Thoughts on Header Blanket | FerrariChat

Thoughts on Header Blanket

Discussion in '360/430' started by Aintqik, Jun 18, 2017.

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  1. Aintqik

    Aintqik Karting

    Mar 15, 2017
    163
    South Jersey
    Full Name:
    RJ Cilurso
    I've never been a big fan of wrap. Winds up causing more problems than I'm comfortable with. I realize these cars have heat issues and have been considering a blanket for the Fabspeeds. Not convinced either way.

    Any stories pro/con? Anyone running them naked with no issues?

    Coating them is not going to happen this go round.
     
  2. cfensty

    cfensty Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 1, 2008
    977
    South Carolina
    I have blankets and they are fine. Smoked for a while but now are broken in. Combination of blankets and rear challenge grill seems to keep the heat down. Make sure the engine is not leaking oil though, the blankets could absorb oil and catch fire over time if not maintained properly. Or so I've been told.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  3. FlyingHaggisRacing

    FlyingHaggisRacing Formula 3

    Jul 2, 2013
    1,368
    Lots of threads discussing this.


    Coating
    Unless it's done by Zircotec (F1 supplier), then all the rest are good for aesthetics only.
    - My headers are Fabspeed with the coating in and out.


    New Tech
    There are a few newer technology/solutions - don't have the link.
    Similar stuff as Ferrari now seem to use.
    You send them headers and they clad them.


    So Blankets it is.
    Capristo if you have the money otherwise Fabspeed.
    I just made my own blanket for my muffler


    Naked
    Don't do it - the handbrake cables and brake pipes pass awfully close by, and some people have suffered melted handbrake cables.


    I went to town in this regard during my restoration, i now have an engine bay that is surprising cool after a good drive.
     
  4. GLS12

    GLS12 Formula Junior

    Jan 9, 2011
    587
    Occupied VA
    Full Name:
    Greg
    What about tubi if you are going aftermarket? Built in heat shield I understand like factory and have heard better things quality wise compared to fabspeed (not trying to crap on them, I know they are a sponsor, just conveying what I have heard from various mechanics).
     
  5. Aintqik

    Aintqik Karting

    Mar 15, 2017
    163
    South Jersey
    Full Name:
    RJ Cilurso
    Thanks Angus I'm going to review your thread and do some searching. I'm standing here with them and trying to figure out whether or not I'm going to run something.

    Seems like the answer is absolutely. I will be making my own up, or using a company I'm familiar with. So, install will be delayed some I guess. I've got plenty of other things to do while I'm waiting.

    Greg, the Tubis do look nice, I've already got the Fabspeed tho so I will make these work. The Fabspeed quality looks to be on par with some of the other high end stuff I have run. Can't speak to fitment yet.

    On a positive note, I've been eyeing some red heat blanket that is made for a race application. If I have to cover the beautiful stainless, I think red would do nicely with the intake. I will let you all know how I make out, and thanks for the advice.

    Craig, thankfully my car came with the Challenge rear grill so that's one thing I'm not having to go search for.
     
  6. ideloera

    ideloera Formula Junior

    Jun 2, 2015
    525
    Chicago
    Full Name:
    Isi
    As Angus said, go with Zircotec if you plan on coating your headers. My S-Line exhaust was coated by Zircotec, the temperature difference is not negligible.

    I have the Capristo blankets and they do the job. They'll smoke the first few times you take a ride after installing them, but that goes away after they are broken in. Contact Michael from Yellow Compass Group, he really does have the best prices (yes, even better than some of the huge sponsors on here).

    Good luck.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  7. white out

    white out Formula 3

    Mar 3, 2010
    1,228
    Untrue. There are many brands of ceramic coatings which keep heat within the exhaust.
     
  8. FlyingHaggisRacing

    FlyingHaggisRacing Formula 3

    Jul 2, 2013
    1,368
    #8 FlyingHaggisRacing, Jun 19, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
    Blankets - Smoking
    They all smoke for about 30mins, it's the Vermiculite coating.
    Don't ask me the chemistry i just know the name only :)


    Coating
    Over 10+ years of racing and having tried a variety of suppliers of ceramic coating on every race car i've had - i can say with a degree of experience, that the only one that actually made a difference was Zircotec (plasma deposition). All the processes involve spraying it on and baking it, so they have to use a binder and not so much ceramic.

    But even if you used Zircotec I'd still use a blanket - you would not believe how much they cut the heat. Go watch the Capristo video of their blanket being tested.
    After a good drive you can actually touch the outside of them and not have 1st degree burns.


    Now i have Fabspeed headers on my 348 and 360 - and they are just fine and they fitted perfectly and they come with heat shields etc.
    Some may argue over the exact type of stainless that should have been used - but considering price vs steel - Fabspeed gave me a good product at a fair price.

    As for Fabspeed's ceramic coating (which i have on mine) it too is a spray on and bake type - it looks great and protects the steel but it doesn't lower the temps (by an amount worth talking about).



    As i mentioned i just made a blanket for my muffler, using Basalt fabric and rockwool for the insulator. It has yielded a Temp drop of 150-175C.
     
  9. Chrisnlbc

    Chrisnlbc Formula Junior

    Jan 9, 2015
    374
    Huntington Beach


    Curious on why you dont like the wrap? Mine are wrapped and its been a great experience. No issues here to report.
     
  10. Aintqik

    Aintqik Karting

    Mar 15, 2017
    163
    South Jersey
    Full Name:
    RJ Cilurso
    In many cases wrap can cause the header to significantly degrade. It traps moisture and this does bad things to the metal and it also plays havoc with certain steels thermally. Beyond that we will have to wait for somebody smart to chime in. Additionally the wrap is more prone to absorbing oils and other flammables which again cause bad things to happen. Work? Yes. I just prefer a blanket with some air space personally.

    The ones I'm making are lined with a silca insulator and lava mat good to well over our temps and will shed most flamables.

    Are you ok? Yeah probably. I've just not had good experience with any wrap.
     
  11. djempire

    djempire Formula Junior

    Apr 30, 2012
    613
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Serf
    #11 djempire, Jun 21, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I don't see how moisture is even part of the conversation when ungodly heat burns anything getting close to the pipes. Hence the melted brake cables. Even at idle with the bottom covers in place the chance of getting wet is extremely low. I can see the argument of deteriorating (made of inferior material), but as you stated the headers are of excellent quality so that is a moot point.
    I wrapped my own headers using the titanium wrap material. 100' for under $100.
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  12. Need4Spd

    Need4Spd F1 Veteran

    Feb 24, 2007
    6,644
    Silicon Valley


    Moisture only burns away when the engine is running. As it cools, depending on the moisture content of the air and other factors, moisture could condense. There's water condensation coming out of your exhaust after you start it from cold, right?


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  13. netman

    netman Formula 3

    Jun 17, 2008
    1,905
    OC SoCal
    I have Capristio blankets on top of fabspeed headers. Am very happy.
     
  14. Aintqik

    Aintqik Karting

    Mar 15, 2017
    163
    South Jersey
    Full Name:
    RJ Cilurso
    #14 Aintqik, Jun 22, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    That looks very nice Serf. It actually looks way better than a blanket. Guys I just can't get myself to spend almost 2 grand on a blanket. It's like my brain won't process that. I've been doing a bit of research and poking around some of my sources. I work in manufacturing currently. First disclaimer is I have no idea what any of these expensive blankets use in them. I'm also not questioning how good they work or not.

    I'm in a glass industry and we temper our own stuff. I'm not the thermal expert some guy named Dan is, but I've seen a thing or 2. I've also been around cars a lot. Having said that, most of the high temp insulating internal fabrics are a silca based material. They can be others, but higher end leans toward a ceramic or silca. I've sourced a bit of this cheaply. Externally I'm using a basalt based fabric again for withstanding high temps. The binding could be cheap ole exhaust wrap but I opted to spend a bit more and also go with a basalt material. Thread is a composite fiberglass also good to very high temperatures. I have several connection methods here and right now leaning on stainless snaps. I will report back on the asssembly, lessons learned and reduction numbers. I bet the big companies
    have learned a lot along the way and that is what we are paying for. But it will be fun. I have about $150 in this including a ship buldiers sail sewing kit ;).
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  15. mwstewart

    mwstewart F1 Rookie

    Feb 5, 2014
    2,625
    England
    Full Name:
    Mark
    I have Capristo manifold and cat blankets. They make a significant difference to temps - notably on the cats which when glowing red hot after a run can be held over the blankets for a few seconds.
     
  16. F355Bob

    F355Bob Formula 3

    #16 F355Bob, Jun 22, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I 've had Capristo blankets and Fabspeed blankets on my F355. I now have Inconel shields that are far superior. You can run the car hard and put your hand an inch away from the shield and hold it there. You send your headers in and they make a shield and use buttons and safety wire.
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  17. mwstewart

    mwstewart F1 Rookie

    Feb 5, 2014
    2,625
    England
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Is that by TurboSource? They look to do a very good job.
     
  18. F355Bob

    F355Bob Formula 3

    It is by Turbo Source in Minnesota.
     
  19. bisel

    bisel Formula 3
    BANNED

    Sep 12, 2012
    1,138
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    Full Name:
    Steve Bisel
    I recently installed Fabspeed headers on my 360. I wrapped them using a high density wrap from TecFlex. You have to soak the wrap in water to make the wrap flexible enough to do a good wrap job. Came out very nicely.

    I did all this about 4 weeks ago and also did a cat delete. The temperature decrease in engine bay is remarkably lower. Yesterday, it was about 117 deg F. here. I went for long drive and upon returning home, grabbed my IR thermometer. The surface temp of the wrapped headers was right at 575 deg F. Prior to new headers, after good run, the surface temp of the Ferrari stock headers was over 600 deg F. The biggest difference was the surface temp of cat-delete pipes. They were right at 350 deg F or so. The stock Ferrari cats would be over 700 deg F.

    Like others here, I had my Fabspeed headers ceramic coated ... don't waste money. Only cosmetic. Go with what Angus suggested if you want effective coating. Or go with wrap or blankets. I expect blankets are prolly better, but cost much more than wrapping.

    My opinion about wrap affecting the steel ... I believe wraps might affect longevity of headers if the headers are made of mild steel. Fabspeed and most other after market headers for Ferrari use 304 stainless, which is not going to degrade in same fashion due to hot/cold cycles like mild steel.

    Steve
     
  20. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,487
    Lake Villa IL
    Looks Nice Bob. Price on their website looks like $800 each. Is that about what they charged for yours?
     
  21. FlyingHaggisRacing

    FlyingHaggisRacing Formula 3

    Jul 2, 2013
    1,368
  22. F355Bob

    F355Bob Formula 3


    Yes I paid $1600 for the pair and it made huge difference in radiant heat. The Capristo blankets get very dirty and grungy over a few years and you can't clean them and start to look terrible. They work well but no comparison to the Inconel.
     
  23. shubchs

    shubchs Karting

    Aug 22, 2015
    87
    Saint Paul MN
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Just had a nice conversation with Elliott White of TurboSource, I think I will also go with them (they are very close to where I live in Saint Paul), and I like what Bob said about them also. Bob, can you tell me who fabricates the Inconel shields, is it also TurboSource?
     
  24. shubchs

    shubchs Karting

    Aug 22, 2015
    87
    Saint Paul MN
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Sorry Bob, I'm new to this Ferrari (I have a F430). Can you tell me who fabricates the Inconel blankets/shields. Is it also TurboSource or some other manufacturer?
     

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