mountaineerjeff

I have seen so many people say NO to the exhaust wrap, and I kinda think its unfounded.

everyone knows that under hood and intake temps are a constant battle in a xj. SO i plan on getting a borla header, and having all the welds checked over by a local drag racing shop. then using DEI silicone based baked on heat paint. then wrapping the headers. I understand one argument, that if you go through water, then the wrap will hold moisture and cause premature rust. so after the wrap Im going to apply another layer of heat coat.

common sense says that this should dramatically drop under hood temps, and the temps of the intake manifold. there by adding efficeincy which adds power and MPGs

BRUNER247

I just wrapped mine today. I've searched a few forums tonight after the nay-sayers said no. Rally cars swear by it. Dirt bike riders love it & 2 other jeep forums say go for it. I've used it on muscle cars before. The pros outweigh the cons imo. I'm going little farther even. This weekend I'm trimming out the webbing on the intake for better air flow. Intake won't hold the heat underneath as bad. I say go for it. I did it & I'm not taking it off. If it rusts my header away in 3 even 4 years, ill buy new one n wrap it too. Damn carbon factory header lasted 245K, a wrapped stainless should do ok imo.

fishtaconc

I say go for it, many benefits, I will say this be sure you dont have any oil leaks thats the only drawback, is if the wrap get soaked in oil, I have seen it happen. Do it and dont look back.

HCCAFan

IMO race cars get torn down and rebuilt enough that it does not matter. Changing a header on a bike is easy too. I have not messed with the one on the Jeep so I don't know how hard it is, but I doubt it would be worth my time for the benefit, if any.

93gc40

Personally I can't think of any drawbacks to wrapping the exhaust. Since the header runs at close 1000* or so, i can't see how getting it wet would do anything as it will only take a few minutes for it to dry, with the motor running. i guess if you were to soak it down cold and just let it air dry you could have an issue.

Bustedback

I had the wrap on my cheap headers when I had my PowerWagon. I did not drive it every day and the lawn sprinklers would shoot into the fenderwell and soak the wrap. One tube rusted completely out in a 2" section within 6 months. With a set of good quality headers, daily driven, and taking care to water proof as best you can? I see no problem. Don't let your XJ set in the driveway, and don't let your meat loaf.

ericfx1984

I know back when I built turbo cars we would wrap them and it helped the heat transfer... some even say it helps the turbo spool a little faster...

I know that does not have anything to do with the XJ as it is NA

BUT... as for the water thing... IT DOES NOT MATTER... heat will take care of it fast...

good...

will lower engine bay temps...

easier to work on the engine while it is still warm

some say it looks cool :P

speeds up exhaust flow due to increased heat in the exhaust tube

mountaineerjeff

well this here is the one reason I cant stand when people react harshly to 'newbs' I searched and searched and searched and every single time it came up with a very clear response of NO WAY dont even think about it.


And I also come from the turbo racing world (I own 2 original galant vr4s) and everything you brought up is true it gives you more exhaust gas velocity, and lowers under hood temps. right now I have like an extra 200 ft of wrap, so its not going to give me any extra expense. I want to wrap it clear pass the oil pan, to really help with longevity and heat. I have wrapped entire exhausts on drag cars, but I do wheel this so it is just waiting to be torn off.

BRUNER247

The bikes & rally cars I was refering about claim 6-8 and more years running wrapped pipes without a problem. & what do you guys mean turbos are NA ?? You can put a turbo on anything. I used 50' of 2" on my header & it looks awesome. I'm thinking of taking it past the oil pan also. Maybe even wrap the intake runners above the pipes. I'm waiting on mine to dry out so I can coat it. Bout to throw it in a oven & bake for 45min at 450 or until crust is golden brown.lmao.ill post pics in my album in couple days of before, wrapped & after coating & installed. Wrapped header will scavenge better also. What I got from cons was the added heat will destroy the pipe from the inside out not from wrap getting wet. As far as wrap getting wet, just don't ride her hard then put it away wet.

ericfx1984

I said the XJ was NA... so for most people it does not apply... however... I am well aware you can turbo anything... all the turbo'ed cars I had I built myself and they where NA from the start

Tiberius

sorry to bring back a thread thats a little dated, but what are your guy's opinions on wrapping the stock header? I don't really have the cash to buy a new header, and mine is still in good shape. I'm cutting my intake webbing in the next week or so and want to do the header wrap around the same time, I'm just not sure if the stock header will be able to handle all the heat kept in by the wrap....

mountaineerjeff

most likely crack

Bustedback

Why are you cutting the webbing out from between the intake runners?

98xj_john

i wrapped my headers bout yr an half ago had no issues with it

lolz_jeep

using heat wrapp is an amazing idea and really you shouldnt have moisture problems cuz the water will evaporate instaly cuase of the heat and if you wrap them tight enough you shouldnt have a problem when its just sitting there