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will exhaust wrap make any difference on my bike?

ohio

ohio

Active member
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Location
San Francisco
Moto(s)
Anything with two wheels
Name
Marc
For reasons that are probably also related to the fact that I have no plastics or snorkels on my '03 R6, it seems to run very differently once the pipes are fully heated up (well after the engine is up to temp). Much quieter, smoother, and with more power. But it doesn't ALWAYS get to that smooth, quiet state even after I've been riding for awhile.

I'm wondering if exhaust wrap will help maintain the exhaust temps better, or if I'm completely off in thinking that this is even related to exhaust temps.

I'm not running a PC, and not expected major performance gains... just bike that more reliably runs smoothly and quietly in different ambient temps.
 
Actually the reason your bike runs differently is the MOTOR is warm. Wrap is not intended to keep pipes warmer, it is intended to hold the heat in the exhaust pipe so it blows out the rear. Not related.
 
afm199 said:
Actually the reason your bike runs differently is the MOTOR is warm. Wrap is not intended to keep pipes warmer, it is intended to hold the heat in the exhaust pipe so it blows out the rear. Not related.
Click to expand...

What he said.
But if you do get the wrap anyhow, know it smokes a bit after the initial install.
 
& that it will wear the pipes out quicker. basically the pipes will get so hot that after a year or 2 the header will crack. happened to 2 pipes on my bike.
 
afm199 said:
Actually the reason your bike runs differently is the MOTOR is warm.
Click to expand...

Definitely the bike runs better with the engine fully warmed, but if I let it idle up to temp (~180) it runs very differently than if I've been riding it at temp with enough throttle to get heat all the way down the pipes. Does that make sense?
 
ohio said:
Definitely the bike runs better with the engine fully warmed, but if I let it idle up to temp (~180) it runs very differently than if I've been riding it at temp with enough throttle to get heat all the way down the pipes. Does that make sense?
Click to expand...

If you believe it runs better with hot exhaust pipes, then by all means go down and buy some exhaust wrap and wrap those headers.
 
This is the best exhaust wrap:

[youtube]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q9JKtFq2E5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q9JKtFq2E5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/youtube]
 
MONEY!

Matt.Lai said:
This is the best exhaust wrap:

[youtube]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q9JKtFq2E5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q9JKtFq2E5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Click to expand...
 
wrapping your headers/pipe makes the exhaust gasses hotter because it contains the heat inside the pipe, and the hotter the headers and exhaust gasses are, the faster they flow..which means less resistance and more power.

the most common reason ive seen for headers cracking that have been wrapped, is rust. the wrap holds the water in and will rust and eat holes in the pipe.
 
explorin said:
wrapping your headers/pipe makes the exhaust gasses hotter because it contains the heat inside the pipe, and the hotter the headers and exhaust gasses are, the faster they flow..which means less resistance and more power.

the most common reason ive seen for headers cracking that have been wrapped, is rust. the wrap holds the water in and will rust and eat holes in the pipe.
Click to expand...

Wrong. A header at 600 degrees fahrenheit boils off all the water and vapor in the wrap in a very short time. You install header wrap by soaking it in water and wrapping it on the pipe. It can not contain water it is a porous fabric.

Why do pipes rust? Stainless steel is NOT stainless. If you think it is, get a piece and bury it in your garden for a year and pull it out. It will be severely corroded. Header wrap allows heat ( oxidizing agent) to oxidize metal much faster than it would if it were not so insulated. Titanium headers should never be wrapped. They will rot out in a few months.

The thinner the metal, the faster the rot. I have wrapped M4 headers and three years later they were still fine. Akro is much thinner and won't last as long.
 
For reasons that are probably also related to the fact that I have no plastics or snorkels on my '03 R6, it seems to run very differently once the pipes are fully heated up (well after the engine is up to temp).
Click to expand...
Does it start the same when cold and when hot? You could have a rich condition if it runs better hot than cold.

Header wrap, for me would not happen. Get the pipes Jet Hot Coated, as they do the inside and outside. Not cheap, but much better than wrapping. Wrapping in my opinion, doesn't allow the pipes to dissipate the heat as needed. If you have items getting hot from the pipes, wrap them instead, but let the exhaust pipes breathe.
 
it will make your bike look cooler and therefore faster.
 
Corey said:
Does it start the same when cold and when hot? You could have a rich condition if it runs better hot than cold.
Click to expand...

You mean ambient temp? It runs better when the air is cold, once the engine and pipes are up to temp. Not just more powerful (which is the norm with denser air) but actually quieter/smoother which was not the case with my last bike. The last bike was definitely louder in the cold.

If you mean engine temp, it's fuel injected so I'm not sure how it's mapped on warm up, but it basically doesn't like to run until engine temp is past 130 so I let it idle up to that before every ride. What I'm really trying to solve is that it doesn't always run the same at 180.

In any case, given this bike sees everyday street use and the wrap may cause faster corrosion of the factory headers, I think I'll skip it. If/when it becomes a dedicated trackbike, I'll probably go to a full exhaust and PCIII anyway, so I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Thanks for the help (and the rap) all.
 
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Wrapping headers will do nothing for.

throttle body synch and tps adjustment (if your bike has a tps) will help, especially if they haven't been done in a long time.
 
afm199 said:
Wrong. A header at 600 degrees fahrenheit boils off all the water and vapor in the wrap in a very short time. You install header wrap by soaking it in water and wrapping it on the pipe. It can not contain water it is a porous fabric.

Why do pipes rust? Stainless steel is NOT stainless. If you think it is, get a piece and bury it in your garden for a year and pull it out. It will be severely corroded. Header wrap allows heat ( oxidizing agent) to oxidize metal much faster than it would if it were not so insulated. Titanium headers should never be wrapped. They will rot out in a few months.

The thinner the metal, the faster the rot. I have wrapped M4 headers and three years later they were still fine. Akro is much thinner and won't last as long.
Click to expand...

afm is right on the money
 
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dagle said:
to add to that it is not heat alone that corrodes, there are minerals trapped and though the water does evaporate the mineral deposits remain. here's a picture of my wrapped manifold, it probably saw a lot more extreme temperatures than that of most bikes but the idea is the same:
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r274/dagle/?action=view&current=100_1246.jpg
all the white-ish marks are from the headerwrap. I've scrubbed with soapy water as well as brake clean to no avail, probably gonna nitride coat it before it goes onto a car.
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It's corrosion not mineral. try some scotchbrite or steel wool. You can't clean that off with a chemical.
 
explorin said:
wrapping your headers/pipe makes the exhaust gasses hotter because it contains the heat inside the pipe, and the hotter the headers and exhaust gasses are, the faster they flow..which means less resistance and more power.

the most common reason ive seen for headers cracking that have been wrapped, is rust. the wrap holds the water in and will rust and eat holes in the pipe.
Click to expand...

What he said. Keep the bike dry and rusting shouldn't be a problem. Or much of one. Or just get SS pipes.
 
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