Aluminium Foil Tape 101: Properties and Uses
Car repairs, regular maintenance and rebuilds can soon become tasking projects if you’re not equipped with the right tools. But besides spanners, screwdrivers, jacks, hammers and pliers, it’s often the overlooked and simple additions that bring the biggest benefits. Automotive tapes fall squarely in this category and are used in jobs as diverse as painting, rewiring, repairing seat cloth, installing heat shields or lining the floor with insulative soundproofing materials. These are just a handful of uses where they excel.
When you need a unique blend of durability, versatility, and strong adhesion, consider the benefits of a secure aluminium foil tape. This builds on the qualities of everyday duct, masking and wiring tapes by offering properties that expand its uses far outside the auto industry. Standard variants are made of thin aluminium foil, coated with an acrylic adhesive, and backed with a quick-peel paper lining. Some tapes have butyl rubber or silicon adhesives for improved chemical resistance and stronger adhesion to different materials and surfaces. Additives are included too, such as fibreglass to increase heat resistance in automotive heat management and polyester to improve mechanical strength.
Contents
Properties that Make a Difference
The versatility of self-adhesive aluminium foil tapes for automotive uses is down to the long list of favourable properties. This includes:
- High heat resistance – Standard thickness tapes of just 0.05 mm have exceptional heat resistance, withstanding temperatures of up to 120 degrees. This makes them the perfect solution for containing radiant heat in the engine bays when sealing cabins and floors from hot transmission and exhaust parts, or applying and securing heat shields. Tapes additionally shield sensitive automotive electronics and plastics, such as sensors, coolant tanks and wiring.
- Reflectivity – Aluminium is reflective, making for protection against light and heat. This ensures thermal stability and keeps engine heat where it needs to be.
- Moisture and chemical resistance – Automotive foil tape also acts as a moisture and vapour barrier by preventing thermal gaps in soundproofing materials. It also resists the corrosive effects of spraying coolant and engine oil on nearby parts.
- High electrical conductivity – The aluminium foil tape can also be conductive, making it ideal in grounding applications when adding electrical components such as displays, digital gauges or sensors and as an effective earthing solution in various wring tasks, where it shields wires, harnesses and attached electronics from the damaging effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI).
- Strength and abrasion resistance – The durable aluminium backing is resistant to tearing, punctures and abrasions, ensuring longevity.
- Easy installation – Tapes are easy to tear by hand, cut with basic tools and stick to various surfaces and materials due to excellent adhesion. High flexibility also helps with complex car parts. An overlooked benefit is that they leave little or no residue in temporary repairs or wiring uses, unlike duct or masking tapes.
Typical Uses
Effective engine heat management, sealing exhaust pipe punctures, organising wiring harnesses and ensuring optimal cabin sound levels are just some of the typical automotive uses of foil tapes. The high heat resistance ensures optimal engine performance by containing heat at the source and preventing overheating. The foil is ideal for temporary repairs in exhaust system parts, sealing leaks and punctures for correct airflow.
It further helps with connecting and sealing soundproofing mats, foams and panels in sound-deadening projects, specifically in larger off-roading or older vehicles. Additional applications include patching up fissures or cracks in cooling system parts such as hoses or coolant tanks, repairing or masking damage to trim parts and interior panelling and ensuring neat and shielded cabling and electronics when rewiring the electrics or adding accessories.
Comparison to Duct Tape
Duct tape is a general-purpose, affordable and decently durable tape, but falls short compared to self-adhesive aluminium foil tape in demanding automotive uses. It has lower heat resistance (melting at 95 degrees), is not reflective (it absorbs more light and heat) and has lower water and moisture resistance. All this means it won’t provide the same level of sealing as automotive-grade foil tapes.
While adhesion and conformity to varied surfaces and materials are on par, or even better, duct tape is harder to get off and leaves more residue, so it isn’t suited to temporary repairs. The thicker cloth adhesive also reduces conductivity. While slightly cheaper than aluminium tape, duct tape has limited uses in cars beyond masking damage to interior trim or patching up frayed wiring, as it is a good isolator.
Comparison to Masking Tape
This is a popular choice in temporary exterior repairs, especially painting, coating and polishing. General-purpose masking tapes have even lower heat resistance than duct tape, meaning they won’t do so much to limit radiant heat in the engine bay or exhaust system. Different types have varied levels of adhesion (some superior to foil tapes) but leave no residue on removal. They’re comparable to foil tapes for chemical and water resistance. However, they’re rarely used beyond painting applications.
Final Thoughts
For specialised uses in containing heat, limiting vibrations or preventing damage to expensive electrical parts, choose the durability, strength and simplicity of automotive aluminium foil tapes. Their pressure-sensitive adhesive means they’re easy to get on, stick to metals, plastics and rubber in varied shapes, and provide years of lasting performance with good puncture and abrasion resistance. Shop for foil tape rolls in the widths and lengths for your application from select automotive stores or tape specialists.
