Heat Wrap, is it a bad idea?

[davetherave]

Hi,

I was just wonder your thoughts on exhaust Heat wrap?
I was thinking of wrapping them because of;
1. air leaks at the muffler.
2. melted my boots
My Pipes allready get very hot and am concerned the wrap will keep the heat in too much and maybe cause damage somewhere?
Cheers,
Dave.

 

[Brian902]

I used heat wrap because my pipes are single wall and the extra heat was bad for the tach cable.

Heat wrap will not stop leaks.

 

[nh-jk]

I use it because it looks rad... That's it.

 

[XS1961]

Only good for preventing leg or plastic burning

 

[angus67]

as for holding in heat, That is what its suppose to do. When I built my pipes, someone suggested keeping the pipes no shorter than -+36 inches to prevent cold air from rushing back in between pulses and burning valves.
Old hot rodders trick , Keeping the heat in improves exhaust gas velocity, helping clear the exhaust and pull in more fresh charge during over lap.
The down side to wrap is that it holds moisture, and if you live in a humid climate, or put 'er away wet or muddy, your pipes will quickly rust out.
Im into tuner cars, and find it absolutely stupid to wrap pipes on daily drivers (cars) because the engine compartment its self doesn't let the wrap dry out.
But on bikes, its better because the pipes are open to the air.
That's an awesome meme, xs1961.

 

[Airwolfie]

I did it because I KNEW it would cause leg burn! Melted my trousers to my boot WITH the wrap on!! I now have added an exhaust shield.

It will NOT stop holes from blowing, best you get them welded or buy some Stainless exhausts. Just remember to paint your exhaust before you wrap it!

 

[DogBunny]

People I trust have witnessed burnt exhaust valves due to exhaust wrap. They say that if you live in Texas to stop the wrap short of the engine as much as you can -- they say a couple inches. I was told this after I wrapped mine, which I did to hide rusty head pipes. So I went back and trimmed them back so that there is now 1" of bare pipe at the engine. I'm hoping this is enough. If you live in a cooler climate, disregard.