Why Flex Pipes Should Be Wrapped Separately

For this installment of the Heatshield Products blog, we wanted to bring you an easy tech tip on installing exhaust wrap on your exhaust system if you have a flex pipe as part of the pipes.

No matter what type of exhaust wrap you are installing, a section of flex pipe in your exhaust system should be wrapped separately from normal fixed pipe sections. This means that as you install the wrap, you should stop short of the flex pipe, terminate the wrap and secure it, then begin a new flex pipe wrap section. Why should you do this?

ABOVE: Whether you're installing an exhaust patch or product like Heatshield Armor, it's always best to wrap any sections of flex pipe with separate pieces of either thermal barrier material, to both help with the longevity of the barrier, make servicing it easier (especially in the case of exhaust wrap) and save you money in not having to unwrap long sections of still good exhaust wrap and 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 in case it should get brittle, that way all you have to replace is that one section of wrap and not the whole install (unless you install a product like our Inferno Header Wrap, which has a 2000-degree max continuous temperature rating and won’t become brittle unless you expose it constantly to something like, say, a volcano!). If the wrap does become brittle, the movement of the flexpipe will increase the probability of the wrap starting to flake off the pipe.

If you’re using something a product like our Heatshield Armor 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 and the exhaust system goes through heat cycling, and any movement from the running engine that’s transmitted through the exhaust system.