Swain Tech Coated TSP Downpipe

[blueroadster]

TSP Downpipe coated with Swaintech White Lighting (coating cost was $100.00 for the part by itself). Here are PICs of the raw TSP Downpipe before and after coating:

Here are the weights before and after coating:

Weight difference shows 124 grams or 4.37 ounces of ceramic coating was applied to the downpipe.

ID of the outlet side of the downpipe is 72mm:

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[Savannah@TSP]

That looks nice.
Post pics once installed.

 

[TheFactor]

X2

 

[Rhorn]

So are you going to use the OEM heat shields?

 

[blueroadster]

I am not going to use the OEM heat shields. Downpipe is ready to go and I also ordered a front pipe and exhaust. Once received, I'll be sending the front pipe over to Swain Tech to coat that part as well.

In the interim, I am looking at other areas on the exhaust side. I am not a fan of the hard pipe running between the water pump and thermostat housing (center of this PIC on the thermostat housing side) as it snakes behind the turbo assembly in a high heat area:

Dream Automotive sells a Hardlagged OEM Water Pipe replacement but MSRP for the OEM pipe is $55.92. I will likely just install a thermal sleeve. OD of the pipe is 38mm so times Pi = 119.38mm in circumference and length is ~15 inches.

 

[blueroadster]

A front mounted turbo assembly is much easier to work on but introduces heat management challenges where I am trying to take baby steps to address in that particular area. I do see the value in adding a PTP hybrid turbo blanket on the turbine sided but will likely skip on the downpipe blanket.

 

[Two Step Performance]

A front mounted turbo assembly is much easier to work on but introduces heat management challenges where I am trying to take baby steps to address in that particular area. I do see the value in adding a PTP hybrid turbo blanket on the turbine sided but will likely skip on the downpipe blanket.

To confirm, do you plan on running the downpipe bare? I’d definitely grab an infrared thermometer and see what kind of heat ends up being emitted even after the coating.

 

[blueroadster]

To confirm, do you plan on running the downpipe bare? I’d definitely grab an infrared thermometer and see what kind of heat ends up being emitted even after the coating.

Thanks and no, I am not planning to run the downpipe bare. Purpose of the coating was to provide corrosion resistance and an initial thermal protection layer.

I was considering the PTP hybrid downpipe blanket but for around the same price, I can send it out and get HeaderShield added. Here is a PIC:

 

[Two Step Performance]

That looks nice!

 

[blueroadster]

That looks nice!

Bi-layered insulation is 0.25" thick covered in a SS outer shell.

Link to their product brochure in case anyone would like to read more.

 

[blueroadster]

Wow...This exhaust thermal heat insulation seems to be the ticket. I might just end up doing this at home. Looks like I just need to order the insulation, SS plate and mini spot welder so I have to check how much all of that would cost. Here is an informative video that explains the process:

 

[RStoR]

I had Advance Thermal Products cover my FK8 front pipe but never got to install it before moving to my FL5. I transferred the covering to my RV6. Due to the longer subframe section it has some very minor gapping in that area but since that's behind the engine I'm not too worried about it. Eventually, I'm going to shave the OE headshield mounts on my PRL/TSP HFDP and have them cover that along with an extra waterpipe. A benefit of ATP over Headershield is that their covering is removable. They use buttons and safety wire to secure the covering so you can remove and transfer it if desired. In the case of the waterpipe, I'm hoping to transfer it without removing the pipe or turbo when doing the DP.

 

[blueroadster]

Thanks and sweet. I updated the thread title to also mention thermal heat insulation. Good suggestion on shaving the heatshield mounts on the DP for a flush insulation fit. Nice to know that the ATP cover that you already had was transferrable to the FL5 downpipe.

Here is another video where the guy updated his process using a mini spot welder for a more clean and easy installation. The process does not seem complicated.

 

[blueroadster]

After researching some more, I'd hate to grind off the heatshield mounts since the downpipe already has a Swain Tech ceramic coating applied. Installing the above mentioned thermal heat insulation at this point would also require grinding down to bare metal near the flange ends so the SS cover can be spot welded all the way around onto the base metal. Grinding and spot welding would also introduce a failure point over time with the SS cover due to galvanic corrosion of dissimilar metals. No need to screw up an already great coating that provides corrosion resistance and a solid initial thermal protection layer.

That said, I decided to go with adding the PTP hybrid blanket on the downpipe to compliment the PTP hybrid turbo blanket. I ordered both from @VtecSlayer who is responsive and cool in my book.

 

[EJHonda]

When I had my Evo 8 time attack car, I used Swain Tech White Lightning coating on my header, and then I used Jet Hot on my down pipe. Initial impressions were the Swain Tech was a thick coating, as opposed to the Jet Hot 2000 coating, which was very thin and appeared to just change the color of my downpipe. The Swain Tech coating was porous, easy to get dirty, and impossible to clean. From a thermal perspective, it seemed the Swain Tech would be more effective insulating from heat transfer due to its thickness, while the Jet Hot coating was so thin it looked like snake oil. As the car got used for a few months, the Swain Tech header coating began to crack and slowly flaked/peeled off my header (EGT readings on my header would routinely show 1700F on my gauges). After 13 years when I documented the car for sale, the Jet Hoat coated downpipe looked almost as good as new.

My takeaways were:
1) Swain Tech appeared to be a better option for thermal protection, but longevity was an issue.
2) Jet Hot didn't appear to be an effective thermal barrier, but in all fairness I didn't have a way to measure it. However, the longevity of the coating and corrosion protection were top notch.

If you're considering wrapping pipes with fiberglass or composite fabric, you have to be careful of corrosion issues. The threat of corrosion depends on the metal composition of the pipe, what environment the car is driven in, etc. They offer silicone sprays to help seal the wrap from moisture penetration, but adequately sealing it on a regular basis is complicated by the location of the wrap and the time it takes to do this on a regular basis.

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