Okay so I got a question about aftermarket cylinder heads and how much more HP you can actually get out of the really high end expensive heads I bought some brand new Texas Speed/PRC LS3 Ported heads with stainless hollow stems...for a really good price. What I am wondering is how much more HP can you actaully get out of the much more expensive heads like, WCCH,Trick Flow ETC compared to the PRC Ported heads I have already bought?? This is for my Denali 6.2L Whipple Build.


Thanks in advance

 

I'll shake my magic ball and find out.

To many variables if you ask me. Power can be boost dependent, timing dependent, fuel dependent, how good the tuner is and so many other things. I don't think anyone can just blurt out a number and say exactly what there is to expect.

Toss them on and throw it on the dyno and see what it does.

 

Where I am trying to go with this is if its worth the extra say 1-2 Grand on the really high end cylinder head companies for the cost of what I would gain over the PRC LS3 Ported heads. Texas Speed claims they gain 25hp over the stock 821/LS3 heads.

 

To me it would not be worth it to spend $1-2,000 more on just cylinder heads.

That's for a rich and people that like to gloat about stuff lol.

I have a $10,000 engine that makes 500hp, look at me.

 

If there ported LS3 heads gains 25 Hp over a stock casting with everything else the same, How much do you think you will gain by spending an extra 1000-1500??? They flow a little more but is it worth the the extra cost for what your doing??? If you gain an additional 10hp Vs the ported LS3 heads is that worth it??? How about 20hp??? 50HP???

Your more likely to find the limit of the stock bottom end.

 

I was looking into a LSX/LSNEXT setup a while back and I had a builder tell me not to touch the 6 bolt PRC heads that are actual PRC castings. He said any other 6 bolt head is better for holding boost.

Doesn't apply to your heads but It's something I was told.

 

Since we are in the forced induction section, I'll add a little something to the discussion.

While potential power (which is gonna be all over the board depending on mods) can be used to justify the expense, I believe there is another attribute aftermarket heads bring to the table and that is casting quality and deck thickness.

Obviously the weak link on all this ls stuff is the trying to keep the heads sealed up at higher cylinder pressures. Aftermarket castings typically will bring a much thicker deck to the table...which in my mind makes them important. The added power of a better flowing head is a secondary bonus.

 

I agree with Travis. Although I don't think OP is anywhere near that territory... it's all true.

 

While being Gorced induction you want to free up as much air flow as possible. With that being said do you have a cam to go with the blower? If not I would recommend calling Texas Speed or BTR and having them spec a Heads/Cam combo for your setup. With the correct combo for your Blower, Motor, and Exhaust setup you can see segnificant gains.

On my truck I went from H/C running a 228/232 with PRC 2.5 Heads and a 3200 stall making 370whp. I kept the heads, switched to a 229/248 cam and a 1900 CTVS Blower and put down 530 on a little 5.3L on 10psi.

With FI you want the least restriction possible letting the blower be as efficient as possible.

 

The truck currently has a VVT 223/227 .610 .613 LSA 113 cam in it and Texas speed has told me there was no reason to switch to a blower specific cam because this one performs well with FI