Wrapping Catalytic converters

[FIREBOAT]

I have a 2004 convertible. I have purchased the thermal blankets that they sell for wrapping my mufflers and it appears to work great! I am still getting too much heat from my Catalytic converters and I'm thinking that I will wrap those too. Has anyone done this before? Thanks

[Steve M]

Rumor on the internet is that wrapping a catalytic converter might cause it to overheat. If it overheats, it could fail.

That said, if you are willing to take the chance, I'd probably use something like this:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hsp-177201?seid=srese1&cm_mmc=pla-google-_-shopping-_-srese1-_-heatshield-products&gclid=Cj0KCQiA37HhBRC8ARIsAPWoO0x0QSgaSdZkDS_7OFJd 264u7mqgCMp6nxMbWbS2zGjx3HQ5YsR9y_4aAtqpEALw_wcB

[Steve M]

Oh, and if you still have the stock exhaust with the cross-over that goes behind your seat, you might consider changing that out as well. I know of some folks that swap in the Gen 4 mufflers, which should be a direct replacement (or pretty close to it) for a stock Gen 3 exhaust.

[wakebum2507]

I've got a complete gen 4 exhaust that I pulled from mine last week for sale, if anyone wants it.

[Fatboy 18]

What colour are you going to Wrap them? :fpopcorn:

[TrackAire]

Assuming wrapping the cats doesn't hurt them (I think it could), the heat is just going to go somewhere else downstream of the cats. Wrapping anything does not make the heat disappear....it just keeps the energy (heat) it in the system to allow it to dissipate further down the pipe or until it exits the exhaust. Wrapping the entire exhaust also will not work if that part of the exhaust is inside a enclosed area that does not allow the heat to dissipate. Don't be fooled by products that claim to block heat with ceramic fibers, etc.....those do work but only to keep the heat in the pipe until it can exit the exhaust. They work on the basic principle of dissipating the heat into its cells or pores to act as a heat barrier....then the heat can escape from a much larger surface area. When you see somebody hold a material (heat shield) in their hand and a blow torch flame is being directed towards it, the reason your hand does not burn is the material is taking that flame and spreading the energy out to a very large surface area where it can escape to the atmosphere. But do that same demonstration inside an enclosed box and your hand will start to get cooked very quickly. Your side sills are very much like an enclosed box. If they could be vented in some way to allow the heat to escape, then those ceramic fiber type barriers may help. Think of it this way....not matter what heat shielding product you wrap a turkey with, once it is in an enclosed oven, it will cook. Open the oven door and the turkey will not cook since you're dissipating the energy and allowing the heat shield to do its job.

If I was having an issue with heat in the exhaust, removing or dissipating the heat is the best way to solve the issue. Plumbing fresh air into the front of the sills and allow it to exit from the rear of the sills makes most sense IMO. I don't know how to do that with enough cfm airflow, but it would solve the issue.

Good luck with your solution.

[FIREBOAT]

Well wrapping my mufflers in the sills absolutely helped. I guess most of the heat actually went out the exhaust. GREAT! I think wrapping the cats will curtail some of the radiant heat coming from them too. It might hurt my converters. I was wondering if anyone has had a bad experience doing that. Thanks for your comment!