Header wrap: Pros&Cons

[91accord4door]

I searched but didnt come to the solid conclusion i was looking for. I know what the header wraps are for.... thereare designed to keep the heat in the header to improve scavenging of the cylinders. Keeping the heat in the header allows the exhaust speed to remain high......i dont want to have the special Jet Hot coating applied and i can get the header wrap super cheap. so i figured i would post here and see if anyone has first hand experiance with it....how does it perform with Hondas cast-iron header? Has anyone had the welds actually crack from "overwrapping"? I cant think of more pros than cons from doing this so i want your input.....but to me the cons out do the pros....so prove me wrong.Think about it,Cool air needs to be around the header, and insulating it with a wrap to hold exhaust heat in makes the header material temperatures near molten. When you wrap the header you trap the heat in the header, but also in the material that needs to breathe to dissipate heat for it's own survival......Header wrap companys will state that there is no way that the material can fail because it can withstand, and it was designed to withstand, the internal temperatures of exhaust gases. TRUE! But, when the header is not allowed to cool so as to dissipate those extreme temperatures that the wrap is controlling, you have now developed a heat absorption that compares to thermal friction which will will continue to gain in temperature beyond the normal exhaust gas temperatures (EGT's). This is the same as with most any insulation.The EGTs stay the same but the properties of the header material changes in a way of amplifying the temperatures because of the insulation.

[91accord4door]

cheap header wrap will catch on fire
cheap headers' welds will break with wrap on them sometimes

putting it on is an itchy experience
it gets dirty, gets ugly

will be going on a stock 4-2-1 oem honda header so the toughness is there. this wrap is cheap for me but its thermotech.....good shit. thanks for the input.

[93accordexcoupe]

i know its going on a stock manifold but i heard that wrapping a ceramic coated header will crack the coating. true or false here guys

[91accord4door]

i know its going on a stock manifold but i heard that wrapping a ceramic coated header will crack the coating. true or false here guys

thats true in some cases i heard. depends on the quality of the coating....just like the quality of the welds...if the qualitys poor than you get poor results.

[accrdpower]

my .02 cents on wrapping.......ridiculously stupid......not only does is look horrible but yea it def not as safe as many think. it like the cheapest way out of doing the job right.......get a CERAMIC coated header and DO NOT wrap it....the ceramic does a wicked good job of controlling heat as it is. leave it at that.

[wed3k]

you HAVE to prep it correctly.

[TypeG]

a cast header will crack most likely.

the wrap can also void the waranty on some headers. later.

[91accord4door]

a cast header will crack most likely.

the wrap can also void the waranty on some headers. later.

i would be wrapping a JDM CTR header or a usdm header...cast iron should hold up quite well if wrapped right, if wrapped wrong the metal cant breath and literally can fall to pieces......i have read stories of the wrap being the only thing holding the header together.....lol.

[PRIMOCB7]

i had a DC ceramic header from the F22a6--->F22b, about 3-4 yrs. old and wrapped w/ thermotec. i sold the header almost two years ago to 91accordexr33 before he boosted his ride and the DC header had no cracks whatsover even after removing the wrap; just the downpipe having its dents from scraping and whatnot. it depends on the quality of the header and how the wrap is installed.

[91accord4door]

i had a DC ceramic header from the F22a6--->F22b, about 3-4 yrs. old and wrapped w/ thermotec. i sold the header almost two years ago to 91accordexr33 before he boosted his ride and the DC header had no cracks whatsover even after removing the wrap; just the downpipe having its dents from scraping and whatnot. it depends on the quality of the header and how the wrap is installed.

finally someone with first hand experiance.....hmmm you kind of lifted my spirits......especially since you even used a DC header, yea i agree if its wraped right and isnt a ebay $35 header its probably not going to crack......ill also be using thermotec so i think im going to wrap it......also i have heard a lot of people say after a long hard drive you can actually touch your primeries.....and the wrap is hot but still touchable....does it really work that well? if so under hood temps should be decreased dramatically.i know if you touch your primeries after a long hard drive (any drive for that matter) you may burn your finger off lol ......also ill be wrapping the header off the car so it will be done right. ill use all one piece. and i guess you have to use hose clamps to keep the wrap on the primeries? thanks primo.

[PRIMOCB7]

i wouldn't even touch it even with the wrap on
seriously tho, it did help reduce heat coming off from the header. there are certain clamps that are used for the header wrap application.. sorry, but i can't remember what they were since i didn't do the install.

here's what they looked like on my old F22b:

[91accord4door]

i wouldn't even touch it even with the wrap on
seriously tho, it did help reduce heat coming off from the header. there are certain clamps that are used for the header wrap application.. sorry, but i can't remember what they were since i didn't do the install.

here's what they looked like on my old F22b:

nice man, thanks for the pic......yea the clamps come with the roll i got but from what i here they suck....and stainless steel hose clamps are better......the ones that come with the roll of wrap i have are super thin.....wich is good for looks but i guess they suck......ill try them and if i have problems ill throw on some SS clamps.oh an i do not plan on touching my header at all.......with or without wrap....im pretty sure my header wont crack....and if i get the ctr header i am sure that wont crack either.....OEM honda parts are tough.well this thread actually turned out good....no flaming.....no idiots.....just good info. Im happy with it. thanks guys.

[WiKKeDV16]

thats a stupid idea... boy.. i tell ya.. fucking ricers...




































i kidd i kidd....


get-r done-


i told NYCX to use it on his stock A6 manifold... been holding up just fine for months now... no problems.. look at his member rides for pics..

oh hell.. ill do it.. here it is

[91accord4door]

sweet......i hope mine comes out a little neater (like primos).........i wouldnt be doing it if i wasnt getting a 50' X 2" roll of the thermotech for $15. i never even thought about the stuff until it was brought to my attention........thanks for the pic.....

[93accordexcoupe]

wikked is that header coated with somthing underneath the wrap? looks silver but i cant tell whats what or if thats the wrap im looking at.