[detailer57]

I have a set of Thunderheaders 2-1, "black" on my dyna. I do not want to put heat sheilds on, I was going to wrap them with that exaust wrap.

I was told it holds too much heat in and degrades the pipes and will make them brittle in just a couple of years. I do not want to have to buy pipes again.

Is there any truth in this, if so, I will buy the heat shields.

HELP.

 

[sparks'n'dust]

I couldnt say for sure, but I know in drag and racing application, exhaust wrap is used to retain more exhaust gas heat, and thereby helping to expell spent gasses and aid in the scavenging of fresh fuel charge into the combustion chamber during overlap.

So it would make sense that wrap "keeps heat in" whereas heat sheilds would allow more airflow over your pipes and keep them cooler.

How all this effects the longevity of the steel your pipes are made of I do not know.

 

[Hanz Solo-seat]

I ran exhaust wrap on my race bike. (Non-Harley) It had stainless pipes. They were run in the rain as well. After 3 years, the pipes were unwrapped and sent out for JetHot coating. There was no degredation of the pipes, with the exception of a tad bit of surface corrosion which came right off. The bike saw 10000 rpms regularily and without wrap, used to turn the rear pipe cherry red on the track.

I've seen degredation with Ti pipes in short periods of time, causing brittleness and worse.

With your pipes being a mild steel, it may not have any effect on them what so ever, with the exception of mild corrosion or discoloring of the coloring under the wrap.

If you're concerned about cosmetic damage, I'd say no. I wrapped my chrome pipes for less than a month, then took it off and it did damage to the chrome. I'd be willing to bet that although the metal would be fine, wrapping your black pipes would damage the finish if you ever decided that you didn't want them wrapped any more.

I used DEI header wrap and their stainless zip ties... I found wetting the wrap beforehand helps with installation in getting a tighter fit. After they dry, use the DEI Silicone spray to restore color and help with water repelent.

 

[sirbOOm]

How many feet of wrap did you use on those drags?