The Truth about Exhaust Wrap??
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 129
Likes: 4
From: Calgary,canada
My experience
. My pipes run a lot hotter with the wrap on, Ive gone through many pairs of jeans this riding season. If you want to wrap your pipes I would recommend double wrapping them. I have side shots when Im in heavy traffic the heat is too much for me, I will be putting on a second wrap this winter.
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 248
Likes: 0
From: RI
My experience
. My pipes run a lot hotter with the wrap on, Ive gone through many pairs of jeans this riding season. If you want to wrap your pipes I would recommend double wrapping them. I have side shots when Im in heavy traffic the heat is too much for me, I will be putting on a second wrap this winter.
Did you just wrap the pipes or the shields too?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,106
Likes: 12
From: SoCal
I wrapped the pipes on my bike a couple of years ago, and I did it against the recommendation of both the shop that did the headers on my truck, and the makers of the pipes for the bike. I had the Rinehart true duals but the left side stuck out too far and I kept hitting the back of my left leg on it when backing up. So I went with the Hooker true duals which have a closer fit. In fact they fit so close that the heat off the pipe toasted my side cover. Here is a picture:
So to combat that I wrapped the left side pipe. Here is a picture.
I ran it that way for a year. It sure did keep the heat down. Yes it smelled and steamed when it was wet but I accepted that. Then one day I was doing some work on the bike and had to pull the exhaust. When I undid the wrap it was brittle and broke off in chunks. And with it came large flakes of metal stuck to the wrap fibers. The retained heat had begun to break down the pipe and destroy it.
So, if you plan to change out the exhaust several times over the next few years like many of us do, then wrap away. However, if you plan on keeping the exhuast and would like it to last, then consider having it Jet-Hot coated.
Mark
So to combat that I wrapped the left side pipe. Here is a picture.
I ran it that way for a year. It sure did keep the heat down. Yes it smelled and steamed when it was wet but I accepted that. Then one day I was doing some work on the bike and had to pull the exhaust. When I undid the wrap it was brittle and broke off in chunks. And with it came large flakes of metal stuck to the wrap fibers. The retained heat had begun to break down the pipe and destroy it.
So, if you plan to change out the exhaust several times over the next few years like many of us do, then wrap away. However, if you plan on keeping the exhuast and would like it to last, then consider having it Jet-Hot coated.
Mark
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 208
Likes: 3
hey all.. im just a curious observer.. I thought the reason for wrapping was to keep the heat of the exhaust high so that the exahust would flow smoother through the pipe - less back pressure, etc... Wouldn't that mean that wrapped pipes would be hotter than not wrapped? Just trying to understand the theory I guess.
J.
J.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,106
Likes: 12
From: SoCal
Well the way it was explained to me wrapping the pipes is done to intentionally retain the heat inside the pipes. This allows for minimal cooling and that means more of the expanding exhaust gas is forced out the exhaust at any given time. So yes, a few more HP are eked out of the motor. However, the retained heat is what destroys pipes, hence the large flakes I found when unwrapping my pipes. Drag engines run wrapped pipes because the whole thing is stripped and rebuilt after a few runs. So the exhaust system is almost considered an expendable item and is often bugeted that way by the builders. No so for many other owners including myself.
Now one of the collateral benefits of wrapping the pipes is cooler temps for the pipes themselves. So many riders, including myself, have wrapped pipes for comfort. They also look cool on some builds giving the bike a sort of drag or rat look. The down side as I found out is that the wrap does overheat the pipes (as it was designed to do) and that leads to metal deterioration of the wrapped areas.
Mark
Now one of the collateral benefits of wrapping the pipes is cooler temps for the pipes themselves. So many riders, including myself, have wrapped pipes for comfort. They also look cool on some builds giving the bike a sort of drag or rat look. The down side as I found out is that the wrap does overheat the pipes (as it was designed to do) and that leads to metal deterioration of the wrapped areas.
Mark