430 - Ceramic Coated Fabspeed Headers Melt Handbrake Cables | FerrariChat

430 Ceramic Coated Fabspeed Headers Melt Handbrake Cables

Discussion in '360/430' started by 1949live, Jun 1, 2020.

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  1. 1949live

    1949live Karting

    Sep 18, 2014
    111
    Denver, Colorado
    Full Name:
    David
    On a 2007 F430 F1 I just had a set of FabSpeed headers mounted to an otherwise stock exhaust system. The headers were ceramic coated inside and out by a local reputable shop. Took only a few hours of driving to appear to melt the handbrake cables. Handbrake is stuck in the down position, and my mechanic checked it out and verified this. Has anyone else seen this issue with Fabspeed headers? I thought I understood that ceramic coating would contain some of the heat so that this type of issue would not arise. Any ideas how to address this? Is there some sort of insulation one can apply to the cables? The Fabspeed header blankets are very pricey and I would like to avoid having to buy those. All thoughts appreciated. Thanks!
     
  2. mwstewart

    mwstewart F1 Rookie

    Feb 5, 2014
    2,624
    England
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    Mark
    Was it actual ceramic coating or a wet paint application? Many shops sell 'ceramic coating' when in fact it is just paint; actual ceramic coating is very specialised and only performed by a few places in the world (at least, to the best of my knowledge).
     
  3. 1949live

    1949live Karting

    Sep 18, 2014
    111
    Denver, Colorado
    Full Name:
    David
    No I'm sure it was real ceramic coating inside and out. Done by Pristine Ceramic Coating here in Denver. They are well recommended. They call it Thermal Barrier Ceramic Coating and was done inside and out.
     
  4. Eric C

    Eric C F1 Veteran
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    Mar 20, 2009
    8,960
    St. Louis, MO
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    Eric
    That happens quite a bit when going to headers. That’s why I went with blankets. Ceramic coating varies in quality. I didn’t want to risk it. Those cables are routed differently depending on year of car too.
     
  5. BlacktopRacing

    BlacktopRacing Formula Junior

    Sep 18, 2016
    912
    Pittsburgh
    Full Name:
    Dale
    I also installed headers that were ceramic coated inside and out (AP Racing - basically same as Fabspeed). Didn't do much for radiant heat, so I made sure the handbrake cables were safely routed away from them. Since I was getting temp readings in the engine bay that were higher than with the OEM manifolds, I went ahead and installed the Fabspeed header blankets as well. Ceramic coating was done by Jet-Hot.
     
    brookliner7 and Eric C like this.
  6. Flea7

    Flea7 Formula 3
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 25, 2010
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    SKIM
    People always try to go cheap on this option and pay they price every time.
    Just get the blankets and save yourself time, money, frustration and anger......right Dale??:p
     
    van22 likes this.
  7. bobby355

    bobby355 Karting

    May 21, 2009
    244
    Big mistake coating the inside. It’s going to flake off and may destroy your engine.
     
  8. 1949live

    1949live Karting

    Sep 18, 2014
    111
    Denver, Colorado
    Full Name:
    David
    Actually wasn't trying to save money - I had read many threads on this issue and I thought I was doing the right thing with the ceramic coating. So looks like I'll have to get the blankets. Thanks everyone for their input.
     
  9. Flea7

    Flea7 Formula 3
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    Feb 25, 2010
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    This tells me different but yeah, the fabspeed blankets are, in my opinion, the best option.
     
  10. gatago

    gatago Karting

    Jun 28, 2019
    119
    Full Name:
    Marco
    I have a 05 430 with fabspeed headers and tubi silencers. No issues at all. I might wrap the headers this fall, but no damage anywhere after thousands of spirited miles over a couple of years. Might be routing differences.
     
  11. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    Question is- would you grab hold of the exhaust pipes with a ceramic coating.
     
  12. Tackleberry

    Tackleberry Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 11, 2014
    359
    United Kingdom
    Installed Fabspeed Headers on my F430. I had them Cerakoted Glacier Black, along with the Cats too.

    Didn't take long for my Parking Brake Cables to be affected by the heat. However I will add that they were already past their best as prior to the Header swap the Parking Brake was not the smoothest operator !

    Anyway, instead of going down the Blanket route I tried something a little different.
    As the Cables were being replaced I ordered some "Design Engineering Aluminium Heat Sheath Sleeving".

    I asked the tech at the dealership to slide these over the Cables while he was installing them.

    The product is designed to reflect over 1000 Degrees C of Radiant Heat.
    Ample protection for the job in hand !

    And so far so good.
    Since doing this back in 2016 I have covered approx 10,000 miles. This includes three track days, and two 3000 mile trips around Europe - which included mountain passes (good way of getting your engine really hot !) and the heat of Italy.

    As it stands right now the Parking Brake is operating perfectly with cables smooth as butter, and no signs of heat inflicted damage.
    The same for the rest of the engine bay.

    Oh, and the cost of these Sheaths ?

    £45 (about $55 USD)


    So, given my experience you do not need to waste your money on expensive blankets.
    just my opinion mind !
     
    Eric C and Vegas CS like this.
  13. mwstewart

    mwstewart F1 Rookie

    Feb 5, 2014
    2,624
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    Things may work OK but if there's a fuel or oil leak then there is increased risk of combustion.
     
  14. Tackleberry

    Tackleberry Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 11, 2014
    359
    United Kingdom
    Just going to throw this out there.........
    If there's a fuel or oil leak no amount of wrapping or blanket is going to stop a fire.
    In fact it could be worse as all the wrapping and blankets are going to do is absorb all that nice combustable fluid, and make it whole lot more difficult to put that fire out...............possibly !
     
    van22 and EastMemphis like this.
  15. 1949live

    1949live Karting

    Sep 18, 2014
    111
    Denver, Colorado
    Full Name:
    David
    These are available in the US, and these seem to have the highest temperature rating and are reasonable:
    https://www.designengineering.com/ultra-47-sheath/

    But obviously blankets would lower the engine bay temp. Does anyone have an opinion if the higher temp would effect other elements in the bay? I would have thought Ferrari made the engine parts to tolerate high temps.
     
  16. freshmeat

    freshmeat F1 Veteran

    Aug 30, 2011
    7,257
    Wow...can't believe after over a decade of fchat threads, this is still a topic of contention...

    Lets sum it up briefly so it's crystal clear:

    Coating = garbage
    Wrap = garbage
    Capristo blankets = The real only bulletproof, long-term option. As in, it has never failed.
    Other blankets = garbage
     
  17. cfensty

    cfensty Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 1, 2008
    977
    South Carolina
    I beg to differ on other blankets being garbage. I’ve been running Fabspeed headers in my 360 and now F430 with non- Capristo blankets for many years and I’ve had zero issues.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
  18. 1949live

    1949live Karting

    Sep 18, 2014
    111
    Denver, Colorado
    Full Name:
    David
    Who's blankets did you use?
     
  19. 1949live

    1949live Karting

    Sep 18, 2014
    111
    Denver, Colorado
    Full Name:
    David
    Phew - didn't realize this was such a "hot" topic :)
     
  20. freshmeat

    freshmeat F1 Veteran

    Aug 30, 2011
    7,257
    when was the last time you went in and opened/cleaned up the innards of the blankets?
     
  21. efg2014

    efg2014 Formula Junior

    Sep 14, 2014
    611
    Northern California
    What is wrong with just leaving things the way they were designed? I have confidence when Ferrari engineers designed the engine they spent a lot of time figuring out how to dissipate heat. Last year some genius started a thread on how he would pop the trunk to let the heat out of the engine so the wires don't degrade. I though, hey that is a good idea, so I did it a few times. Then I mentioned it to my mechanic and he told me sternly, don't do that. The heat from the engine is dissipated according to what is required; let it out too quickly and you may crack something due to cooling things too quickly. Only in a very hot climate with the car under tremendous stress would popping the trunk would be a good idea.I'm like "Oh...".
    If 1949live hadn't messed with things he would not be here today. Then again I wouldn't have anything to read; never mind, ignore what I said above and continue with your adventures :)
     
    Apollo 11 likes this.
  22. 1949live

    1949live Karting

    Sep 18, 2014
    111
    Denver, Colorado
    Full Name:
    David
    As you are likely aware, the stock Ferrari exhaust manifold must be replaced as been discussed endlessly to avoid potential catastrophic engine damage, and mine were already blown out according to my mechanic. That was all I did. I would not expect that this would significantly add to the heat load in the bay, but it appears that it added more heat where the cables are. The solutions offered here are quite valuable and appreciated.
     
  23. efg2014

    efg2014 Formula Junior

    Sep 14, 2014
    611
    Northern California
    Yes I'm aware and they were replaced by the whatever the recommended exhaust manifolds( you can see how close I follow parts) were by a Ferrari dealership and I haven't had any issues. By no means am I being critical of your decision.
     
  24. PPW

    PPW Karting

    Oct 4, 2019
    126
    It’s 90f where I am and this past weekend went for a hour spirited drive (run Really hard for low traffic public roads) and my wraps are doing a ok. Mishimoto are good to something like 1800-1900 degrees of direct heat, that’s more than enough and has been find for me.
     
  25. Eric C

    Eric C F1 Veteran
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    Mar 20, 2009
    8,960
    St. Louis, MO
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