I read that exhaust wraps and heat shields from Cool IT Thermotec can help to boost power and at the same time protect the cables and wires from cracking/ aging. Anyone of you care to shed some light on this?

Yes, this approach will keep in a lot of (otherwise) ambient heat, definitely . Historically, this is a "muscle car" trick; I have been interested in/contemplating doing this on my 500E for about 6 months.

Thermotec's website is at: http://www.thermotec.com

Has anyone here done this on his/her 500E/E500? If so, what were the results?
How much did it cost to wrap the entire exhaust system, please?

Kind regards,

Funny, i just threw the same question (among other questions, LOTS of other questions) to Lee and Benzmac. My concerns lies in whether there are any harmful effects to the exhuast system itself.

Anyone?

Thanks...

I just checked their distributors and the original wraps are around $70 per 2 in. x 100 ft. roll. The black graphite wraps are around $84 per 2 in. x 100 ft. roll...

Now as to how many rolls would be needed....???

[Edited by rainmaker on 05-14-2001 at 02:13 PM]

__________________
Rainmaker
93 500E, 43k mi, Pics of upgrade parts
Evo II Wheels on Dunlop FM901 235/45x17s
94 Facelift
RennTech CF Airbox
RennTech ASR Defeat
RennTech Chip
1st Gear Start
97 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Vitesse, Yellow, "Tonka" (sold)

Guys,
Found out that Cool It has variety of wraps for applications 1. Keeping the heat in, reduce underhood temperatures, improve scavenging flow 2. Protecting parts and electrical components from radiant heat, etc.

The main question is does it work? Secondly, the heat would affect the cat con as well as the pre and main mufflers. How does the performance thing be enhanced?

I'm really keen to keep this going. Thanks again, guys.

This may or may not be applicapble to the 500E, but I've used the kevlar wrap on some old british cars in my previous life. It did seem to help reduce underhood temps, especially noticed by the floor boards where heat used to come through. The extra heat did cause one set of thin gage tube headers to crack in a few places, but I attribute this to poor construction and not the kevar.

One other possibility is the ceramic coatings. I've considered this for the 500E .....

E

In 1997, I presurved and wrapped the exhaust manifold of my 190SL to reduce the the under hood and passanger floor temperatures. It has worked well and I have not seen any disadvantages.

__________________
Jim Villers
190SL, 230SL 5-speed, 95 E320 Wagon, 01 E320 Wagon, MGB, Boxster 'S', 190SL "Barn Find"

The nice thing about heat wraps is that they are inexpensive. The primary downside to heat wraps is that they collect and retain moisture between the wrap and the manifold, which can accelerate corrosion. They also collect dirt and grease and get double-ugly in no time, like a greasy ACE bandage, not the sort of thing that gets raves when you pop your hood!

If the car is seldom driven or else is routinely torn down (as with race cars for which the wraps were designed) then this is not so much of a problem as parts are inspected and damage is fixed. Or, if the manifolds are unusually stout or stainless steel, then it's probably OK. Wraps are notorious for rotting steel tube headers in no time flat. A better solution for a daily driver is one of the ceramic/proprietary high-temp barrier coatings that is applied both both outside *and* inside the manifold. This allows the exhaust gasses to retain heat and velocity better than with wraps. Check out JetHot Coatings at http://www.jet-hot.com for further information. It's a much more elegant solution and works better, too.

Besides, while your manifolds are off you have have them ported by Extrude Hone and get MUCH better flow than with the coating alone, at modest cost and with factory-level reliability.

__________________
Richard Detoy
'84 300SD
'76 Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans

Brothers of The Benz
My 1987 300E with the 103983 engine has had the exhaust manifolds and pipes wrapped for many years and miles.
I removed the mid-muffler when the new car warrantee expired and replaced it with a 3 inch "Y" pipe to the OE rear muffler.
If I had the vision I would have removed the rear muffler and installed two mid-mufflers and two tail pipes, both exiting the left side. Possibly a two in/two out single muffler would fit better.
Back to the wrapping.
J.C. Whitney sells 2 inch wide x 50ft roll for $29.39.
Installation clamp kit(stainless steel) $11.39.
Spray coating(black or aluminum) $4.89.
As mentioned this is an old hotrod trick, and it worked for me years ago so why not now.
In 12 years it hasn't harmed any portion of the engine, but combined with the removal of the mid-muffler it sure sounds nice.
To see what it looks like painted black, log onto:
http:home.earthlink.net/~asherson/Don
Happy Trails Beep Beep from The Spiderman in Houston!!!