I'm looking to pick up some Thermo Tec exhaust wrap to insulate my DC headers (haven't installed them yet, so it'll be easy to put the stuff on), and I'm just wondering how much of the stuff I should buy. I see that they have 1 inch and 2 inch widths in lengths of 15 feet, 50 feet, and 100 feet.

Would the 2" width be more desirable than the 1" width? How about length? I'm gonna guess that I'd need at least one order of 2"x15', and perhaps even two orders of that.

 

If you are going to do it, the 1" would be easier to wrap the headers in. IMO I wouldn't do it, do some research on the wrap to find the pro's and cons.

 

if you wrap your headers, you will probably have to replace them within 6 months-1 year due to cracking.

 

Heck, I did do research. Everywhere I looked I kept reading about the benefits. I didn't see anyone mention cracking until just today, *after* I already ordered the wrap.

Is this cracking limited to certain types of header designs, metal compositions, etc? Or is it a common phenomenon with most or all headers?

And only 6 months to a year of life? If that's true, that's really bad.

 

I just called DC Sports about this and they verified. They were very adamant that header wrap should *not* be used as the header will crack in short time, especially the welds.

 

I had a set of headers coated buy Jet-Hot and the difference was really noticeable in the reduced amount of heat the pipes gave off. They do the inside as well as the outside ...

 

I've seen a few folks aorund here mention Jet-Hot before. Any idea how it might affect the longevity of the header? According to their site (http://www.jet-hot.com) longevity is actually increased over uncoated headers.

On that note, I have the ceramic-coated DC headers. Perhaps those can't even be Jet-Hot coated at all. (?) I've always assumed the ceramic coating was to assist in heat insulation. If that's the case, would Jet-Hot coated headers even be better?

 

I dont know about the jet hot on the DC's, but if you can't return the wrap use it on the fuel lines that run close to the header.

 

The metal intake tubes on my Nismo intake probably would be a good idea, too. (They get really hot, might as well wrap them.)

 

that jet-hot will run you around $200-$220 or so...i was told to get the jet hot 2000 to handle the higher temps of the 350z exhaust and to ensure longevity and also no chance of cracking...we all know what a pain the install is and having to do it twice i think the extra $20 from the sterling to the 2000 would be worth while

anyways, i was going to do that on my dc ss headers....jet-hot seems to be a reputable company (many articles in magazines and such) and so far i have heard one negative and one positive comment regarding their product in this forum...with no details to back up either way

 

Yeah, I've been doing a little research on Jet-Hot lately, and it seems to be a good product. I don't think my ceramic coated DC headers can be coated with Jet-Hot, but I'd probably go for it if I had the ss versions of the headers.

Looks like I'll just have to keep my headers bare. Hopefully their ceramic coating will help with the heat.

 

I had my ceramic DC Sports header coated with Air-Borne, compatitor of Jet-Hot.

They sand blast the ceramic/paint off first before apply new coating.

It is good so far.

 

Really? So Jet-Hot (or competitors) can actually remove the factory ceramic coating and do their own? Nice. I might have to consider that. The DC ceramic coating is only on the outside, while the Jet-Hot coating is in and out.

Maybe I'll give Jet-Hot a call and see what they say...

 

Just called Jet-Hot. The sales guy said it shouldn't be a problem to remove the factory ceramic coating in order to Jet-Hot it. He said it would probably cost less than $200 for the job. I submitted an official price estimate request (with extra details about the headers) to see what it comes back as.

 

Cool, let us know the cost.

 

Jet-Hot quoted me $195 for the Sterling coat and $220 for the high temp Jet-Hot 2000 (good up to 2400 degrees instead of the Sterling's 1300 degrees). Shipping looks to be about $20-something dollars.

Hmmm... maybe I'll pay the extra and get the 2000. Can't hurt, especially if I'm going to do a supercharger in the future. The only drawback is that the Sterling has that nice silver (almost chrome) finish, while the 2000 is only in plain matte finishes.

 

Don't worry, you won't see them after install
Thanks.

 

Yup, exactly. I'm sure I'll go with the 2000.