AFR's vs. Vortec's
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,491
Likes: 2
From: North Royaton Ohio
AFR's vs. Vortec's
I'm looking to gain some information to determine which heads would be better for me. I'm not planning on anything right now, but maybe in 6 to 8 months or so.
My question is which cylinder heads do you think are better? AFR 195's or GM Vortec's.
I have a brand new GMPP 350 290 horse 4 bolt main, so I'm sure my bottom end is strong. Quite honestly I'm not that happy with it. It doesn't seem to have much more power than my original engine (190 hp!!!)
I'm open to all suggestions about cams and intakes, as well. Right now I'm running an Edelbrock SP2P intake and a 750 QJet, and I'd like to stick with the carb if at all possible.
Looking for anywhere from 400hp and up.
Ready.............. GO!
My question is which cylinder heads do you think are better? AFR 195's or GM Vortec's.
I have a brand new GMPP 350 290 horse 4 bolt main, so I'm sure my bottom end is strong. Quite honestly I'm not that happy with it. It doesn't seem to have much more power than my original engine (190 hp!!!)
I'm open to all suggestions about cams and intakes, as well. Right now I'm running an Edelbrock SP2P intake and a 750 QJet, and I'd like to stick with the carb if at all possible.
Looking for anywhere from 400hp and up.
Ready.............. GO!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 761
Likes: 0
From: san jose California
afr's are the best 23 deg heads on the market.. however if you dont plan on changing out your bottom end i think the vortecs would be better because they come with smaller cumbustion chambers (64cc) while the afr's smallest chanber is a 72 cc ( i think... 
)
Jonny
)Jonny
NCM Grand Opening Veteran
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 20,979
Likes: 384
From: South of giving a damn
St. Jude Donor '11, '17
Nope, you can get 64cc AFR heads. You have to decide what you are going to build this engine to. Up to 400hp the Vortecs will work fine and will be cheaper. Over 400 you'd best be planning correctly.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,176
Likes: 88
From: State of Confusion
I'd think for somebody, using a stock 2-bolt/junk-rod/cast-crank/cast-piston short-block, that'd be kept to less-than 6000 RPM, vortecs would be fine, but if the internals can take it, and you plan to buzz the snot outta it, a large-volume, 'traditional'-port head might be best.
P.S. - I believe a recent issue of Chevy High Perf featured a build-up of the 290 HP crate-motor, using GMPP FastBurn heads, a 270H cam, RPM Air Gap intake under a 650 cfm Holley carb that made 385 HP/400+ TQ.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,892
Likes: 3
From: Springfield Illinois
You should go with the Edelbrock Performer RPM total power package. You'll love it trust me!
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,491
Likes: 2
From: North Royaton Ohio
I figured this would be a mixed answer. I love it!
I really don't want to touch the rotating assembly. That would mean pulling the engine AGAIN, and I don't want to do that.
Plus for now it's a daily driver, so i think too much compression could make that difficult.
I really don't want to touch the rotating assembly. That would mean pulling the engine AGAIN, and I don't want to do that.
Plus for now it's a daily driver, so i think too much compression could make that difficult.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
AFR heads are tough to beat, but as noted buying a better head than your intended use is just money down the drain.
IMHO, if you're not happy with your 290 I'd spend some time and effort doing some troubleshooting before you start replacing parts.
IMHO, if you're not happy with your 290 I'd spend some time and effort doing some troubleshooting before you start replacing parts.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
From: Fairview TX
I have the AFRs (64cc 220s) and am very happy with them. 383 with 11:1 and a healthy cam it's well over 500hp, but does spin to 6500rpm which is probably more than your short block is going to be happy with for any length of time.
But, keep in mind the exhaust port height is higher with the AFRs so could cause some greif (it did for me). We also found the intake did not quite site right and had to be milled. Not sure if that was the intake or the heads.
But, keep in mind the exhaust port height is higher with the AFRs so could cause some greif (it did for me). We also found the intake did not quite site right and had to be milled. Not sure if that was the intake or the heads.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
Likes: 88
From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Based on magazine flow tests, Dart Pro 1 w/ 230 cc intake runners as also RHS Pro Action heads with 235 cc intake runners flow better than any out of the box AFR heads
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
From: Fairview TX
I don't doubt there are other heads a good, but as good at the price I'm not sure about....
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
Likes: 88
From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Flow isn't HP. A local race shop build my engine late spring. It was the first time they used the new at the time AFR Eliminator heads. This shop builds about 2 383 street motors a week and often uses the exact same parts as my motor (except the heads). They did NO porting on the AFRs (but did port match the intake and change the springs). After the dyno session they made it clear that getting that performance would have otherwise required a $2200 set of heads.
I don't doubt there are other heads a good, but as good at the price I'm not sure about....
I don't doubt there are other heads a good, but as good at the price I'm not sure about....
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 182,997
Likes: 88
From: Lakeland, FL
Cruise-In IV-V-VI-VII-VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03, '06, '17
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 10,628
Likes: 132
From: Duvall, WA
Oh, and I vote for the AFR heads.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,060
Likes: 46
From: winter haven florida
St. Jude Donor '12
lets not get carried away with who has the best heads out there. each has its strong points for the intended use. the street and the race track are two dif. places and the demands of a race engine are much dif. than the street engine. a large port race head will not be street friendly on a 350ci motor. for the street and for the money the afr head is very hard to beat. some people run what could be considered a full race motor on the street and do just fine but for the majority of the street driven motors and combos the afr 195's are very hard to beat on a strong 350ci street motor. the main thing is to match the whole combo and its intended use. if you are not going to be spinning the motor up in the upper rpm range you will not want to go with a large cc head as it will be a waste and will not perform well. your cam and heads must match the flow,compression, and intended rpm range. the afr 195's come in 64cc and 75cc but can be custom ordered. i got mine in 72cc to give my combo a 10.5:1 comp. there are tons of factors that come into play when choosing a matched combo. i would suggest looking at proven combos and copy one that will suit your needs. pick a modern designed head that flows what your cam choice will need. the vortec head is a great head for the money but the afr is superior.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,403
Likes: 95