Keep Your Exhaust Cool With a Heat Shield

The majority of people see their vehicle’s like something that they fill up with petrol or diesel to get from point A to point B. Well, as you probably already know, there’s a lot going on under the bonnet. From pistons moving and crankshafts turning to sparks being made, as well as valves being opened and closed to let air flow, the combustion engine of today is definitely far more complicated than its predecessors but it still relies on the same fundamental process. Burning fuel is essentially what every engine does. Some do it a bit different than others, depending on the type fuel they use but all in all there not much difference.

So how does an engine work? Simply put, an engine works by having air and fuel mix in a chamber where a spark is generated by a spark plug and a piston pushes in to make for a controlled explosion. Pressure is the driving force here as it helps create the explosion necessary to make for the circular motion that helps move the wheels. As you would expect, heat is generated during this process and heat can be both good and bad. When the latter is the case even a stainless steel exhaust system can benefit from a heat shield.

Do You Need a Heat Shield on Your Exhaust?

Technically speaking, a car can be driven without any heat shield on. But the hazards and complications you can experience by not installing a heat shield can be quite costly. A properly installed exhaust heat shield is a much-needed safety feature that will keep engine parts as well as your exhaust running for a long time.

How to Install Exhaust Heat Shield

1. Installing the exhaust heat shield is best done by getting a bucket of water first and soaking the wrap in it. This way, the heat shield wrap will loosen up and make it easier to place around the exhaust pipe, especially when it comes to wrapping the tight bends. This will also help the wrap stick to itself. You’ll see why that’s important in a minute.

2. When you have the automotive heat shield well soaked, you’ll want to start wrapping it by having the layer after the previous one overlap no less than 1cm. Make sure to secure the wrap at the starting point using a cable tie or a stainless steel tie. The latter is recommended since it’s stronger.

3. When it comes to small piping around the headers, you’ll need someone to help you wrap around them. While your mate is holding the header you should pull and stretch the wrap around the pipes as you would any other part of the exhaust. Just make sure you do it with enough overlap to keep things tight.

4. The intersections of pipes which are mainly found at the header will require the use of some tape too. It’s impossible for the wrap to stay there by just having it tightly wrapped around the exhaust pipe. The tape will keep the wrap secure but only until you finish wrapping the heat shield. When you’re done wrapping the exhaust, secure it at the end with either a cable or a stainless steel tie.

Heat Insulators vs Barriers

A heat shield can act as two different things – an insulator or a barrier. While both keep heat away the difference is in how they keep it away and what from. An insulator is a heat shield solution that helps keep heat from affecting other parts close to the component that is generating the heat. With an automotive heat shield barrier, you will keep other components from affecting a single component.

An insulator helps retain heat inside and a barrier helps keep heat from getting to a part. If you have one part that can affect other components with its high temperature levels install heat insulation. If you have a part surrounded by components that generate a lot of heat then install a heat shield barrier on it.

You shouldn’t necessarily cover the parts that emit heat but rather protect the parts that are going to be affected by it. If heat comes from one source, then try to block that out but if heat comes from multiple sources try to protect the component or components protected by it. Go for whatever is the more cost-effective option.

Conclusion

Heat is what makes things happen in a car but also what affects its performance the most. Using a simple solution sometimes is the best solution which is the case with an exhaust pipe heat shield. Simple to install and simple in function, they help heat stay where it’s needed, making your vehicle last you a lot longer. All you need to do is get your hands wet and call a mate to come help you install the wrap and have a beer later. Whatever solution you’re installing though, make sure it will work towards keeping heat under control with the least amount of coverage.