I have been running my car with LG headers and exhaust system. I've always been concerned about all the components around the headers. I'm concerned about the wiring parts melting and I'm concerned about the trans and oil cooling not being as efficient as it can be. And of course, I've replaced a starter damaged by Heat Soak.

Since I had the engine out, I decided to do some extra heat protection. For those of you with experience with this, please tell me what I can expect.

I wrapped the headers with header wrap and spray coated them with the silicone header wrap coating. I reinsulated every wire in the engine bay that was in the area of the main heat source with either heat sleeves or silver heat wrap. A good bit the the factory installed heat protection material wasn't in great shape. Also, I covered the trans cooling lines. I used the Katech oil adapter so I could run larger Stainless steel braided hoses to the new larger oil cooler.

Based on all this, have I made improvements worth the effort. Share what you did and how well it worked for you
Thanks
Roger

 

The only issue with header wraps is they tend to cause the headers to heat and cool at a different rate in different points on the headers. Over time this stretches and pulls on the weaker areas and can cause cracks/leaks over time. Short term, I see nothing but cooler under hood temps and small improvement in performance ... long term, in theory it can cause early failure of the headers.

This is why most header companies will not warranty headers that have been wrapped.

SPEED SAFE, NICK

 

Thanks Nick. I was aware of potential early failure. Because of that, I was very particular about the wrap and overlaps, tightness and looseness of the wrap as well. And being as perfect as I can be with the wrap is no guarantee. But hopefully, my attention to detail of the wrap will give me some longevity. I feel better about the rest of the components under the hood too. I think I'm going to install some extractor vents to go along with the other work I've done to reduce heat under the hood.

Whoever said Peace Of Mind is free was wrong.

 

Not the only issue. Bigger issue is any fluid/leaks/etc soak into the wrap, and cause your car to burn to the ground. If you ever have a valve cover leak, or something like that, you are at risk of an engine fire.

I wouldn't touch it. Wrap the stater, and move on. Everything else is made to get hot.

 

And then there is that potential issue!!!! WOW, I have never thought about that and I'm normally really good at pointing out the obvious.

SPEED SAFE, NICK

 

ceramic coating should prevent this issue and get you similar results. just cost more up front, but still cheaper than a car that burnt to the ground.

 

Disagree. Ceramic coating doesnt' work nearly as well as wrap, but is safer.

Or do nothing, as it really isn't an issue.

 

Hello, I just Ceramic coated my headers, x pipe, all the way back, is it a good idea to wrap my headers also ? Since they are already off, I did go with the black ceramic coated, and was told there are good too 1800 ° , only did exterior pipes, 2007 C6 Z06, 15,000 miles, stored inside, procharged, 800 rwhp, also just changed to Dewitts Shorty radiator and dual fan, have carbon fiber vented hood, live in S Florida, car runs hot, this correct fan and new radiator should really fix it, use as DD, and want to start track racing, done drag racing, trapped in mid 9s, hard to launch with manual, and till on 19s , so, I know I will enjoy track racing much more, anyways , just wanted you to have an idea of my build and why the higher temps, my question, is it OK to wrap my newly ceramic coated headers too ? I heard stories that it can hold moisture and pit the ceramic coating,the rust the headers, ?? Thank you

 

I would go with the coated headers vs a wrap, looks better & is safer

 

I don't think I'd wrap the headers unless I'm tracking the car a lot (which I am). Make sure you wrap the starter with a good heat shield or heat shield material. Also Wrap/cover the all the wiring in the area of the starter. This will prevent heat soak into the starter and the wiring to the starter and main engine ground. Otherwise, you'll be swapping starters regularly. Vibrant makes several materials to help with this and can be purchases at Summit or Jegs. The factory adds heat shield material on the ABS brake lines on the drivers side. You'll want to add a second layer for extra protection. Do the same on the 02 sensor wiring. While the exhaust is off, go ahead and wrap the trans cooler lines and oil cooler lines if you have either one of these. All of this is easy if you have the exhaust out of the car. And even easier if you have a lift.

Practically no one goes thru these extra steps. But I promise, if you do, you'll have less concern and less trouble than others and have Peace of Mind.

If you want to go the extra mile, buy the new Camaro SS hood vents. Put one on each side of your hood over the headers. That will go along way to reducing engine bay heat. They look good too.

 

I've had time to drive the car since I've done all the winter work. I am very pleased with the results. All the temps are clearly in the comfort zone. And I'm amazed at how much heat reduction there is in the engine bay. No actual readings but the feel of the heat radiating from the bay with hood up during work and tuning is so much less than it was. Before the work, at night headers had a slight glow (as expected and not uncommon). Now I can touch the headers without getting a burn.

No heat soak in the starter at all. The starter spins the engine over just as fast when I have been on a long spirited drive as it does when I start it the first time of the day. That, in itself, is worth all the work.

FWIW, I really like how the wrapped headers look. And the heat shields on the plug wires blend with the wrap nicely.

AS for the wrap holding moisture, I'm sure that happens, especially if the car is stored in a damp environment. But at the same time, I can't imagine that an occasional trip around the block will eliminate that moisture. And coupled with the fact that most headers these days are Stainless steel, I don't expect there would be much of a problem. However I expect the ceramic coating may suffer.

 

thank you very much , it sure looks better black without the wrap

 

Thank you for your time and great info, I plan on road course track racing, tried it with a friend and now hooked, I will go through and do the extra stuff you said since it's out, great advice ! I already have the carbon fiber vented hood from carbon creations, will try to post a pic, if this tablet lets me , thanks again Vented carbon fiber hood

 

Dave

 

Seems we always think that the GM engineers aren't as smart as we are. The starter sits next to a catalytic converter does it not, so I would think that they plan ahead for that as they get extremely hot, do the pipes get that much hotter ???.
Is the starter wrap really worth it?
NSF

 

Thats where i am comming from Bobby ... my cats are in the tunnel and i have actually more room between my starter or wires than i had pre header installation

Plenty of guys running around with and without headers that have never had a problem . Then there are guys who do not have headers that cooked their starters .... but let one guy say he cooked a starter and has headers ......lol lol lol

 

Never had a single issue in 25k+ miles with headers. Only issue I had was snapping the stud off by overtighting it.

 

Running headers for years without any issues. I used heat protection on the starter and wires for insurance, but was fine before doing that also.

 

Realcanuk, Unreal, Hoxxoh , I have learned so much from reading your posts ....you guys are posting replies and answers based on real knowleged and not "Urban Legend "......

So many times folks are told to do something like header wrap or coating etc based on someone's thoughts and not real fact based knowledge, then not realizing that if they do , they might cause more harm than good such as causing the steel to crack in this case if its not wrapped correctly ....

Thanks !!
Dave

 

Thanks. I've been there, done that, made that mistake a lot. I've had several blower setups, 4 cams in the car, different sets of heads, intakes, headers, exhaust. 4 different clutches. etc etc. I think I've had just about 4 of everything in the car. I've tuned 100+ LS cars, driven more than I can count. From basic 350rwhp ls1 setups to bottom 8 second 1400+rwhp race setups. Turbo, centri, PD, n2o, na, stroker, etc etc. I've made plenty of mistakes over the past 8 years owning the car. Just trying to pass some of that on.

Jodie and Tom have a lot of good experience too (even if I don't always agree with Tom and Jodie is too polite being Canadian and all that).

This forum is tricky. Too many people spouting off advice based off 1 data point. Hey, I put in a cam and its the best cam ever stuff. Or buy this clutch, best clutch ever when they have never driven or tried anything else.

I've referenced it before, but I call it Burger King syndrome. If you grew up never having a burger in your life, never had meat before, and you tried a whopper, you would be accurate in saying its the best burger you have ever had, and probably recommend it to everyone, but that doesn't mean it is a good burger compared to other stuff out there. Same thing happens with tuners all the time. How many people have tried tunes from different shops/tuners and compared? Almost no one. On my mustang I actually tried 5 different tuners all with same mods, and the differences were HUGE. Yet give anyone just one of those without comparison, and they would love it.


Header wrap is one of those things, been there, done that. Has a specific application. It can work great, but wrapping headers on a vette is not something I would do.