1998 Corvette GEN 3 with Comp Cam (XER281HR grind#) 281/283 @ .050 Duration and .595/598 valve lift with fast 92mm intake.

Looking for head suggestions for Street/Strip combo (way more street/Hwy than strip).

Car dynos @ 405/380. Don't want to go backwards but want the car street-able and not spend a ton of money either.

Thanks
Tom

 

Almost any heads should work with a basic cam-only setup, just depends what you want to spend. Some mildly ported 243s would see some gain, or some hand finished AFRs

Those duration specs on the cam don't sound right at all

 

with everything said above.

What are your goals for the car? If you know or figure that out in the beginning, it will save you $$$ later.

The cam will determine the driveability factor of the car more than anything, and a good pair of flowing heads will compliment the cam and intake, but without long tube headers, all of that will still be restricted.

If there is any chance you will go forced induction down the road, build in that direction. If not, depending on your budget get a good set of 1 3/4 headers and heads to go with your cam and intake and a good tune and you’ll be good to go.

I chose AFR 210cc CNC Mongoose heads for my build and I am 100% pleased with them.

Also as mentioned above, those duration numbers on your cam sound off.

 

Post shows advertised duration not .050

232/234 595/598 112 LSA

Comp part number 54-446-11

 

You are 100% correct..My Bad..........Your numbers are correct and I made the correction above. Also didnt mention the car has long tube headers and X-pipe as one post mentioned above. So with the additional correct info what heads would you suggest?

Thanks

 

I corrected the .050 duration numbers and the car has 1 3/4 long tube headers headers.

Like to stay under 2k so AFRs are out. So what do you suggest?

Thanks

 

The "best " heads are going to be over $2k. I love my Trickflow 215's.

 

Used set of 'off-the-shelf' AFR 205's under $2k... if not available go with refreshed 243's and Cometic .040 head gaskets to raise CR.
232+ cams are happier with CR increase

 

Plenty of aftermarket options. I would check out what Texas Speed has to offer from the PRC line. They have some good low buck options that people have made good numbers with. If you give them a call they will have someone that can set you up with exactly what you want in your budget. Tony Mamo also has a couple less expensive options that will perform well. Just try not to fall into his patented trap of "for a little more you can have..." like so many have before.

 

Thanks

 

I wouldn't call Mamo's pitch a trap. His stuff works. My car is still being tuned but just cracked 800 RWHP at only 12 lbs of boost thanks to his heads. Were they more? Obviously. Worth every penny IMO. All depends on what the OP wants.

For the OP......decide what you want. Budget heads will get you good gains, more expensive heads will offer bigger gains and some other perks you may or may not care about down the road. Figure your goal, set your budget, do your research.

 

I didn't mean it in a negative way. He tells you up front if you can stop at any point. He just knows we all want the most power possible "while we're there" and for a lot of us its easy to say a few hundred more dollars won't hurt. I have a friend that has the complete Mamo setup on his C6Z and ended up with the best of everything because he wanted all the power and Tony was glad to let him know where there was more to be had. I'm not saying his products don't perform, just that a lot of times people end up down a wormhole they didn't necessarily intend on going down at the start.

 

LMAO Tell me about it. That happened to me just in the past year or so as I was doing the new top end for my turbo setup. Started as a heads/cam setup from him. Then balancer. Then oil pump. Lifters. Pushrods. Ported LS2 manifold and TB (he wanted me to go FAST 102 but I wanted a stock look). Things that I was initially planning on sourcing myself. Glad I listened to him though because I have absolutely ZERO worries about the top end of my motor. I DEFINITELY understand what you're saying about the wormhole, and it's easy to fall into it.

 

Guys,

This hobby is a worm hole....its not Tony Mamo turning it into one.....LOL

I offer solid advice.....options....explain what an upgrade will do for you and what it will cost.....I never push.....the pushing is internal as we all want the best of everything but the best of everything usually compromises most people's budgets.....it's the nature of most expensive purchases in life honestly.

If there is an upgrade I feel offers alot of value I tell you and I also tell you the upgrades I feel would be designated as more expensive (higher cost per horsepower gained).

Anyway....point is I have helped people with conservative amounts to spend and ludicrous amounts to spend and everywhere in the middle....I cater the build as best I can to the customer's budget. That said I tell you right now the best bang for the buck cathedral head I offer is my MMS 223 heads. I haven't done a great job promoting them and shame on me for that but Im telling you that they flow very close to my flagship 220's and they cost almost $500 less. I have had a few customers put them on stroker engines in fact and they worked better than I would have guessed...they were honestly impressive on these larger cube engines (a 416 comes to mind that made 535 RWHP with a really conservative camshaft). Point is while I really aimed their design at the bread and butter 3.900 bore combinations (346 and 383 combos), they work better than they ought to on the 4" bore stuff as well giving you room to grow in the future.

Dont waste your money porting OEM castings.....you will always regret doing that and its usually just a matter of when (sometimes sooner than you think). Go with the much more efficient clean sheet aftermarket heads....you spend a little more but you get alot more offering you more value in the purchase and room to grow in your future, Value isn't always about spending the least....in fact it usually never works that way.....its usually a situation where you spend a little more money but you get a much nicer product for the additional monies spent. And this scenario or situation is applicable to alot more than just this hobby.....it will apply to most purchases made in your lifetime.

Getting back on track.....my "value play" in cathedral clean sheet design heads.....a thread I created about my MMS 223 heads when I launched the product a few years ago

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...man-heads.html

If you have any questions feel free to email, PM or call me



Cheers,
Tony
661-714-1317

 

@Tony @ Mamo Motorsports Just an FYI Tony, I wasn't complaining. I agree 100% with everything you said above. I think my point was more of that when a guy comes to you, they're investing a healthy amount into your bread and butter work (the heads/valvetrain), and may be looking to go elsewhere for other parts. You make a good case when working with us as the customer about "Hey, we're investing heavily into these parts, don't skimp on the peripherals, here's WHY." I say this having been THAT customer, and I'm NOT saying it with any negative connotation at all. You heard me out on what I was planning to use, then you listed out what your recommendations were, why they were your recommendations, and how they could have a better impact on the overall setup over what I planned to use. I don't regret the extra cash spent at all, ESPECIALLY after seeing initial results coming out of the new setup.

 

Its ALL good.....I will be honest and tell you I read your post and took it in a positive fashion....and that's why I didnt want to "quote" you in my reply.

It was more a generic reply addressing the slippery slope that is common with modding these and any other vehicles.....poking some fun in some respects at the choices that all have to be weighed.

I know how to get the most from these engines but undoubtedly that represents more money whether its me spending my own money or me suggesting to a customer a handful of upgrades. I always look at the upgrades that make the most sense and I have to say that even the customers that were really set on not spending more come back to thank me when the smoke clears and appreciated the effort I went to in explaining them understand why they might consider "X" and why it offers good value and how it fits in with the rest of the build.

Anyway....like I said my response wasn't aimed at you, however I could certainly see see how you may have felt is was so Im glad we cleared the air and for the record I think most of the things you said were spot on....LOL

I wont lie.....I like to maximize the results from the components I build and design here and I feel I would be doing my customers a dis-service not sharing how we can get even more from the engine by complimenting and optimizing the purchase with other components that make the engine a better system....a better air pump. The engines that truly shine are the ones that their owners sweated all the details.....you can buy the best heads and the best ported intake but if your valvetrain is lacking, or your cam is spec'ed wrong or your compression is too low etc. etc. you will never realize a good portion of what you invested in the other higher end parts of the build and that's something that is missed by the average enthusiast quite often. To be honest I see it alot when cruising through some of the misc. results on the forums. Hard to know not being involved what happened there....guessing most times its budget related or maybe they didnt have the experience and didnt know better or maybe they got impatient and rushed to finish or perhaps a little of all the things I just mentioned but the end result is always the same (compromised performance after spending alot of money because of missed or overlooked key details/components in the build). The engines you see that make the big numbers are just the opposite....all or most of the details were hit.....more time and effort was invested to make sure everything was right and the end results justify the cost and the means to achieve it....it didnt happen by accident I assure you....big numbers never do.

Good stuff....it really more about the science and approach to modding that is being discussed here more than anything else and its an interesting topic IMO

Regards,
Tony

 

FYI, There’s a set of AFR 215’s for sale in the C5 parts for sale forum with dual springs and Ti retainers.
Op is asking 2k for them.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...h-c-i-etc.html

 

Sign in a speed shop here in the 70's <<<< SPEED COSTS MONEY HOW FAST DO YOU WANT TO GO???>>>>