my bike, behind the exhaust shields, and on the back half of my c6.

Buffy

I didn't put that very clearly, did I? Obviously the mass doesn't change, nor does the volume as its constrained within the tube. What does change is the pressure and velocity.

But I'm not entirely convinced here. It seems that the question is to what extent do we treat this as a low-velocity flow and to what extent do we treat it as an acoustic system?

The input to each tube should be similar to a half-sine pulse train with a duty cycle of about 0.25 and a rep rate of about 50 Hz (at 6000 RPM). Of course this will stretch and smear in the tube somewhat. The length to width ratio of the tube is around 15 or 20 to 1, so we wouldn't expect transverse modes to play much of a part. Assuming a gas temperature of 750 C, we have a wavelength of around 12.8 m, 12 to 15 times as long as the tubes. From this I would think that it could be treated more as a gas flow than an acoustic system.

But if we do treat it as an acoustic system, then particle velocity is what counts, not wave velocity. Probably easier to treat it as a series of acoustic impedances, modelling the gas at each transition and matching the impedances as best we can, 'till we get close to 410 Pa*s/m or so at the tailpipe. I haven't done that, but intuitively I'm gonna bet that collector design and so on will have a lot more to do with it than heat loss in the header tubes. Might just be easier to measure it.

Michrider

Get them coated, Jet Hot or similar. Put in the abs of steel or similar tunnel insulation. It'll be good, and noticeably much better than stock.

You'd have to wrap the entire midsection of the exhaust to try to reduce tunnel heat. Insulating the tunnel works better.

I've seen wrapped headers rust to pieces in a couple years. I wouldn't wrap painted or bare. Maybe wrap some that are already coated but it would mainly be cosmetic. Under the car they would be getting wet and holding the moisture. Sometimes on a show bike they stay fine, but under a car, I'll bet it will kill the headers lifespan.

burtonbl103

GO FOR the jet hot !!! :yes nod
This is your best bet and what i did

Zig

just to clairify, my headers are jethot coated, only the second half of the x & the catback is wrapped.

TommyV

I Jet Hot coated my entire system, even the cats (just the outside). No problem with the o2's.

Zig

that sure is pretty. what did it run you ? did you also do the back half, the over the axle cat-back section.

did you notice any difference in the 'console' heat ? i'm wondering if coating them works any better than the 'abs of steel - thermal version'

TommyV

Headers, x-pipe, and cats was about $400. I didn't do the muffler pipes. I plan on keeping my car for a long time, so I thought is was worth it. I did notice a decrease in console temp. I didn't have a infrared thermometer before, but yesterday I drove for a couple of hours, it was 91 deg. outside and the temp. of the bottom of the cup holder was 89 deg. Maybe someone with a stock setup and a IR meter could take their temp.