Topic: exaust wrap ?'s

[the technological J]

im checking out some exaust wrap have been for a while any opinions on what a good price is and how much i will need?
i found some black wrap(the color im looking for) 2 inches thick by 50 ft long for 50 bucks at the store down the road.   what is gonna look better on her the 2 inch thick stuff or the 1in?  was are the possible benifits of this stuff(other than covering up my uggo rusty pipes).... thanks

[Laminar]

I just finished wrapping the pipes on my 550. (Well, I'm not really finished since I'll have to redo the right pipes due to running out of length...).

50 feet of two-inch-wide wrap was a couple feet short of doing my custom four-into-two pipes. Fifty feet would be plenty if you were just doing four headers.





I did it purely for looks. I can't comment on the wrap's ability to increase power or retain heat, as I've measured neither. I believe the point is to keep exhaust gasses hot which improves scavenging. In an application this small, I doubt the performance difference would be very measurable.

To apply the wrap - I dipped a few feet of the wrap in a bowl of water, and tightly wrapped it all the way down, overlapping approximately 1/4" each time. I then installed the header on the bike right away and ran the bike for a few minutes to burn off all of the water still in the wrap. It wasn't too hard, it just took time.

There are a few common concerns with exhaust wrap (I have no comments on their validity):
- The headers will run hotter and will be more prone to cracking
- The wrap will retain moisture from rain and make the pipes rust
- The wrap will absorb spilled flammable chemicals and pose a fire hazard

The biggest pro for me is that the wrap covered up ugly pipes.

I got 50 ft of 2 inch wide wrap AND six stainless steel zip ties (useless on the small diameter header pipes) for $26.50 shipped from this eBay seller.

Hope this helps.

[pee wee]

go to jegs.com or summitracing.com buy there brand, either one. it comes in black and some other colors .there stainless fasteners might be cheaper too.
 good luck

[manjisann]

I wrapped my pipes on my bike, but ended up having a nasty oil leak onto them. The upside was my bike was stealth, whenever the light turned green I dissappeared in a cloud of smoke. That was my only real complaint.

Brandon

[honda750k]

There are a few common concerns with exhaust wrap (I have no comments on their validity):
- The headers will run hotter and will be more prone to cracking
- The wrap will retain moisture from rain and make the pipes rust
- The wrap will absorb spilled flammable chemicals and pose a fire hazard

Of those 3 concerns, the first is false,  but the part about retaining moisture and making pipes rust is 100% true if you do not ride the bike daily.  also the heat wrap is not suitable on titanium pipes, which will disintigrate pretty much with heat wrap.

The last point, about absorbing flammable liquids(such as oil or gasoline) is 100% true, and you need to be careful of this. I know someone who spilled oil on his heat wrap once and melted a body panel on his bike when it caught fire not too long after he started the bike. 

When you do heat wrapping, you need to have HALF the wrap, not just 1/4" overlap if you want to get the optimal insulating effect from it. 2" is the best widh for motorcycle headers, and you'll need more than 50' to do a full exhaust correctl. I've used very near 50' on the headers alone on one particular honda once. to do head t muffler, you need about 75' of the 2" wrap with a 50% overlap all the way to the muffler if you want it to insulate welll.

[ev0lve]

was are the possible benifits of this stuff(other than covering up my uggo rusty pipes).... thanks

From any research I could do the benefits on a street bike are exactly nothing other than to cover up your rusty/dinged headers.  I suspect it will help destroy the pipes a bit faster but probably not so fast that you would really notice. No one I can find with a bike seems to know for sure.

If the pipes are reasonable aesthetically I think I'd just zing them with the wire wheel and spray them black. And I might have gone tan in retrospect now 

50ft should get you just about here -

[Laminar]

There are a few common concerns with exhaust wrap (I have no comments on their validity):
- The headers will run hotter and will be more prone to cracking
- The wrap will retain moisture from rain and make the pipes rust
- The wrap will absorb spilled flammable chemicals and pose a fire hazard

Of those 3 concerns, the first is false, 

The part about running hotter or the part about being prone to cracking?

When you do heat wrapping, you need to have HALF the wrap, not just 1/4" overlap if you want to get the optimal insulating effect from it. 2" is the best widh for motorcycle headers, and you'll need more than 50' to do a full exhaust correctl.

From the distributor where I got my wrap:

Our wrap has a premium weave and is very easy to install. When installing, generally 1/4" overlap is recommended.

[honda750k]

There are a few common concerns with exhaust wrap (I have no comments on their validity):
- The headers will run hotter and will be more prone to cracking
- The wrap will retain moisture from rain and make the pipes rust
- The wrap will absorb spilled flammable chemicals and pose a fire hazard

Of those 3 concerns, the first is false, 

The part about running hotter or the part about being prone to cracking?

When you do heat wrapping, you need to have HALF the wrap, not just 1/4" overlap if you want to get the optimal insulating effect from it. 2" is the best widh for motorcycle headers, and you'll need more than 50' to do a full exhaust correctl.

From the distributor where I got my wrap:

Our wrap has a premium weave and is very easy to install. When installing, generally 1/4" overlap is recommended.

On the heat issue, both the hader runnning hotter and the head cracking claims are false.

[Laminar]

On the heat issue, both the hader runnning hotter and the head cracking claims are false.

Two situations:
1. You go outside in a t-shirt when it's 30 degrees out.
2. You go outside in a thick winter coat when it's 30 degrees out.

In both cases, you have the same amount of internal heat. Is your skin the same temperature in both cases?

[the technological J]

should i clean up the exhuast and spray on some high temp paint before wraping them?

[Laminar]

should i clean up the exhuast and spray on some high temp paint before wraping them?

Some recommend it to protect against rust. I don't think it'd be a bad idea, as long as the high-temp paint is cured correctly.

[socalenduro]

cured correctly? go on....
i have high temp engine paint rated to 300 degrees... is that high enough?

[Gorms]

300 is not high enough.  You need the 1200-1500 paint.

[Laminar]

cured correctly? go on....
i have high temp engine paint rated to 300 degrees... is that high enough?

Read the instructions on the can. Oftentimes, spraying the headers isn't enough, the paint needs to be baked (like in an oven) to cure it properly.

[Aaron Richard]

I used 2in" on mine. looks good, keeps the heat away from you while riding. ...and covers up #$%*ty pipes

There is a guy I bought off of ebay that had great deals on the stuff. I'll see if I can find the link to him. you will pay top dollar at a store like auto zone..

[Aaron Richard]

here it is. $0 for 100ft of 2in".  free shipping



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BLACK-2in-100ft-Fiberglass-Exhaust-Header-Wrap-FREE-S-H_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem27abf585d5QQitemZ170388719061QQptZRaceQ5fCarQ5fParts#ht_884wt_1167

[Gorms]

Shiznits75,

What color did you paint your tank and seat?  Looks great.

[Laminar]

here it is. $0 for 100ft of 2in".  free shipping



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BLACK-2in-100ft-Fiberglass-Exhaust-Header-Wrap-FREE-S-H_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem27abf585d5QQitemZ170388719061QQptZRaceQ5fCarQ5fParts#ht_884wt_1167

Yep, same guy I bought my stuff from.

[Aaron Richard]

it is black night metallic with urethane clear



 

Shiznits75,

What color did you paint your tank and seat?  Looks great.