At Heatshield Products, we’re all about bringing you easy tech tips including tricks for how to install exhaust pipe wrap on your exhaust system.
No matter what type of exhaust pipe wrap or exhaust pipe heat shield you are installing, a section of flex pipe in your exhaust system should be wrapped separately from the normal fixed pipe sections. This means that as you install the wrap, you should stop short of the flex pipe, terminate the wrap, secure it, and then begin a new section of exhaust pipe wrap for the flex pipe section. Why should you do this?
Reasons to Wrap your Exhaust Flex Pipes Separately
Whether you're installing an exhaust wrap or exhaust pipe heat shield product like Heatshield Armor, there are several reasons why it's always best to wrap sections of flex pipe with separate pieces of exhaust pipe wrap. Some of these reasons include that wrapping flex pipes separately helps maintain the longevity of the barrier, makes servicing easier (especially in the case of exhaust pipe wraps), and it saves you money in not having to unwrap long sections of still good exhaust pipe heat shield to replace them unnecessarily with new material.
As for wrap longevity, wrapping a flex pipe with a separate piece of exhaust wrap will help prolong the life of the wrap because it helps guard against unnecessary replacement. For example, in case one section of the wrap should get brittle, all you would need to do is replace that one section of exhaust pipe wrap and not the whole install itself! If the exhaust pipe heat shield wrap does become brittle, the movement of the flex pipe will increase the probability of the wrap starting to flake off the pipe, adding to the reasons why you should just wrap it separately. We should mention, though, that if you installed a product like our Inferno Header Wrap, which has a 2000-degree max continuous temperature rating, the exhaust pipe wrap wouldn’t become brittle unless you expose it constantly to something like, say, a volcano! Always good to know!
If you’re already using a product like our Heatshield Armor or other auto heat shields on your exhaust system and an area of flex pipe, it’s good to use a separate piece on the flex pipe due to the abrasion that can happen as the flex pipe naturally, well, flexes during operation of the engine. The exhaust system goes through a wide range of heat cycling and any movement from the running engine that’s transmitted through the exhaust system can add to the degradation of that flex pipe section -- just another reason why you should wrap your exhaust flex pipe separately from the exhaust system as a whole!
Want to explore other automotive heat shields and heat solutions? Check out our collection and comment down below what you think about wrapping the flex pipe separately during application!
