Which Heat Barrier Should I Use?

If you've ever looked through DEI's heat-control products, you may have noticed something: there are a lot of them. That's because there isn't one universal heat problem. A header, an air intake, a wiring harness, and the floor of your vehicle can all be affected by heat, but they don't necessarily need the same solution.

The trick is to stop thinking about which product is the best and start thinking about what you're trying to protect. A simple way to narrow it down is to first identify the heat source. Before choosing a heat barrier, figure out where the heat is coming from.

Is it an exhaust pipe, a turbocharge, radiant heat from a nearby component, direct contact with a hot surface, heat coming through the floor or firewall, or general under-hood temperature? This matters because heat moves in different ways.

A product designed to reflect radiant heat isn't necessarily the right choice for direct contact with a hot exhaust pipe. Likewise, a product designed to protect a wiring harness isn't necessarily what you want to put on the heat source itself.

Start with the problem, not the product.

If the exhaust is the problem

If you're trying to control heat coming from headers, downpipes, crossover pipes, or other tubular exhaust components, exhaust wrap is often the first place to look. Wrapping the exhaust helps contain heat within the exhaust system and reduces the amount of radiant heat escaping into the surrounding area. That's particularly useful in tight engine compartments where exhaust heat is being dumped directly onto nearby components.

But don't assume that wrapping the exhaust is always the answer. If you have one sensitive component sitting a few inches away from a hot pipe, sometimes it's easier and more effective to protect that component instead. That's where a dedicated heat barrier can make more sense.

If you need to protect something from radiant heat

This is one of the most common situations where people choose the wrong product. Imagine an air intake running close to a turbocharger or exhaust manifold. The intake isn't generating the heat. It's being exposed to it. Wrapping the intake in exhaust wrap might look pretty, but it isn't really addressing the problem in the most effective way. A reflective barrier such as Reflect-A-GOLD or Reflect-A-COOL is designed to reflect radiant heat away from the component you're trying to protect. For larger or more specific applications, DEI also offers products such as Cool Covers.

Think of it this way: if the heat is coming toward the component, reflect it. Don't automatically wrap the component as though it's the heat source.

If you need to protect a wire, hose, or line

Now we're dealing with another common situation. You have a fuel line, brake line, wiring harness, spark plug wire, or other component running close to a hot exhaust. The component isn't hot because it needs to be. It's hot because something nearby is heating it up. In this situation, a protective sleeve or barrier designed for the component itself can be a better choice.

Products such as Fire Sleeve and Heat Shroud are designed to protect vulnerable components from high-temperature environments. This can also be a cleaner installation than trying to improvise with exhaust wrap.

If the floor or transmission tunnel is getting hot

This is where you want to start thinking about a barrier rather than simply wrapping the exhaust. The exhaust may be the source of the heat, but the floor is what you're trying to protect.

Products such as Floor & Tunnel Shield are designed for these kinds of applications. A reflective barrier can help reduce radiant heat transfer, while the construction of the barrier provides additional protection for the surface behind it. This is particularly useful for areas where exhaust routing puts a lot of heat underneath the passenger compartment. And if you can create an air gap between the heat source and the barrier, even better.

If you're dealing with a turbo

Turbochargers are their own category. The temperatures involved are extreme, and the shape of the turbo makes conventional wrap a poor substitute for a purpose-built turbo heat shield. DEI offers turbo shields specifically designed for this application. A turbo shield helps contain radiant heat from the hot side while allowing the turbocharger to function normally. The same principle applies here as everywhere else: use the product designed for the problem you're actually trying to solve.

If you're trying to protect something from direct contact heat

Radiant heat and direct contact heat are different problems. If a component is physically touching a hot surface, simply reflecting radiant heat isn't enough. You need a material capable of handling the temperature while providing an insulating barrier between the two surfaces. This is where products designed for direct-contact applications can be much more appropriate than a thin reflective film. If you can eliminate the physical contact entirely, that's even better. Sometimes the best heat barrier is simply moving the component away from the heat source.

If you're trying to protect yourself

This one gets overlooked. Maybe you're dealing with a motorcycle exhaust that's heating your leg. Maybe a transmission tunnel is making the cabin uncomfortable. Maybe a seat or footwell is getting hotter than it should.

The solution isn't necessarily to make the exhaust itself cooler. You're trying to keep the heat from reaching you. That means a barrier between the heat source and the occupant can be a better approach. Again, think about the direction the heat is traveling.

The easiest way to choose

Here's the quick version:

• Hot exhaust tubing? Look at DEI Titanium, Glass Fiber, or Exo wrap to solve this problem.
• Intake near a hot exhaust or turbo? Look at Reflect-A-GOLD, Reflect-A-COOL, or Cool Covers.
• Wiring, hoses, or lines near extreme heat? Look at protective sleeves such as Fire Sleeve or Heat Shroud.
• Hot floor or transmission tunnel? Look at Floor & Tunnel Shield or another dedicated heat barrier.
• Turbocharger heat? Look at our Gen 3 & Gen 2 Turbo Shields in
• Titanium or Onyx options.
• Heat coming directly toward a component? Look at a reflective barrier such as Reflect-A-Cool/GOLD or Heat Screen/Heat Screen GOLD. In some cases, there’s a component specific application like Versa Shield for starters or Cool Cover for intakes.
• Component physically touching something hot? Look for an insulating barrier designed for direct-contact temperatures like Fire Sleeve or Fire Wrap.

And remember that these solutions aren't mutually exclusive. A turbocharged vehicle might have a turbo shield, exhaust wrap on the downpipe, a reflective barrier around the intake, and protective sleeving around nearby wiring. That's not overkill if each product is solving a different problem.

The goal isn't to find the hottest product in the catalog. The goal is to put the right product in the right place. Once you know what is producing the heat, where that heat is going, and what you're trying to protect, choosing a heat barrier becomes a lot less complicated.