Hey guys n gals has anyone wrapped there headers in an effort to keep heat down in engine bay. Was considering doing this as I have an 08 which has the smaller vents and does get hot. Whatdya think good or bad idea? :punk:
I did it on a Honda Blackbird which ran very hot (boiled over in heavy traffic in France one year) and it did seem to control it but I also replaced the radiator - so can't really say which worked - never make more than one change at a time etc......
If you decide to do it make sure you wet the wrap first before you put it on - when it dries it shrinks so it's nice and tight and use metal tie wraps or locking wire
J
My 2 penneth is it may solve the heat prob BUT it will seriously ramp up the heat of the exhaust gas to a point were you can get detonation on and in the exhaust port/valves ..
Get some asbestos socks 😊
Mmm didnt know that wookie thanks for the heads up. Guess ill get them socks lol
This same subject is currently under discussion on the ZG/GTR fanatics forum :yes:
Whats the opinion ovee there oc?
TBH I havent closely followed the thread as its not something I would consider myself.
I'll have a look, in the meantime Jim may be along to advise :smiley:
As the immortal Sergeant Schultz would say....'I know nothing'. Well, maybe a little. I can't say that we've heard of damage to the header pipes from this but it can cause discolouration of the pipes. From my reading it's used for performance and heat control.
As an owner of an 08 since 07, it doesn't bother me that much any more. I will say that I've got heat shields down at the bottom of the fairings to block the heat to my shins. Not sure you can get these anymore, though. I have more issues with the heat leaking to under the seat and I've shielded the seat with resistant foam insulation on the bottom side. Also have used foam to try to block the heat getting to the underside of the seat. Putting the screen all the way down is worse as it blocks the cooling air coming over the fairing. I leave about an inch or so from full down to keep the air moving over the side fairings and down to my shin area. Also, it's best to never stop in one place too long with the engine on.
Whatever you do, the heat has to go somewhere. Once you wrap the header pipes, the unwrapped pipe and exhaust can will get hotter.
http://www.centuryperformance.com/exhaust-header-heat-wraps-do-not-use.html
http://www.autoanything.com/exhausts-mufflers/ceramic-coating-vs-exhaust-wraps-which-improves-horsepower-best
You beat me to it Jim
I've just read through the posts on the ZG/GTR forum and my feeling is its not really worth doing.....(U.K climate being generally cooler than U.S.A )
I've copied and pasted this from there, (hope that's ok)
Quick story about possible effectiveness. (I think this indicates the wrap did reduce the heat).
I built a set of 4 into 1's with larger diameter head pipes.
The new head pipe material is very thin walled compared to the stock head pipes.
On initial installation, the heat from the larger head pipes melted the ends of the cooling fan.
(NOTE: The larger head pipes are very close to the fan).
I removed the headers, and wrapped the head pipes. Installed a new fan and tried again.
Fan didn't melt.
Some of the pipes I wrapped have been on the bikes for 10+ years.
I agree that the wires could cause hot spots.
I'll even agree that it could eventually hurt the head pipes.
I personally have not had any failures.
NOTE: I used stainless safety wire.
Bottom line: I don't think there is any performance improve.
I do think it reduces heat slightly.
If you want to give it a try, go for it..
Ride safe, Ted
The ceramic coating idea might be more sensible :yes:
Well i dont think ill bother after all then. Seems negative for the most part n i dont want a crazy bill for new headers. O well warm shins it is 😀 Thanks for the input guys appreciate it v much 👍👍👍
Quote from: Macskwak on August 11, 2016, 01:51:51 PM
Well i dont think ill bother after all then. Seems negative for the most part n i dont want a crazy bill for new headers. O well warm shins it is 😀 Thanks for the input guys appreciate it v much 👍👍👍
maybe wrap your shins, :mfr_lol:
You could try ceramic coating.
Not had any problems with heat on mine, other wise I give this a try myself.
http://www.zircotec.com/page/motorbike_exhausts/155
Even better idea than asbestos sox .. ceramic ones :punk:
On the header subject we had exhaust detonation about 10 yrs ago ..we were running a cbr600r engine in a race kart .. and had to wrap the pipes .. coz they were burning the driver .. wuss... anyhow we lost 2 pots exhaust valves and they were burn out from the header side .
Would hate to think if that happened to a GTR . However we were running a large valve overlap and the Kwak has a lot softer cams 😊😊