say i were to wrap my headers/exhaust

[street_triple_R]

hey guys i wanted to wrap my exhaust headers, i have the arrow three into one exhast, anyone know what would be a safe amount in feet of the 2 inch wrap would be safe to get the job done?

[Ken M1]

I love the look of header wrap. It's kind of an "old school, industrial" look. Looks mean! However...I'm not a fan of exhaust wrap after a friend of mine had his catch on fire after some oil spilled on it (67 mustang 289). Apparently, the exhaust wrap does not clean easily and oils/petrols stick to it. Looks "bad-a$$"...but I'd get them ceramic coated instead. Add to that the time and effort it would take to properly install the wrap with the close tube clearance of the down tubes and you might see the cost of ceramic coating to be a better option! Ceramic coating will help with the looks/corrosion resistance, but not the heat. Unless you REALLY need a heat barrier...I'd avoid exhaust wraps.

[BrentCross]

The exhaust wrap also tends to destroy the finish on the pipes once it is taken off. Have had several bikes in the shop that we have pulled the wrap off only to find the pipes severely damaged underneath (in one case the pipe had disintegrated to the point where you could push your finger through the metal). For this reason not a fan of the wrap (although it does look cool).

[MacBandit]

One of the main purposes of the exhaust system is remove waste heat from the motor. This is the main reason you only see double wall pipe on cruisers and not on performance motorcycles. Wrapping the exhaust will effectively insulate the exhaust trapping the heat.

[street_triple_R]

hmmm not the responses i was hoping to hear haha. i doubt mine will ever catch on fire that sounds like a one in a thousand kind of thing,and as for the erosion...well i can hope not. i am still thinking im going to go ahead and wrap ut, i think it looks to cool and i am down for the performance increase.. any ideas on how much wrap ill need, like how many feet

[MacBandit]

Originally Posted by AdamOnealSays

hmmm not the responses i was hoping to hear haha. i doubt mine will ever catch on fire that sounds like a one in a thousand kind of thing,and as for the erosion...well i can hope not. i am still thinking im going to go ahead and wrap ut, i think it looks to cool and i am down for the performance increase.. any ideas on how much wrap ill need, like how many feet

Could you describe to me how this could possible increase your performance?

[orlandofast1]

I had my stuff ceramic coated. It definitely helps with heat and holds up well. This site has a bunch of good info about coatings.
http://performancekote.net/coatings.aspx

http://performancekote.net/motorcycleapplications.aspx

[short-circuit]

Ceramic coating theoretically inproves performance as it lowers temperature, wrapping will act as an insulator - making it run hotter. Have also seen evidence of corrosion as a result of wrapping.

But hey if you don't want to listen to advice (after asking for it) for the sake of creating a look - that's cool no (pun intended)

[MacBandit]

The only benefit I can see of this would be on a car where engine heat increases intake temperatures. You want cold fuel and cold intake air for performance. I can't see a bit of benefit this could offer on a motorcycle.

As for higher exhaust temps increasing exhaust speed. That would work if you had an expansion chamber in the exhaust as with 2-stroke but it's a load of BS for a normal exhaust system.

[mrclean826]

i am new to motorcycles but as far as heat wrap goes on exhaust and cars i think it is all the same, if you want to install it, the posts about weakening the pipe is true, and if you miss a spot anywhere while wrapping, it superheats that part that you missed and makes it more prone to cracking and puts more heat than normal in the missed spot, if you are looking for a way to keep the heat in and maybe give it a nice finish i would go with high temp paint. i dnt know how hot the exhaust gets they make 1200 ans 2000 degree paint in vaious colors, but prep is key so the paint doesnt heat up and just flake off