The SS Manifold is not one of the $200 ebay jobbies but a properly made manifold, properly welded and most importantly with billet collector. The fact you are talking 1/2" squares would suggest it was the ebay variety and not this one from Darkside Developments.
The quality of manufacture of this manifold is superb and not in the least way comparable to those ebay manifolds which also do not specify (let alone guarantee) the quality of stainless steel used where this has an even greater bearing on the finished product when used in applications such as exhausts. There is a lot of ill informed opinion out there regarding the ability of SS in regards of heat cycles etc.
Would think you went with the SS manifold for the known benefits of using such a manifold especially in a turbo application where the loss of heat in a manifold has a corresponding loss in heat of exhaust gas and hence speed of the exhaust into the turbo.
Spool up is also the reason I am using the wrap, the turbo from DD is slightly larger than other VNT turbo's for TD5's (another risk lol) and any gain in the performance of the manifold will have a corresponding benefit to getting it to spool quicker and if it does it will give me the low down torque I am after. The turbo by the way is a GTB2260VK and not the 2056 it would appear other TD5 VNT turbo's look to be.
The manifold before I started
Attachment 173761
First couple of wraps, need more practice, anybody got a V12 extractor I can practice on???
Attachment 173763
Sorry this is not meant to open discussion in this forum feed regarding SS manifolds, just a reply to your experience and as to why I still choose to go this way after reading of similar experiences with the ebay manifolds which I do not regard as comparable to the DD manifold. Again,
if I am wrong and it goes tits up, you can all say "I TOLD YOU SO" !!!