Heat shrink tubing?

[300kplus]

Hello everyone!

Can anyone recommend a good heat shrink tubing. I have some bare wires on an old high mile e39 and want to do better than electrical tape...
I'm looking for the good stuff. Highly recommended...

Thanks!

[MarcoZandrini]

Try www.mouser.com.

[BMW1999m3]

I'm curious about this too. I have a heat shrink tubing assortment from Harbor Freight that seems to work fine... but obviously it is a cheapie. Are the more expensive heat shrink tubes made of a different type of material?

[300kplus]

I'm curious about this too. I have a heat shrink tubing assortment from Harbor Freight that seems to work fine... but obviously it is a cheapie. Are the more expensive heat shrink tubes made of a different type of material?

My exact concern...

[BimmerBreaker]

If you are worried about the quality of harbor freight heat shrink, buy from somewhere else. What's the problem exactly? Heat shrink, give or take, is heat shrink...

[BMW1999m3]

This is the heat shrink tubing set that I have: http://www.harborfreight.com/127-pie...set-67524.html
It has 127 pieces, is only $4, and has overwhelmingly positive reviews.
It is made of Polyelofin, which is the most commonly used material for heat shrink tubing:

"Polyolefin tubes, the most common kind, have maximum continuous-use temperatures from -55 to 135 °C, and are used by the military, aerospace and railway industries. They are flexible and fast-shrinking, and manufactured in a wide range of colors (including clear), which can be used for color-coding wires. With the exception of black, they tend to have lower resistance to ultraviolet light; accordingly, only black is recommended for outdoor applications. A common shrink ratio is 2:1, but high-grade polyolefin heat shrink is also available with a 3:1 ratio."

-From wiki @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat-s...bing#Materials

Some brands such as Dorman sell a perhaps slightly more durable and expensive variety at Autozone which uses a combination of PVC and Polyolefin: http://www.autozone.com/miscellaneou...ng/254737_0_0/

PVC may endow it with greater abrasion-resistance and chemical resistant characteristics, as indicated here: http://www.insultab.com/technical-in...fo-center.html

Since we're talking about an automotive environment, I believe regular polyelofin heat shrink tubing should be more than sufficient since the wires will probably not be exposed to salt water, UV rays, or continuous abrasion.

[300kplus]

This is the heat shrink tubing set that I have: http://www.harborfreight.com/127-pie...set-67524.html
It has 127 pieces, is only $4, and has overwhelmingly positive reviews.
It is made of Polyelofin, which is the most commonly used material for heat shrink tubing:

"Polyolefin tubes, the most common kind, have maximum continuous-use temperatures from -55 to 135 °C, and are used by the military, aerospace and railway industries. They are flexible and fast-shrinking, and manufactured in a wide range of colors (including clear), which can be used for color-coding wires. With the exception of black, they tend to have lower resistance to ultraviolet light; accordingly, only black is recommended for outdoor applications. A common shrink ratio is 2:1, but high-grade polyolefin heat shrink is also available with a 3:1 ratio."

-From wiki @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat-s...bing#Materials

Some brands such as Dorman sell a perhaps slightly more durable and expensive variety at Autozone which uses a combination of PVC and Polyolefin: http://www.autozone.com/miscellaneou...ng/254737_0_0/

PVC may endow it with greater abrasion-resistance and chemical resistant characteristics, as indicated here: http://www.insultab.com/technical-in...fo-center.html

Since we're talking about an automotive environment, I believe regular polyelofin heat shrink tubing should be more than sufficient since the wires will probably not be exposed to salt water, UV rays, or continuous abrasion.

Great info. Mine will be used for and m62 engine. As you know the V8 throws and holds a lot of heat. I have some wiring on the top of the engine, that from over time (older 98 540i with high miles) or maybe the previous owners, needs some TLC. So I'm going to go with the best of the best and be done with it. Thanks again for the write up right stuff.