To exhaust wrap or not
 

I just got a new Tomei expreme catless UEL header (stainless not ceramic/titanium). Is there any glaring reasons not to heat wrap, (clearances, nut/bolt access, doesnt really DO anything, etc)?

I'm in no hurry to install it so I've got the time to do it right, just curious if its truly worth the trouble or a may as well do it just because kinda deal.

Slightly related, if I were to heat wrap, is it generally a good idea to do the adhesive style heat shield on the oil pan as well?

Cons-
It makes one of the header bolts very hard to get to on the driver's side.
If you have oil leaks, it can/will absorb that and become a catalyst for a large fire that will start at the lowest point in the engine bay, meaning everything goes up.

Pros-
Definitely helps with heat, especially around the oil pan



Advice- Do not wrap if you have a modicum of doubt about the condition of your valve cover gaskets, or if there is oil leaking from anywhere. Otherwise, I think it's a good idea to keep heat out of the engine bay, but it's not necessary. I ran uncoated, unwrapped catless headers from a couple years with absolutely 0 issues street driving. If you are doing track driving, definitely consider getting them ceramic coated.

[QUOTE=DarkPira7e;3399389]Cons-
It makes one of the header bolts very hard to get to on the driver's side.
If you have oil leaks, it can/will absorb that and become a catalyst for a large fire that will start at the lowest point in the engine bay, meaning everything goes up.

Yea, makes sense.. Been scouring the internet for tips and trick regarding the inner drivers side nut.. not finding too much by way of a solid solution..

What are your thought about the tomei gaskets that come with it vs something like grimmspeed or something else?

The only solution it to leave that section of header loosely wrapped until you've bolted it on, and then cinch it tight.

I use Grimmspeed gaskets, but honestly most anything works fine as long as the header flanges are flat. Nothing wrong with OE gaskets

Crows foot wrenches and a nice extensions was how I got mine on with the wrap.


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My opinion, yes heat wrap, and oil pan.

You will find various opinions, but keeping the heat inside the exhaust and out of the engine compartment is a good thing. This will also slow the cool down of the exhaust.

I have DEI gold reflective tape on the oil pan. There isn't a definitive answer as to how effective that is but any heat you can deflect away from your oil is a good thing.

Header wrap will retain moisture which can cause some additional corrosion. If the car sees snow and salt that probably isn't ideal. Ceramic coating is another option.

Related question - just received my black coated JDL UEL. It came with an overpipe gasket and bolts. My car is MY2020 and has 8k miles.

My question is what else do I need for the install?

I assume the answer is new gaskets and bolts for the block (OE seems fine but willing to buy whatever the consensus is are the best). And, based upon above, reflective tape for the oil pan.

I assume the coating is sufficient and that wrap isn't necessary (won't be tracking).

Any special tools, anti-seize, anything else I might need. Want to be ready for anything once I get her up in the air and really only want to do once.

Yea, not a daily and sits in the garage 3-4 days out of the week. wont likely see inclement weather. I think im going to wrap it and see how cumbersome/time consuming it is. Im kind of a perfectionist, so we'll see how it goes..

My two cents, 86 GRMN has catless headers as stock, without any wrapping or heat shield. If Toyota didn't put protection on, I'd say that wrapping helps, but it's not necessary.

I am not a huge fan of wrapping as it contributes to fatigue, this goes back to my motorcycle days were we had much thinner material that would disintegrate when wrapped. I know a lot of people that do it and it seems okay but sustained high rpm with high EGT's will cause cracking at the welds and promote corrosion. It is not really necessary unless you are running a long tube header that protrudes up into the engine bay more then stock.

And you were able to torque it down with that setup?

Why not get it ceramic coated?

Get the header ceramic coated. The heat wrap has been known to cause cracks around flanges.