Exhaust Wrap

By Dennis Santopietro

Q: I want to wrap my pipes and catalytic converter with a wrap to control the heat getting to my legs. Will that work on a 2013 Street Glide. I did put Vance and Hines slip on mufflers and that is the only modification that has been done to the exhaust system. I had a Yamaha Roadstar with V&H pipes and I did that to them with great heat reduction but did not have O2 meter. Thanks

A: Using exhaust wrap on those pipes should work out well. Be sure to do a practice run going by the O2 sensors. It can be a challenge to keep the wrap uniform going past those areas.

Related Videos: Exhaust Install

Share tips, start a discussion or ask other students a question. If you have a question for an expert, please click here.

Make a comment:
characters remaining

12 Responses to “Exhaust Wrap”

  1. Michael DiGregorio

    Friends, I have read in several places that "Heat Wrap" can cause the pipes to become brittle after time. Although I'm not an expert on metallurgy, it might be a good idea to check this out before you do damage to an expensive set of pipes.

  2. Eddie

    I removed the cat from my 2010 Limited and noticed a big difference. Did not have to remap. Still getting heat but am considering have my head pipe ceramic coated to reduce the heat as well.

  3. larry

    i wrapped my 2013 Fat Bob thinking it would cool me down...NOT ONE BIT...as a matter of fat I believe that the wrap made things worse.

  4. martin

    both my bikes, a "98" 1200S sportster and 2012 deluxe have wrapped exhaust. never any problems, temp. around engines reduced, legs cooler, oil temps down and water is gone in 5 minutes riding. was able to put heatshields back on the deluxe and are cool to the touch in 20 minutes. keeps heat in the pipes.

  5. Tim Powell

    <strong> Ticket 23035 How would wrapping open shotgun pipes on a big twin 1200 shovelhead effect performance?

  6. Paul E Bahre

    If I ever purchase a bike with a cat the cat would be the first thing to go the second would be the stock mufflers. I have some pipe wrap on my bike. I put it there as a heat shield to keep from buying my pants and shoes up. I live and ride far enough north that heat isn't an issue.

  7. Frank

    Buy, or make, an exhaust head pipe that has the catalytic converter removed. I did that and all my heat problems went away, sounds better and did not cause problems with the O2 sensors. Unless you remove the heat shields, you don't have much room to wrap the pipes anyway. Good luck.

  8. MikeCyprus

    The wrap has tow aspects that need to be addressed. 1st. Increased heat in the pipes means higher flow of gas, Higher flow means higher pressure and might be the cause of backfire problems. 2nd. You need to address the air flow as well given the faster flow of gases exiting the engine.

  9. Eric

    I was informed that wrapping can also prematurely degrade the exhaust as the wrap (if it gets wet) actually retains water for some time (unless run until dry).

  10. David

    I did mine, I just wrapped the area where the cat is located and it did cut down on some heat. 2013 SG