Netters,
Be careful about using exhaust wrap material. Short term benefits are great,
but be careful of the long term damage potential to healthy pipes. Ceramic or
some other thermotec coating is probably the best way to bring temps down
without pipe damage, but tends to be alittle pricey. The drag racing world
went through a phase of everyone wanting to get all the horses they could out
of an engine, and this was one of the ways they found. Bad part was LOTS of
pipes were rusting through, and the wrap makes inspection VERY difficult
without un-wrapping. Contrary to automobiles, exhaust leaks for us are VERY
serious! Lycoming and Continental have had their share of struggles with just
changing a design exhaust and springing leaks unexpectedly. Personally, I
would find a way to route more air, or improve existing flow. If you are going
to spend money on the exhaust, match the lengths of the pipes for even back
pressure, and install Super-trap mufflers, Borla mufflers, or Flowmaster
mufflers and actually improve the exhaust scavenging. These mufflers made for
your engine, or one similar in size, will do more than the wraps, and probably
cost less! They will also help with torque and power, as well as make it
quieter. A good set of headers, and muffler will actually raise not lower your
power output. It was proven a few years ago that in all classes of drag racing
except the Top-fuel funny cars and dragsters, that mufflers actually produced
MORE HP than without, if properly matched to the engine. High performance
shops, and catalogs from Jegs and Summit Racing will have combinations that
will work well for our engines. This past weekend we hosted here in Orlando
the Outlaw Street cars shootout with street legal cars running 4inch pipes
through mufflers, 500cid engines producing 1500hp. I think we can add 15 -25hp
with a tuned exhaust, without too much trouble. Opinions...
Colin & Bev Rainey KR2(td)
crain...@cfl.rr.com
Sanford, Florida
FLY SAFE!!!!
