Wrapping Turbo and Downpipe
Discussion
Chaps, looking for opinions/discussion on this one as it's mixed messages when doing research.
about 75% through puting my new engine for the MR2 together to go back in the car. Rounded off bolts and screws holding me up just now but before the engine goes back in, I need to address the exhaust.
I've got a decat downpipe for the new engine which means the standard MR2 heatshild won't fit the downpipe as the decat is much smaller and doesn't have the mounting point.
Now here's the question. I had planned to get some exhaust wrap, wrap the downpipe and put a "blanket" on the turbo too instead of the bulky heatshield. There are mixed opinions on wraps though. Some use them and swear by them, others say the downpipe will crack or run a high risk of fires if the exhaust wrap has any gaps causing intenses high heat spots.
OCs can sometimes be a bit iffy on advice such as this though, so thought PH could help. The cars a track car but it will be keep on the driveway for a while until I can get a car port build at my new house for a bit of shelter, so don't know if the wrap holding moisture will be an issue.
The downpipe is a good quality stainless steel, will I still have issues with cracking due to very high heat? Anyone else use exhaust wrap on downpipes with no issues? Is the turbo sock a decent investment over the bulky heatshield to save a bit of space in the cramped engine bay?
about 75% through puting my new engine for the MR2 together to go back in the car. Rounded off bolts and screws holding me up just now but before the engine goes back in, I need to address the exhaust.
I've got a decat downpipe for the new engine which means the standard MR2 heatshild won't fit the downpipe as the decat is much smaller and doesn't have the mounting point.
Now here's the question. I had planned to get some exhaust wrap, wrap the downpipe and put a "blanket" on the turbo too instead of the bulky heatshield. There are mixed opinions on wraps though. Some use them and swear by them, others say the downpipe will crack or run a high risk of fires if the exhaust wrap has any gaps causing intenses high heat spots.
OCs can sometimes be a bit iffy on advice such as this though, so thought PH could help. The cars a track car but it will be keep on the driveway for a while until I can get a car port build at my new house for a bit of shelter, so don't know if the wrap holding moisture will be an issue.
The downpipe is a good quality stainless steel, will I still have issues with cracking due to very high heat? Anyone else use exhaust wrap on downpipes with no issues? Is the turbo sock a decent investment over the bulky heatshield to save a bit of space in the cramped engine bay?
Edited by DottyMR2 on Friday 19th December 11:30
My downpipe is heat wrapped. Not had any fires, and I bet mine gets hotter than yours! 
Having looked at a lot of competitive cars built by very reputable tuners in Japan, seeing the number of them that run on track with heat wrapped manifolds and downpipes... if it's good enough for them!
Another option, albeit expensive, is zircotec ceramic coating. It's supposed to be just as effective as heat wrap and turbo blankets. Looks much nicer too.
Having looked at a lot of competitive cars built by very reputable tuners in Japan, seeing the number of them that run on track with heat wrapped manifolds and downpipes... if it's good enough for them!
Another option, albeit expensive, is zircotec ceramic coating. It's supposed to be just as effective as heat wrap and turbo blankets. Looks much nicer too.
cocopop said:
My downpipe is heat wrapped. Not had any fires, and I bet mine gets hotter than yours!
Having looked at a lot of competitive cars built by very reputable tuners in Japan, seeing the number of them that run on track with heat wrapped manifolds and downpipes... if it's good enough for them!
Another option, albeit expensive, is zircotec ceramic coating. It's supposed to be just as effective as heat wrap and turbo blankets. Looks much nicer too.
just had Zircotec do mine, works bloody well, but as said not cheap.Having looked at a lot of competitive cars built by very reputable tuners in Japan, seeing the number of them that run on track with heat wrapped manifolds and downpipes... if it's good enough for them!
Another option, albeit expensive, is zircotec ceramic coating. It's supposed to be just as effective as heat wrap and turbo blankets. Looks much nicer too.
There really is little point in heat wrap unless under bonnet temps are a serious problem, and really I'd be more interested in cooling through ventilation and ducting.
Turbo heat shielding, yes, definately needed to protect sensitive components namely brake lines etc running nearby where boiling the fluid would be catastrophic, if you must heat wrap (and I have done a few exhuasts over the years) then I'd recommend a nice wide wrap with a 50/50 overlap - only a bloody spaz would leave gaps anyway.
Turbo heat shielding, yes, definately needed to protect sensitive components namely brake lines etc running nearby where boiling the fluid would be catastrophic, if you must heat wrap (and I have done a few exhuasts over the years) then I'd recommend a nice wide wrap with a 50/50 overlap - only a bloody spaz would leave gaps anyway.
Boosted LS1 said:
My turbo's used to be wrapped until I found the cast iron flaking off. I switched to a heat shield with an air gap underneath.
Heat shield and air gap is wahat the OEMs always do, and no one else ever does proper durability testing. That said OEM heatshields often crack anyway.When I turboed my MX5 I ditched the heatshield, didn't wrap it and instead put a heatshield on the body to stop the rubber hoses melting. It worked just fine for 5 years, then the cheap secondhand downpipe cracked. For a home made bodge I was happy with that level of durability.
007 VXR said:
cocopop said:
My downpipe is heat wrapped. Not had any fires, and I bet mine gets hotter than yours!
Having looked at a lot of competitive cars built by very reputable tuners in Japan, seeing the number of them that run on track with heat wrapped manifolds and downpipes... if it's good enough for them!
Another option, albeit expensive, is zircotec ceramic coating. It's supposed to be just as effective as heat wrap and turbo blankets. Looks much nicer too.
just had Zircotec do mine, works bloody well, but as said not cheap.Having looked at a lot of competitive cars built by very reputable tuners in Japan, seeing the number of them that run on track with heat wrapped manifolds and downpipes... if it's good enough for them!
Another option, albeit expensive, is zircotec ceramic coating. It's supposed to be just as effective as heat wrap and turbo blankets. Looks much nicer too.
Not saying Zircotec is crap by any means, but!
compared to quality wrap done right, it's no contest.
had a turbo housing done too, and all the talk of cutting heat radiation to a minimum is basically bull, at red to white heat levels, you could not get with 12" of it, pop a quality turbo blanket on it, you could actually rest your hand on it.
Biggest problem is finding wrap that's decent and does not disintegrate with serious heat, also, 1 layer is not going to cut it if you have stuff within ~1" of the pipe.
I always find people massively underestimate just how much heat your dealing with from the exhaust, add a turbo to back it all up with, and you're dealing with serious Kw's.
rule of thumb, for every Hp you get out the engine, you get ~750w of heat out the exhaust, so, say 300Hp of engine is 225Kw of heat to contend with, that's not trivial.
this is kind of what I am getting at:
http://vimeo.com/64793283
Edited by Scuffers on Friday 19th December 16:27
Scuffers said:
rule of thumb, for every Hp you get out the engine, you get ~750w of heat out the exhaust, so, say 300Hp of engine is 225Kw of heat to contend with, that's not trivial.
Or to swap the units round, for every hp you get from the car, imagine another hp coming from the heat of the exhaust, that's how much energy you have to deal with!Agree on good wrap + blanket imo. I wrapped a tubular manifold on my car and the difference was astounding, that was cheap wrap on an n/a car as well!
Krikkit said:
Scuffers said:
rule of thumb, for every Hp you get out the engine, you get ~750w of heat out the exhaust, so, say 300Hp of engine is 225Kw of heat to contend with, that's not trivial.
Or to swap the units round, for every hp you get from the car, imagine another hp coming from the heat of the exhaust, that's how much energy you have to deal with!Agree on good wrap + blanket imo. I wrapped a tubular manifold on my car and the difference was astounding, that was cheap wrap on an n/a car as well!
Under bonnet temps are a real issue with the '2 on track, even in standard form. I'm going to be running around 280-300bhp when this engine goes in. By easter/summer though I'm hoping to have got a hold of a Link G3 and a bigger turbo (second hand for a bargain of course!) so I'm aiming for 350-380bhp. That's going to be a big increase in heat over standard and it already struggled with cooling this year (for a multitude of reasons though)
Got some home made mod planned to try and increase air flow through the bay. I'm ditching the intercooler for a chargecooler setup so trying to source a bigger pull fan for the side vent and heat tape everything I can. Cars been a headache for overheating this year so I'm determined to get that under control!
With this project though, I try and get parts for a bargzain, so it means I can wait a few months to find one at the right price
OP, there used to be a chap who specialised in custom exhausts at Stainless Steel Creations in Falkirk. I'll bet he'll tell you what his experience is as he runs on of these. He also does the timing belts for a good price. Or he did 6 years ago when I had one.
Didn't have heat wrap. But the super dooper thick uprated manifold cracked all the same.
randomeddy said:
There are supercharged verions of the 4-AGE engines,is going down that route no good?
Isn't that the ancient one not sure how that would put out near the power or reliability? The 3SGTE is an utter peach for what is a very basic engine. I bought mine dyno'd at 295 with just a new turbo, remap, and injectors. Never trust a dyno, but it was rapid.Didn't have heat wrap. But the super dooper thick uprated manifold cracked all the same.
Prof Prolapse said:
Didn't have heat wrap. But the super dooper thick uprated manifold cracked all the same.
one thing to consider when wrapping is that the pipes will get hotter, much hotter, so if they are not up to much, they will crack/fail.Cast Turbo manifolds crack because usually they are a poor design and can't deal with non-linear expansion, fabricated ones suffer the same if not designed right or made from to thin or wrong spec tube.
Scuffers said:
Prof Prolapse said:
Didn't have heat wrap. But the super dooper thick uprated manifold cracked all the same.
one thing to consider when wrapping is that the pipes will get hotter, much hotter, so if they are not up to much, they will crack/fail.Cast Turbo manifolds crack because usually they are a poor design and can't deal with non-linear expansion, fabricated ones suffer the same if not designed right or made from to thin or wrong spec tube.
I didn't fit it though. So no right to comment on longevity.
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