I'm planning on putting a Comp Cam (224 / 230 .581 .588 @ 114) into the car, nothing too wild, something that will sound almost stock at idle. But now I'm thinking of doing the heads as well, might as well do it now while the engine is already torn down.

What heads would you recommend for this cam and why? I'm looking for power under the curve, and I doubt I will be using it for race applications.

 

IMO, AFR 205s are a VERY good pick for the cam you've listed. Do a search and look at the dyno graphs. I've seen more than a few dyno charts of 224/228 112LSA + AFR 205 combos making well over 400rwhp while retaining near-perfect daily-driver behavior...

 

Don't forget to get whichever heads you decide on milled. These engines love compression, so around 60cc chambers is about right. Small port heads are probably best for your application, such as the aformentioned AFRs, or Dart205's or Edelbrocks. TSP has a 200cc port head, too.

 

AFR 205's.....

 

^ Slightly bigger cam but this is what i have sitting in my garage !!

 

Sounds like everyone believes in the AFR's, but they seem to be quite expensive. Do you really get that much more power gain with them compared to Darts or Patriots to warrant the additional expense.

 

I have the AFR heads and have been happy with them. You are right they are expensive. Speed is money, decide what you want the car to do then go where your money allows you to go. Have fun. Frank

 

Texas Speed has a nice line of heads at a good price. Check them out. I am one who can identify with having a budget to operate within. I have their heads on my car and am very happy with them.

Good Luck



Brad

 

You get what you pay for.....AFR heads are fully machined and flow great......PM Tony Mamo.....he is a supporting member and will guide you the right way

 

T.E.A. heads on stage 2 flow more than the AFR heads. You can call them and get the flow specs and then compare them to the specs posted from AFR.

 

Yes. I plan on pulling my Dart's over the winter and moving up to the AFR's. The Darts are a nice budget head with good components, but they won't make the same power as the AFR's. If you ask Dart, they will likely tell you the same thing as maximum power wasn't their target when they introduced them. They have potential with further work but its hard to compare an "as cast" head to one with full CNC porting. Dart was planning on a full CNC version of their head, not sure what the status of that introduction is though.

Aftermarket heads give you a thicker deck and other features not found in the ported stock castings if that is of interest to you.

As stated above, compression and quench will get you more in the lower RPM's and setup is critical. Contact Tony Mamo, tell him what cam you have and ask him how to set up the AFR's to maximize your configuration. He spends a lot of time on this board and is always willing to help someone who is interested in their products.

 

If you can't afford AFR Heads then WAIT on the project until you can. Tony Mamo makes an outstanding product that is worth the money. Two years down the road when you have had no issues with your motor than you can look back and remember why you purchased the best. Remember....you get what you pay for!

 

Thanks, PM sent.

 

see sig

 

FYI...

I have an 02Z06 with long tube headers, G5X3 cam, Vararam and all the supporting parts. Chris from ECS just suggested I go with CNC ported 243 heads instead of trickflows. He said they are considerably cheeper and the performance difference was minimal.

 

Exactly

 

There have been problems with 243 ported heads from almost everyone that sells them (patriot, tsp, etc.) too much material removed, weakened heads. Also, the DYNO performance is similar, not true performance. A head with similar flow number to the AFR heads but with significantly larger runners will not perform as well in the low and midrange, and at the track. 290cfm through a 205cc intake runner is much better than 300cfm though a 230cc intake runner. It's all about velocity. If you can afford them, get the AFR. You won't have any better of a dyno sheet to post and brag about, but you will have the edge at the track and on the street.

 

Ragtop,

I got your PM's obviously....

The 205's are the obvious choice here. Their clean sheet design which features small efficient runners and high airflow make it a natural for any street car with a dual purpose theme in mind. The beauty about them is they work well in practically any stock displacement application from mild to wild. Throw some compression and aggressive cam timing in the mix and they will make the same or more power as alot of much larger heads but the 205's will offer alot more area under the curve and the part throttle response there is no comparison.

The 224/230 cam you mentioned is fine....I used a slightly smaller stick with much success (224/228) but honestly its not worth buying if you already have the cam you mentioned. Your cam will have a few less ft/lbs of TQ down low and a few more HP upstairs....no big deal.
The key is to get the rest of the combination right and you will have the package you are in search of (a powerful very drivable combination).

AFR 205's milled to 62 cc's......040 Cometic head gasket....25% UD pulley....and I would encourage you to also see if you can squeeze a ported FAST 90/90 set-up in the mix as well. Yes its a fair amount of money but at the same time it adds a chunk of power as well (20-25 RWHP), without compromising divability or low speed TQ (actually enhances drivability by improving throttle response, and adds alot to the SOTP fun factor). When you consider the HP per dollar it actually represents a pretty good value. To make big power in a mild combination it is a key ingredient.

Hope this helps....sorry I didnt get back to you right away....I tend to get bomparded with PM's and I have been out dyno testing the last few days so Im playing catch up as we speak.

Thanks,
Tony

 

Ragtop, Look at my sig, had the vette tuned after I did all the work, could not be happier with the performance.

 

Look At Your P.m.