Was this a bad move?

[aggressive male]

I ordered a stainless steel muffler and pipes today but I forgot to ask if it's the invinceable 304 stainless or the not so invinceable 409 stainless. I want to wrap the entire exhaust system with exhaust wrap but I can only do that and expect it to last if it's 304 stainless right? I mean the moisture trapped between the exhaust and exhaust wrap would make anything else rot away right?

[Vegas69]

Why would you wrap the entire exhaust system?

[aggressive male]

2 reasons, Smokey yunick in his book "Power secrets" says that gives you more power because of the scavenging effect and the other more important reason is because rust in the floorpan is more likely to happen near the heated exhaust so if you insulate it from the heat it helps reduce rust.

[rocketman]

Never wrap any exhaust pipe, headers or anything, it crystalizes the pipe and it will crumble away. bad idea, and never of exhuast causing rust if anything it keeps it dryer..

[aggressive male]

Never wrap any exhaust pipe, headers or anything, it crystalizes the pipe and it will crumble away. bad idea, and never of exhuast causing rust if anything it keeps it dryer..

Are you serious? No matter if it's steel or 304 stainless steel it will crumble away? How fast? I too use to think that if anything exhaust heat will dry out a car too but I asked a bunch of people online and even read in an owners manual that heat in a damp environment makes things rust faster. I've looked at several cars and found this to be true. particularly at the back near where the exhaust exits.

[shizzy]

wrapping is fine on a race car where parts are expendable. after a couple of races if the pipes come apart, oh well, you throw on a new set. on a street car you drive, not so good.

[astroracer]

particularly at the back near where the exhaust exits.

What you are seeing here is the effect of the corrosive exhaust "gasses", not the heat... Don't worry about the rest of the system "rotting out" your floorpans, never happen.
Wrapping it will only shorten it's lifespan as the others have told you and there is no "performance" gain to had that would be measurable.
If you were to have the headers and headpipes ceramic coated, that will be much more cost effective AND work better, then any wrap on a street driven vehicle to hold in heat and protect the pipes. That would be my recommendation.
Jet-hot coating and stay away from the wrap crap...
Mark

[aggressive male]

What you are seeing here is the effect of the corrosive exhaust "gasses", not the heat... Don't worry about the rest of the system "rotting out" your floorpans, never happen.
Wrapping it will only shorten it's lifespan as the others have told you and there is no "performance" gain to had that would be measurable.
If you were to have the headers and headpipes ceramic coated, that will be much more cost effective AND work better, then any wrap on a street driven vehicle to hold in heat and protect the pipes. That would be my recommendation.
Jet-hot coating and stay away from the wrap crap...
Mark

Ok, that explains why I see rot particularly where the exhaust exits. But if heat doesn't make damp things rot faster why is my floorpan spongey above where the catalytic converter use to be? Ceramic coated exhaust pipes? Isn't that coating going to shatter when you bolt the pipes together and tighten them?

[paul67]

No it does not shatter as i have dented my headers to make them fit.

[paul67]

Where the cat sits is that by a foot well as it could be from the mosture from wet boots or shoes soaking the carpet.

[rocketman]

Are you serious? No matter if it's steel or 304 stainless steel it will crumble away? How fast? I too use to think that if anything exhaust heat will dry out a car too but I asked a bunch of people online and even read in an owners manual that heat in a damp environment makes things rust faster. I've looked at several cars and found this to be true. particularly at the back near where the exhaust exits.

Yes, I have ruined more than one set of headers on my race cars from wrapping them stainless or not. I coat all my exhaust systems.