Insulate/wrap stock exhaust manifold for better turbo response?

[KaiHartman]

Has anyone seen any improvements (better turbo response) come about from wrapping their stock exhaust manifold with header insulation?



Read about a guy that did this on an older 12 valve and he claimed to be able to tell a difference in the turbo response. Some of it seems a bit logical... if we can keep the EGT high before it hits the turbine, it will expand more and (in theory), provide more power to the compressor side.



Unfortunately, I assume there would be a noticeable increase in EGT's as well... . which worries me since the stock manifold is prone to cracking.



Any input is always welcome! Thanks!

 

[nickleinonen]

Unfortunately, I assume there would be a noticeable increase in EGT's as well... . which worries me since the stock manifold is prone to cracking.

i wouldn't worry about that. . egt readings are not to protect your manifold or turbo, they are there to measure your combustion temprature and to keep from melting a piston [as long as you are watching]. if anything, it might show a little higher, but it will show a little closer to what the combustion temprature is.

cracked manifold = $$
damaged turbo = $$$$$
melted piston = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

just my $0. 02

 

[y-knot]

You got it all wrong, Turbo chargers work off of heat, and thermo-efficiency should be paramount. How can wrapping the exhaust manifold, turbo or down pipe cause piston problems ????? Your thinking is just about 180° off isn't it ??



The whole Ideal is to get as much energy (Heat) to the turbo as possible. Wrapping the Exhaust Manifold is somewhat difficult on a Dodge Diesel, so... The only sensible solution would be to make a thermo blanket. One that would at least surround the manifold on three sides. When wrapping the hot side of the turbo is an easy job, and if you know what you are doing, you can even make a cover that is fairly easy to remove and re-install should you need to service the area.

I did just such a thing some 3-4 years ago. But I had more then strictly turbo efficiency in mind. I wanted to also reduce under hood temperatures, thermo-soaking and interior cabin heat.

The Blanket for the exhaust manifold was pretty easy to fashion, I used an Aray of products from DEI and Thermo-Tec, it's documented in the forums section. The Turbochargers is also very easy to wrap, just order the turbo kit and there is plenty of material to do the job. I also used alot of the aluminum heat shield as it's thicker and tougher material. The down pipe was wrapped for to lower the under hood and interior temps, this was not that hard just takes some time and alot of patients. I run a larger down pipe, and it was almost laying against the body. The wrap gave a very noticeable difference in interior temps, the passenger floor board was much, much cooler and interior temps were also lower. They use to be a huge problem towing heavy.

The heat-soaking issues were taken care of with by insulating the intake air box, the intake air pipe and the pressurized air pipe coming from the turbocharger to the inlet of the inter-cooler. I also wrapped the pipe coming from the exit side of the inter-cooler and going to the intake manifold. The differences were real and meaningful. I haven't had one problem since and I'm enjoying better performance and lower interior temps.

 

[WUnderwood]

for what it is worth, I have had my exhaust manifold and turbine housing coated by PolyDyn, which they say withstands up to 2200*, and I can say that I did notice an improvement in driveability and spool up of my turbo. I think it also looks better, and they say that the coating is reflective to heat, and prevents heat soaking into the metal.

Y not is correct in saying that turbo's work best off heat, but too much heat is not a good thing, I think

 

[nickleinonen]

You got it all wrong, Turbo chargers work off of heat, and thermo-efficiency should be paramount. How can wrapping the exhaust manifold, turbo or down pipe cause piston problems ????? Your thinking is just about 180° off isn't it ??

i never said it would, and i think i am about 1° off. .

egt readings are not to protect your manifold or turbo, they are there to measure your combustion temprature and to keep from melting a piston

i know wrapping your exhaust manifold and turbine housing is benefitial to the performance of the turbo. it can shorten the life of the charger, but no big deal... the original poster noted that the egt readings would be higher, and that could cause manifold cracking. again, no big deal. if the readings are higher, your actual egt's are not any higher, but you are more accurately measuring what your combustion temperature is [less heat sink effect of the manifold]

 

[KaiHartman]

THANKS for the input!



As an undergrad, we studied thermo and turbine efficiency vs. heat input and that kinda thing. I've just been kicking this around in my head... whether or not it's worth the trouble of insulating my truck's parts.



I've read about the coatings... . but they really don't provide near the thermal insulation values as a synthetic "blanket" or material. Although, I do think they help prevent corrosion and improve appearance, among numerous other benefits. But, I have been contemplating going the route that "y-knot" went.....



Y-knot: What was the total cost (or an estimate, if you don't mind me asking) to do the entire truck like you did? Did you notice any difference in boost values (assuming you have a gauge that you were able to monitor)? Lastly, did you do this to your stock manifold?? The more I think about it, wrapping the manifold might help prevent cracking since it will allow the manifold to cool and heat at slower rates AND reduce the thermal shock!!



I had initially searched "insulating blanket manifold" and "wrapping manifold" but didn't find much in the forums. I'll check again for your old post.



THANKS!!!

 

[Axion]

You might want to check out Advanced Thermal Products.



Their focus seems to be keeping things quiet but the thermal advantages you're looking for must be there as well.

 

[drury]

Actually, Advanced Thermal Product's focus is on thermal efficiency, which is why they have the word "thermal" in their name. The noise control is a side effect that the owner discovered after his wife complained about their noisy 2nd gen truck. Most of their real business comes from selling thermal wraps for big engines like coast guard ships. I put their wraps on my 3rd gen and didn't notice much improvement in exterior noise levels, but I left them on for thermal reasons. Their blankets are a quality product.