I'm thinking about wrapping my turbo manifold and I was wondering if someone here had already done it. Any problem with that ? Did your manifold tend to crack cuz of the heat ? Did you feel less lag ? Thanks

 

I just wrapped mine. From prior experience wrapping the downpipe, the only drawback I see is that it will discolor your stainless steel exhaust manifold, if that bothers you. I'm doing it to protect the AC components and reduce heat in the engine bay. I can't comment on improved spool.

 

Will not impact spool in any noticeable way. Will not affect the life of the manifold unless you allow the wrap to get wet, so either don't wrap the lower parts of the exhaust or don't drive the car in the rain. For that same reason I'm not as much of a fan of the wraps that tell you to wet them before applying, I'd rather use the titanium/lava based wraps that you put on dry. As Dax mentioned it will discolor the runners so if you ever take the wrap off, the finish won't look as nice as before.

Definitely worth it to keep the bay temperatures down and avoid damaging other components, or melting the paint off your hood.

 

Using the wrap is like night and day temperature wise.. I can get off a hwy pop the hood and grab my exhaust manifold with my bare hand. Spool increase time is very minimal but there is a gain, at least on my setup there was.
Soaking the wrap in water was the way to go about getting nice tight wraps, wrapping it dry is sorta difficult to get it tight and looks kind of shitty but not terrible.
I also used the nicest I could find of cheap $30 ebay special turbo blankets and that also helped alot and looks great. Just make sure to do a good few 5 min heat cycles drives with it on to break it in. It will smoke! But after 3 short drives it maintains in tact and stops smoking.
For wraps, they look great when done right, personally never had any cracking issues - I would almost think it helps a bit from cracking since the temperature fluctuations will be slow when cooling down. Radiant heat coming off the exhaust is cut down to nearly 25% and overall a no brainer for the benefits.

 

I know with the PTP lava wrap they say not to wet before the applicaiton.

I think it's the fiberglass based wraps that you're supposed to wet.

 

Wrapping a turbo manifold can have both benefits and drawbacks. The main advantage of wrapping a manifold is that it can help to reduce the temperature of the engine bay by keeping the heat inside the manifold, which in turn can reduce the risk of heat soak and potentially increase engine performance. Additionally, some people have reported a reduction in turbo lag as a result of wrapping their manifold.

However, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider. One potential issue is that the insulation may trap moisture against the manifold, which could lead to corrosion over time. Additionally, the insulation could potentially hold in heat and cause the manifold to crack due to thermal stress. Furthermore, some types of manifold wraps can be abrasive and may cause damage to the manifold if they are not installed properly.

If you do decide to wrap your manifold, it's important to use a high-quality insulation material that is designed specifically for this purpose. Additionally, it's a good idea to regularly inspect the manifold for signs of damage or corrosion and to take steps to address any issues that arise. Ultimately, whether or not to wrap your manifold is a personal decision that will depend on your specific goals and the conditions in which you will be operating your vehicle.