Exhaust manifold - heat insulation

[rev-erend]

OK - I've 95% finished on building a set of 4 into 1 stainless manifolds out of 45 mm (1 3/4 inch) tubing for my TVR .. and its an equal lenth set-up with as gentle bends as is possible in the installation but this means that heat transfer to other parts can and will be a big issue.

So the question is - what heat insulation should I use.

Should I use something like Cam coat or Ceramic chrome and also use exhaust wrap or is it overkill to use both.


http://www.racestuff.co.uk/www.racestuff.co.uk/inf...

Does anyone have any experience of ex wrap - best products .. say 50 ft of 2 inch wide .. would that be enough ?

Don't want to spend the earth on this and also really don't mind the look of exhaust wrap.

[tvrolet]

I started out with heat wrap as I was too much of a cheapskate to get things coated. What I hadn't counted on was how much the stuff costs, plus the heat spray etc. Cost a bl**dy fortune and I had to send for more wrap and more heat paint/spray on 2 occasions! OK mine was 2 sets of big diameter headers on the V8...but the stuff doesn't go as far as you might think.

Worked OK heat-wise - downsides included that if it got wet then it steamed something terrible, especially on startup. And if you got oil on it you couldn't just wipe it off - it soaked in the smoked like a good'un for ages afterwards. Plus it didn't look that great.

When I had the motor out the last time I got the headers cam coated (inside in black, outside polished). Looks great, cr@p just wipes off...and the engine bay doesn't seem any hotter. Plus, the pipes cool down loads quicker if you have to change plugs etc without removong skin.

Price no object - cam coat is a no brainer. But make sure you really are loads cheaper going down the wrap route as I found there wasn't such a huge difference.

[rev-erend]

SO how much was the cam coat ?

[Otto]

Second the comment that it takes a lot more than you realise for the exhaust wrap... I wrapped a 3" downpipe (single tube) on my MR2 turbo, and used a whole 25ft roll of the 1" diameter stuff.

Worked well, but given the choice again I'd use a ceramic coating.

[GreenV8S]

To give you some idea, 50' of 2" bandage was enough to wrap both manifolds and the y piece on mine. This is with all four headers being covered together. I guess you will need to wrap yours individually which will take much more.

One thing to bear in mind is that the wrap gets brittle and doesn't last forever. Be prepared to replace it all every couple of years (more often if you work on the car a lot). It does have the advantage of quietening the exhaust a lot if that's an issue.

For a hundred quid I got a tin of Black Satin ceramic paint which would be enough to do the whole thing, not convinced the insulating effects are all that great but is must help, also looks a lot smarter than the original scabby manifolds or dog-eared bandages.

[GTWayne]

It is possibly the most expensive option but Zircotec is the best coating I have yet seen. When someone says 'Here, put your hand on that manifold' when the motor is runing, instinct and experience tells you that it is just not possible, but it is

[stevesingo]

GTWayne said:

It is possibly the most expensive option but Zircotec is the best coating I have yet seen. When someone says 'Here, put your hand on that manifold' when the motor is runing, instinct and experience tells you that it is just not possible, but it is

I know someone who had a 4 branch tubular manifold by Zircotec, £340.

Steve

[tvrolet]

rev-erend said:

SO how much was the cam coat ?

http://www.camcoat.com/motorsport/exhausts_prices.html

[rev-erend]

Thanks Guys .. given me some idea's ..

[rev-erend]

Pete - what kind of temperature does the heat wrap reduce the manifolds down to .. do you have a lazer temp guage..

Many be the best solution is to have the exhausts coated or pain yourself and then just heat wrap any key area's.. like near engine mounts, starter motor etc..

[tvrolet]

rev-erend said:

Many be the best solution is to have the exhausts coated or pain yourself and then just heat wrap any key area's.. like near engine mounts, starter motor etc..

Why not get the pipes coated then protect the heat sensitive stuff directly in the aluminium faced heat mat? The stick-on stuff is good, but the 'glue' isn't everlasting so I ended up attaching it with lock wire. I then moved to the embossed aluminium stuff, which is actually better as you can fold it in to shapes around starters, brake lines etc., plus you can bolt it on with big washers and it seems robust enough not to crack the DIY 'sheilds'.