C6 Corvette Z06 Owner Seeks Header Insulation Input

Corvette Z06 engine bays can get very hot, but there are several options to reduce temperatures.

If you are looking to add power to your C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, replacing the stock exhaust manifolds with headers is a good place to start. The problem with headers is that they can cause increased engine bay heat that can cause problems with plug wires, air conditioning lines and more. Fortunately, there are multiple options for insulating the headers on your C6 Z06, but which one is right for you?

A similar question was posted in the C6 Corvette Z06 & ZR1 section by “Twill45”. He recently purchased headers for his Z06 and he is wondering whether ceramic coating is worth the cost. According to the input from the community, some form of heat insulation is all-but-essential to prevent other issues.

Corvette Z06 Header Question

When the OP first posted his question to the forum, he talked about his Corvette, the headers that he purchased and how he uses his vehicles before asking a series of questions about coatings.

Tried searching the forum first and didn’t find a concise answer.

Recently acquired a set of 2 inch ARH headers for my Z06 and am debating if ceramic coating is needed or not. Car will be used 70% street and 30% HPDE/AutoX etc.

To those of you who did not coat your headers, do you regret it? What issues did you encounter? What precautions did you take?

To those of you who did coat your headers, did you notice any improvements?

He didn’t share any pictures of his car or his new headers, so we have included some GM images of the C6 Z06. The pictures showing headers were shared in the original thread by members in the discussion.

Thumbs Up from the Community

The first person to reply was “EViL427”, who has experienced heat issues with his Corvette Z06.

I had a lot of problems in the Houston, Texas summers in my Z06. The headers were running too close to the A/C lines, causing them to go overpressure, cutting off the A/C. When I popped the hood to vent heat, the problem stopped. So it was either get a vented hood or ceramic coat the headers. I chose the latter, and never had another problem with the A/C.

So if you’re in a really hot environment during the summer, I would personally recommend it to cut down underhood temperatures.

The first person to share a picture of his own headers was “NotreOkc”.

For the price it costs, it was a no brainer for me. I ceramic coated my 1 7/8 ARH. Not only for the heat as Evil427 mentioned (I live in North Dallas) but I did not want to deal with discoloration and corrosion down the road. Aesthetically it just looks good too!

The next to share a set of coated headers was “Uncle Meat”.

My Kookscame Jet Hot coated from the vendor. Was a no-brainer for sure. They look great too!

Finally, “Over-Rev” shared a picture of his headers with titanium coating.

Definitely worth it. ARH 2” with Jet-Hot 2500 titanium coating. There are different colors available with this coating, you can also go over it with a high temp paint and get any color you want.

I like the titanium because it looks more natural. Haven’t installed it yet so I can’t compare coated vs non coated, but the look and durability of the coating is definitely top notch.

Header Wrap is Another Option

There is definitely a strong case for ceramic or titanium coating headers in a C6 Corvette Z06, but there is another option. The lower-tech header wrap, which has been around forever, is less expensive and can be done by a patient owner at home. The downside is that it doesn’t look as fancy as the bright, polished coatings.

Header wrap was supported by “SpaceMe1117”, who has used multiple different types.

I have had bare metal, ceramic coated, and currently have wrapped (lava rock based) headers. For a tight engine bay, ceramic coated or wrapped headers is the way to go.

On my C5, the bare metal headers were cooking and drying out the wires on the passenger side.

This is not as much of a problem on the C6 as there is factory heat insulation on some of the wiring. But on my C6 GS, I decided to wrap my headers in lava rock based wrap instead of ceramic coating. I find the wrap does a much better job of reducing the heat. It is a bit time intensive and takes patience to wrap headers but it works great and is a few hundred dollars cheaper.

But ceramic coating can look great in an engine bay.

However, “Unreal” has a concern about wraps.

Big down sides to wraps is fire hazard and cars burning down. To me, not even close to worth the risk.

…as the wraps suck up any leaking oil, and become fire hazards. A leaking valve cover gasket turns from a minor annoyance to a burnt down car.

I’ve blew a valve cover gasket about 2 months ago, spewed oil all over the headers. If they were wrapped, my car probably would have burnt to the ground.

If you have input on coatings or wraps to help keep some heat out of the engine bay of a C6 Corvette Z06, click here to participate in the thread.

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