There is a right way and a wrong way to use header tape. The right way is to first use it for a race only vehicle and start with a new painted header thats had the heat treating process already done (headers mounted, run for a few minutes to get it hot to the point you can just smeel it, then cooled, then run to hot again. Then after you do that, you rap them as per instruction, run to "bake in", then last step coat header wrap with high temp header paint and "bake in" again. The proper process helps alleviate the speeded rust out process, but dosn't eliminate it, the reason being is the the inside of the header is not protected from the heat which is now "trapped" in the exhaust (so to speak) and if any of you know anything about metalurgy, very thin steel exposed to extreme heat will always prematurely rot out do to the changes in the steel at the molecular level.
The best headers I have ever seen that lasted the longest are the ones that are ceramic coated INSIDE and out. I know of a guy who has a little 63 Nova that has the same set of ceramic coated headers on it for almost better than 15 years now and they look as good as the day he put them on. Expensive yes, but very worth it. Also, they are good for a little more HP over a non coated header due to the increase in exhaust scavenging and under hood temp reduction which leads to increased starter life, under hood wiring, electrical component and rubber component life.
Only thing better (for the street) is a good set of HP manifolds that have been extrude honed, and we all know just how feasible that is.