32V Heads
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 924
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
32V Heads
I see on ARAO's website http://www.araoengineering.com/dnochrts/dyno_sheets.htm that their 32V heads made 668 HP at 7500rpm on a 360 CI Chevy with a Performer RPM manifold, 750 Holley, and a 226 .479 lift hyd roller. Is that really possible, or just BS? Anyone know of anyone running them? Anyone seen any real dyno charts for these heads? The heads look cool, but the $5300 price tag is a bit much.
Mark
Mark
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 924
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
Re: 32V Heads (bowtie racing)
I haven't seen these heads on the street.......but then again I spend more time in my garage working on my body off performance rebuild than looking at other cars on the street. :nonod: ....that's why I'm asking if anyone else has seen them. I don't have time to search every forum on the internet....I spend too much time here as it is. :) I've seen these heads in a magazine article once, but you can't believe anything you read in the magazines because most of the articles are really paid advertisments. So what I want to know is has anyone on this forum actually seen these heads on a real car, and/or seen a real dyno run on an engine with these heads? I doubt that many, if any of you have, but I'd like to get some feedback before actually dismissing them entirely. They have managed to stay around for a few years now, so someone must be running them.
Mark
[Modified by 81vette, 7:51 AM 10/11/2002]
Mark
[Modified by 81vette, 7:51 AM 10/11/2002]
Drifting
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 1,874
Likes: 1
From: Garden Grove CA
Re: 32V Heads (81vette)
As far as I know they don't work without a lot of trouble. ARAO shows up every year at the Father's day cruise put on by the L.A. Roadsters. Amazingly, I cannot recall ever seeing them on any car at any show. And they have zero presence at the drag strip. There are some ghost cars that ARAO refers to, never seen much light of day as far as I can tell.
For sure the ARAO/Dominion heads are cool looking and I wish they did work - but the quality of airflow is more important than quantity of airflow. The article refered to has one flaw - no one saw an engine make those numbers, just computer modeled horsepower based on airflow and cylinder filling efficiency.
Thomas
For sure the ARAO/Dominion heads are cool looking and I wish they did work - but the quality of airflow is more important than quantity of airflow. The article refered to has one flaw - no one saw an engine make those numbers, just computer modeled horsepower based on airflow and cylinder filling efficiency.
Thomas
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 52
Likes: 1
From: MA
Re: 32V Heads (81vette)
About three years ago one of the magazines tested them, either Hot Rod or Chevy High Performance. They made good power but not worth the price, a vortech or procharger would be a better way to go.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 1,874
Likes: 1
From: Garden Grove CA
Re: 32V Heads (350camaro)
Actually, the bummer about the "test" article that you refer to is that no one at the magazine witnessed a running engine making those power numbers - yep, all the "data" was supplied by ARAO/Dominion. It made for a great article, but there has been zero independent backup data to confirm those results. So, at this point all that really exists is some interesting Desktop Dyno calculations!
Thomas
Thomas
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 3,078
Likes: 1
Re: 32V Heads (The Green Rocket)
I read an article on the Dominion heads. I seem to remember that when pitted up against a very high end set of 2-valve performance aftermarket heads, the switch alone was worth something like 85 horsepower. They made nearly identical torque and power up to about 3200 rpm, afterwhich the Dominion 4-valve heads literally took off and made much more torque and power at the upper half of the rev-range.
I would LOVE to get a set of these heads if I were running a high rpm long-rod 377 with a big solid roller cam and steep rear gears. On the right engine, they'd feel like they'll rev forever.
But you're right, at that price, they're more of a novelty. Forced induction with a good set of heads will give you similar improvements but at half the cost. Plus they won't lose power up in the mountains like a naturally aspirated motor will. And where I live, that's an issue.
I would LOVE to get a set of these heads if I were running a high rpm long-rod 377 with a big solid roller cam and steep rear gears. On the right engine, they'd feel like they'll rev forever.
But you're right, at that price, they're more of a novelty. Forced induction with a good set of heads will give you similar improvements but at half the cost. Plus they won't lose power up in the mountains like a naturally aspirated motor will. And where I live, that's an issue.
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Lincoln
Re: 32V Heads (MoMo)
I'm not trying to offend anyone but.........when are people going to realize these heads just don't exist. It's like there some sort of spook story.
No one has ever seem them in person, let alone on an actual car.
Even if they did exist, why would you want them? If you ever had any problems with install/tuning, who would help you? You'd be the only one with these heads........You'd be pissed that you spent all this $ on something that you couldn't get to run right or get any help with.
I know....it sounds great in theory......but you know what? So do the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot.
[Modified by yellerstang, 1:04 PM 10/13/2002]
No one has ever seem them in person, let alone on an actual car.
Even if they did exist, why would you want them? If you ever had any problems with install/tuning, who would help you? You'd be the only one with these heads........You'd be pissed that you spent all this $ on something that you couldn't get to run right or get any help with.
I know....it sounds great in theory......but you know what? So do the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot.
[Modified by yellerstang, 1:04 PM 10/13/2002]
Drifting
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 1,874
Likes: 1
From: Garden Grove CA
Re: 32V Heads (yellerstang)
I have seen, and held in my own hands, the ARAO/Dominion heads. But, other than seeing their display at the last few L.A. Roadsters Father's day cruises in Pomona I have not yet seen them on even one car outside of the company's own hot rod creations. They also make 4 valve Harley Heads which I have seen on several Harleys.
Yellerstang is correct tho - these heads do have a number of points that create tuning issues. Not the least of which is having one pushrod opening two valves makes for some heavyweight valve train components and everything that comes along with that, not an issue for the generally lower revving Harley engine, a real problem for a generally more high revving small block Chevy. Desktop dyno has proven the concept has merit - unfortunately the real world dicates a cruel answer to these particular heads measuring up to their computer modeled power numbers, otherwise their extreme cost is not really a barrier for the many well to do hot rodders out there.
Thomas
Yellerstang is correct tho - these heads do have a number of points that create tuning issues. Not the least of which is having one pushrod opening two valves makes for some heavyweight valve train components and everything that comes along with that, not an issue for the generally lower revving Harley engine, a real problem for a generally more high revving small block Chevy. Desktop dyno has proven the concept has merit - unfortunately the real world dicates a cruel answer to these particular heads measuring up to their computer modeled power numbers, otherwise their extreme cost is not really a barrier for the many well to do hot rodders out there.
Thomas
