header temperatures?

[tollboothwilley]

does anybody know how hot the manifolds heat up to? I'm going to be installing some headers soon and I want to wrap them.

Not sure what temperature rating I should use.

[joe603]

I would recommend against wrapping...get them jet-hot coated!

[Poyzinous]

depending on how you drive, they can be 300 to 500 degrees surface temp.After work I drove around for a while, fairly calmly, and my surface temperature on the header read on my digital thermometer 468*F. Check Brake section to see what other amazing discovery I made...
Modified by Poyzinous at 9:22 PM 3/7/2009

[infinitgkid]

I donno, I always heard that wrapping your headers was a good thing...

[joe603]

I donno, I always heard that wrapping your headers was a good thing...

It can cause a fire in the engine bay....ceramic coating is the way to go.

[TeflonG35]

Some headers you aren't supposed to wrap. Ask the manufacture. The wraps keeps the heat in and some headers don't like that.

[tollboothwilley]

Poorly constructed headers will have problems with cracking. This is normally because of bad welded connections.

Heat wrapping is DEFINITELY a good thing. Jet-Hot coating would be better but I don't have that available and I assume its more expensive.

Would aftermarket headers heat up more than the stock ones with the heat shield?

[kmech_7]

As far as heating up goes they will both heat up. Its the after heat soak time that is the problem. The stock headers will stay hot a lot longer due to them being cast. An aftermarket header will not stay as hot as long. Now to say that the headers will only get to 400-500F suface temp is completely false. My headers for example get to almost 1500-1600F. This is not unusual at all.

Now please dont say that I am full of crap when I say this......I KNOW. I not only have an EGT that tells me this thing but I also am a Machinest and a certified heat treating specialist. (and no the steel will not melt at 1500F, In cast form it is a Ferrous metal.....It is more about 2200F)

I would wrap it..... I have. This will force the heat down the exaust and out the end without it lingering in the engine bay.

yes poysionous I believe you when you say you got 468F. BUT YOU WERE MESURING THE HEAT SHIELD!!!!! This mesurment will always be different.
Modified by kmech_7 at 7:00 PM 3/7/2009

[tollboothwilley]

Awesome. Thats more along the lines of what I was thinking. I assume it should be around 1200* for NA. I know you are SC which I would assume makes it hotter.