SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

OK, so anyone who has been following my threads knows that i got my megan headers put on and had some resonance issues (but not as bad as many of the other people on the board). i bought some header wrap to see if i could wrap down some of the areas i thought were to blame.

basically i just wrapped the front downpipe in two different sections from just below the header flange down to just below the subframe and from the short flexpipe to the 'B' bend. the rear downpipe i wrapped also from the header flange back to the main exhaist pipe, but all in one piece. i also wrapped the front O2 sensor since it seemed pretty close to the tranny pan. the whole thing took 45 minutes including jacking up the car and running up the road for a test drive.

a few lessons learned here: from what i can see, the wrap allready came off the short flex pipe. i know it was tight enough (i used stainless zip ties), but it seems to me that the short flex is definitely moving or it wouldnt have worked the wrap free (but i will admit i did the short flex first and did a shitty job). i am going to go back and wrap the whole pipe from flange to 'B' bend with one continuous piece when it cools down so it will be like the rear downpipe.

OK, so now what everyone is really waiting for....YES, i do think it made a difference. the car definitely sounded quieter but i could still hear the exhaust flow pretty pronouncedly. i plan on re-wrapping this pipe and taking a highway trip today to see what happens. i will re-evaluate and let you all know this evening, but i think this may be a good fix.

SSTS

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

sorry, here is the resize:

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

OK so i ran the car for most of the day and the wrap definitely makes a difference. i have no resonance during acceleration, but i do still have a very very low tin-rattle sound, some of this i think is exhaust flow and some of it i think is the short section of flexpipe on the front downpipe. it's honestly better to the point that it doesn't even bother me.

the wrap came off the short flex section again. i'm not sure why it won't stay on, but i still need to go back and rewrap the whole downpipe in one continuous piece. i think that may solve my problem. i think i'll try some different zipties this time.

i will say that the short flexpipe is definitely moving. i suspect that when you put the car in gear the whole header/downpipe combo moves up closer to the tranny pan, although i can't say with 100% certainty that this is where the tin-rattle sound is.

i see a bunch of people have read through this post today. any thoughts? suggestions on what i could do better?

SSTS

muffaburn

I have had my OBX headers on for over a year and a half and have dealt with the resonance at around 2200-2500 rpm's this whole time. I think I will give the wrap a try. Where did you buy, how much and what kind of wrap is it? Also is the wrap rated for high heat? How does it stick to the header piping? Why did you wrap the O2 sensor?

SLAMMED_WDP_TLS

I kno this will not help but any other headers that DONT give you that resonance like AW stone or comptech?

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

i specifically bougth DEI exhaust wrap and ties from summitracing.com. cost me around $50 for one roll of 1 inch wide x 50ft header wrap and 2 boxes of stainless steel (heat rated) zipties. it's rated for 1250 degrees F and can even be put on the catalytic converter. i still have about 1/3 of a roll left after what you saw i did in the pictures.

when you start wrapping it on the pipe you wrap it over itself the first time to make it stay and then when you get to the end of the pipe you use a zip tie to hold the loose end of the wrap. really easy, you just have to take your time so it looks nice.

i wanted the wrap because it breathes like a cloth, so if you get water on your pipes you don't have to worry about moisture getting trapped against the metal and having it rust prematurely. that is one of the concerns i found when using the header wrap "tape". this is just a roll of cloth that doesn't stick on it's own.

i wrapped the O2 sensor only because it's really close to the tranny pan. i really wasn't sure what was causing resonance and what wasn't, so while i was under there i wanted to get everything i saw so i wouldn't have to keep jacking the car up and putting more wrap on until i solved it. it probably didn't need to be wrapped, but whatever.

SSTS

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

well, are you saying the wrap doesn't help or do you mean your question isn't related? because the wrap definitely helped.

comptech headers are pretty much resonance free, per the feedback from the board members who have them. the issue is that they're $1200 new. i got my header for $280 shipped and the wrap for $50. i also saw the same gains on the dyno as comptech claims. do a search under my username and you will find my dyno posts. they're only a week old.

AW and OBX i would say are 50/50. some rattle some don't.

considering i got 19hp extra peak and 18ft/lbs of extra torque at redline from the megan headers i think i got the better deal. but that's only my opinion.

SSTS

benzo555

Well Im not sure if it helps with resonance, but sure does keep the engine bay cooler. Just from experience, you do not want to use the wrap under the car. The wrap will trap moisture and will lead to the stainless to crack. If you just wrap the top parts of the headers you should be fine. Just my

SLAMMED_WDP_TLS

Oh no I am just raising this question so people can make a comparision. I got megan headers too and the resonance dont bother me all that much when I am driving by myself but when there is people in my car. I cant be blasting music or rolling my window down. ESPECIALLY when my parents gonna be in the car when they visit.. So if the wraps are going to minimize the sound then I will definitely jump on that. Thanks for coming up with something new. but benzo555 raise another question of traping moisture? I dont think there is any way to tell except time. But yea the megan header does do its job pretty well and for the price damn it it does crack you can always get another one. The reason why I ask other headers is because if people dont want to deal with all this then they can go with other headers. If you see it. you spent $280 and $50 on the wraps and so thats $330. You can get a set of used aw for that price and not deal with the wrap. JUST A COMPARISON so people can make a desicion for themself

benzo555

Im 99% sure if you wrap any headers you will void the warranty.

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

i'm not too worried about that. i allready tore the wire mesh on the outside of my short flex pipe so i'm sure my warranty is nill right now. i have a feeling that if the welds on the manifolds alone failed that they would still honor the warranty.

as far as trapping moisture goes, that is why i bought the fabric and not the tape. it's a fiberglass composite but if you hold it in your hands you can see that it's breathable. moisture will dry out of it. in fact, i'm so sure of myself that i will unwrap it and look later this week because we're supposed to have thunderstorms all week here. i will let you all know.

SSTS

NJ Aegean 03

Correct, you don't want to wrap any parts that have the possibility of getting wet. However, I think the welds would give way first...

SSTS - Glad to see that the wrap worked for you and nice wrapping job!!!

AcuraTLSFan

How hot do you think the headers get? My headers has hair line cracks in them again...after I got them rewelded...I don't want to pay another $150 to have them taken off and rewelded. So was considering using the "J&B Liquid Weld" , you suppose to mix 2 substance together and it's suppose to act as a metal weld. It only supports upto 600 Degrees before it gives way

etxxz

i think heat wrapping headers to reduce resonance is useless. The resonance is caused because the alignment between the header/downpipe connection is not perfect because the header was probably made for the av6. or its caused because bolts arent tight enough.

heat wrapping might absorb some of the vibration like a pillow does over your vibrating cellphone...not enough huh... BUT the cost and time is not worth the investment



another thing, even IF you get to keep the warranty by putting headers, heat wrapping wont 'cause any dammage to anything so by the MM Act protects your warranty. so, go and try and disprove what i said above.

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

um, i wrapped my headers and don't have resonance anymore. the wrap cost me $50, the headers cost me around $280. true the headers may not be made right but wrapping them does work. it really doesn't take as long as people might think. i'd say from start to finish it was 45 minutes for me. if you wrap them before putting them on (if you just bought them) it would be even quicker.

SSTS

ojen924

just got mine installed for 165 bucks. No leaks and no resonance. Its nice I actually spun my tires accelerating through a left turn today.

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

i spun tires on the dyno going from 1st to 2nd, but i haven't tried it on the street yet (with the VSA off obviously).

SSTS

etxxz

cool cool...if what you're saying is true i'll will most absolutely and definetly wrap my headers this weekend!

joseph_99tl

got mine installed.
got resonance....
some slight rattling...
the car feels great though..

aaronnn

i have obx ss on mine.. had it on for about 6 months now.. about 10k miles on it. still no rattling, still no cracks. i love it, i bought it for under 280 and installed for 100. i think it was definitly worth it, the gains are amazing. i have intake and exhausts too, so i dont even hear any resonance at all right now.

i think the best thing from all headers though are the gains. i think if youre pretty satisfied with what those things can do for you, resonance wouldnt even matter.

brakejob

i think they can get hotter than that...

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

i know v8 headers can get up around 1300 degrees F (obviously dependent on the car). i'm not too sure what ours would be.

SSTS

NYZGREATST

hey where can i get that heat wrap from???

NYZGREATST

dude, trust me. the resonance from my headers truly want me to get rid of my headers. its reallly starting to kill me.

PenguinQX

iTrader: (1)

My resonance has gotten worse recently... In addition to the "weedwhacker hitting a chain-link fence" sound, I've develed a metallic rattle. This rattle gets worse when there's extra weight in the car (ie. more than just me in it). I think I'm going to take a video so that everyone knows what these resonance noises with the Megans sound like. Anyone kno a good place for hosting?

I think I'll be trying the header wrap this winter.

steadydaddy

I have CT-no resonance. With 'tamed' HKS Draggers, the exhaust note is a deep purr. Vtec growl from Icebox is louder than exhuast. I don't know how resonance sounds like and I wonder if the wrap is the solution. If it seems to be working, it may just be deadening the sound from the pipes. Could it be the alignment and fitting of the pipes and flanges are plausible causes of the so-called resonance? It just seems strange that some headers (from same manufacturers) have the problem while others don't. I imagine these items are CNC'd so they should be identical.

Marlboro27s

my megans sound like a metallic cricket...its really fucking annoying. maybe i will try the heat wrap