Heat Resistant Tape for Cars: How to Choose the Right One

Automotive heat resistant tape covers three quite different products. One seals joins. One wraps hoses and looms. One reflects and insulates. Pick the wrong one and it lifts, tears, or does very little for the part you are trying to protect.

This guide covers the three types, which job each one suits, and how to apply tape in an engine bay so it stays put. Every option is in the heat resistant tape range.

The three types of heat resistant tape automotive builders use

Shop aluminium foil tape, reinforced heat resistant foil tape or fibreglass-backed aluminium tape.

Which automotive heat tape for which job

• Sealing joins in foil bubble insulation: standard aluminium foil tape.
• Spiral wrapping a hose, wiring loom or intake pipe near heat: reinforced foil tape.
• Adding insulation to an airbox, intake tube, firewall patch or fuel line: fibreglass-backed tape.
• Sealing the cut edges of an adhesive heat shield: standard aluminium foil tape.
• Matching gold heat shielding on a show build: Gold Reflecta Shield reinforced tape.
• Wrapping the exhaust pipe itself: none of them. Use exhaust heat wrap.

Reflect, insulate, or both

This is the distinction that decides most purchases.

A foil face reflects radiant heat. It bounces infrared energy back towards the source before it reaches the part underneath. Every tape in the range has one.

An insulating layer slows the heat that still gets through. Only the fibreglass-backed tape has one, and that tape measures 1.2mm overall.

The reinforced tape is a different idea again. Its fibreglass is laminated to the foil for strength, not for insulation, and that is what lets you pull it tight around a hose without tearing it.

So plain foil tape is a sealing and reflecting product. The reinforced tape is the one most people want for hoses and looms. The fibreglass-backed tape is the one that actually insulates.

Where tape goes in an engine bay

Hoses and wiring looms

Radiator hoses, boost hoses, vacuum lines and looms near the headers go hard and crack. Spiral wrap them with reinforced foil tape, with an even overlap, finishing on the underside away from direct heat. For a full loom, a heat sleeve is the purpose-built option.

Intake tubing and airbox

Cooler air around the intake means the engine draws in less heat with it. Wrap round intake tubing with fibreglass-backed tape, or stick a reflective sheet to a flat airbox face.

Fuel and oil lines

Hot fuel lines cause vapour problems and hard hot starts. Route the line away from the exhaust first. Then sleeve it, or wrap it with fibreglass-backed tape.

Firewall patches and small panels

For a whole firewall, use an adhesive heat shield sheet. For a patch, a bracket face or an awkward corner the sheet will not follow, fibreglass-backed tape does the same job in a smaller format.

Sealing an adhesive heat shield

Every cut edge and every join between shield sheets wants a strip of aluminium foil tape over it. It keeps water and oil from creeping underneath and keeps the reflective layer continuous. Our adhesive heat shield installation guide covers the method.

How to apply heat tape so it stays put

1. Clean the surface with a degreaser and let it dry fully. Adhesive fails on oil, dust and moisture, and an engine bay has all three.
2. Make sure the surface is dry and free of oil and wax before you start.
3. Cut the tape to length before you peel the liner.
4. Press it down firmly and rub it flat with a cloth or roller to push out the air.
5. On hoses and looms, spiral wrap with an even overlap and finish on the underside, away from direct heat.
6. Check the edges after the first few heat cycles and re-tape anything that has lifted.

Where tape is the wrong product

Tape protects parts near heat. It is not built to go directly onto exhaust pipes, extractors, manifolds or turbo housings. Use exhaust heat wrap on pipes, a turbo blanket on the turbine housing, and a heat shield for larger panels. For hoses and wires close to the heat, a heat sleeve is made for the job.

Automotive heat tape FAQs

What is the best heat resistant tape for a car?

There is no single best, because the three types do different jobs. Reinforced foil tape is the one most builds need, because it spiral wraps hoses and looms without tearing. Fibreglass-backed tape is the pick where you want insulation as well as reflection, on airboxes, intake tubing and fuel lines. Standard foil tape is for sealing joins and edges.

Can you use heat resistant tape on an exhaust?

No. None of the tapes are made for direct contact with an exhaust pipe, manifold or turbo housing. Tape goes on the parts around the exhaust. On the pipe itself, use exhaust heat wrap.

What temperature can automotive heat tape handle?

It depends on the type. The fibreglass-backed tape withstands up to 454°C radiant heat with a foil melting point of 650°C. The reinforced tape is rated up to 600°C. Kool Wrap does not publish a figure for the standard foil tape, so treat it as a sealing and reflecting product rather than a high-temperature one.

Will heat resistant tape stick in an engine bay?

It will if the surface is clean. Oil, dust and moisture are why tape lifts, and an engine bay has plenty of all three. Degrease the area, let it dry, apply the tape to a warm dry surface and press it flat. Check the edges after the first few heat cycles.

Which tape actually shields a part rather than just resisting heat?

The fibreglass-backed tape. Its woven fibreglass backing insulates as well as reflecting, which is what shields the part underneath. The thinner foil tapes resist heat but do not insulate. If you want the thickest version of that tape, see the extra-thick silver aluminium tape.

Need help choosing?

Tell us what you are protecting and how close it sits to the heat, and we will tell you which tape suits. Call Kool Wrap on 1300 44 33 34, or compare every roll in the heat resistant tape range.