Yelo

LS1 and LM7 heads ARE NOT LQ4 heads.....the 317 and 873 casting LQ4's will outflow BOTH of those heads by a good margin.....and the BEST price I have seen on a set of aluminum LQ4 heads is $399

while I agree that the for all-out performance the aluminum heads are the way to go I am looking for middle-of-the-road decent performance at a good price.....and since I ALREADY OWN a set of the Iron heads and KNOW what they are capable of I feel that the extra money necessary to buy the aluminum heads isn't money well spent

if you look at all the factors combined you will hopefully see why....In no particular order those factors are:

1. the tranny I have (4L80-E) is only rated to 5200rpm by GM, I spin to 5500rpm max as a rule....which is already above the stock rating, so why would I want a head that is only better above that RPM range ???

2. I have built 3 500+hp small-blocks using iron heads.....my last truck was a 380hp TBI with IRON Vortec heads (I't didn't have the TBI at that point..it was port injection)

3. cost.....I would rather put the money into a cam and springs because until someone can prove to me there is ANY difference between the two heads in the RPM range I plan on using them in I will stick with my choice. I am also not woried about heat dissapation......I can keep detonation away with iron heads just as easily as with aluminum heads (especially when the chambers are polished to prevent hot spots). I just don't thing that for my application the "benefits" of the aluminum heads are worth the money

4. longevity.....face it guys, cast iron is STRONGER than aluminum, it's a basic fact of metalurgy and ther ain't a damn thing anyone can do to change that (even heat-treated hardened aluminum is weaker than as-cast iron

5. weight.....do you really think I care about an extra 100lbs on the front-end of my truck ??


I'll tell ya'll what....if someone want's to GIVE me a set of aluminum 317's I will test them side by side with the iron 873's....if there is a verifiable DYNO PROVEN difference I will then PAY that person market value for the aluminum heads and FOREVER HOLD MY PEACE !!!, if thhere is no difference in the rpm range that I will normally use them.....you're out a set of heads and I'll still use them cause they will be FREE

ANY TAKERS ??????

Yelo

That is EXACTLY what I am tring to achieve...it takes ALOT of torque to get a 5660lb truck up to speed in a hurry, above 5500rpm I could care less how the heads react....

all of you guys with RCSB street-only trucks tend to forget that there are some of us on here that have the bigger trucks that we want to make go fast too.....it takes alot less torque to make 4300lbs go 0-60mph than it does to make 5600lbs go 0-60mph, and if iron heads are better for torque production (and it has been proven repeatedly that they are) then that is they way I am gonna go !!!

Deckhand

iTrader: (1)

I use titanium heads

Slowverado

ok,this is the last thing i have to say about it. if iron heads were better they would be on all forms of extreme motor vehicles....but they are not ALL forms of heavy torture, HIGH performance vehicle have alum heads. that's from TOP FUEL DRAGSTERS, to NASCAR 800rwhp small block motors, baja motors, rally motors. but if you want iron then that's your deal. sounds like you weren't looking for info at all in this thread, sounds like you already had your mind made up.

Keith

No kidding he already had his mind made up.
Look at his first post. It was to just get people going about Iron vs. Aluminum.

Unless I am misreading something

Yelo

Listen Slow.....I normally like you and even defend you sometimes but I said at the beginning of this whole thread that " I'm just trying to cause trouble here"....not "I'm looking for advice here"

I NEVER said that aluminum heads were WORST than iron ones !!!!!, what I am saying is that FOR MY APPLICATION the iron heads are the ones that I will choose !!!!!

If aluminum is so freakin' wonderful....WHY THE HELL DID IT TAKE 50 ******' YEARS TO MAKE IT STANDARD IN AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTION ??

YES....aluminum has very real benefits, (weight reduction and heat dispersion), but if iron was so ******' awful it wouldn't have lasted as long as it has (you CAN STILL BUY high performance IRON cylinder heads from ALL MAJOR HEAD MANUFACTURERS !!!

AND...does ANYONE EVER WONDER why GM decided to put an IRON head on the '99-'00 6.0'S to begin with ????...it it possible that there was a GOOD REASON for that decision ????....given the similarities between the IRON LQ4 head and the LS6 head you would think that it would have been EASIER TO JUST INSTALL THE LS6 HEAD!!! , and since GM is known for taking the easy way out WHY THE **** GO THROUGH THE HASSLE OF DESIGNING A CAST IRON HEAD UNLESS THERE WAS A REASON !!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the shouting......as soon as someone has REAL PROOF that the there is a major performance difference between the aluminum and cast iron LQ4 heads I will gladly switch over to the aluminum heads.....until then, why don't some of you guys do some research on cast iron heads and learn about the benefits they have to offer

Slowverado

do you ever wonder why GM DECIDED TO TAKE THE IRON HEADS OFF THE 6.0????????????? duh dude, use your own logic. hell, if you look for logic in ANYTHING GM does then you're lost. like i said...the proof is in the pudding....ALL of the most high performing motors IN THE WORLD us Alum heads.

Yelo

I thought you said you were done commenting on this thread ??

And actually...GM HASN'T completely taken them off the 6.0, they are still used on FLEET 6.0's that are installed in trucks, vans and chassis-cabs designed for commercial use......you know, the ones designed to last 300,000 miles

BTW...did you know there supposedly are IRON 4.8/5.3 heads available too (at least according to web-sites that I have been reading....I've never actually seen them at all)

Deckhand

iTrader: (1)

i think you guys both have a point, .. i think dollar per HP ratio for the heads, the iron will win for its inexpensive cost and similar power with aluminum.


on the other hand, aluminum may make more power, (maybe not in yelos case), but its weight advantage im sure helps 1/4 drag racing times as well as heat efficientcy , etc.

then again, i really have no idea what im talking about, im just trying to get everyone to agree on somthing.

in serious racing, weight is a really big factor. and i think that aluminum has more potential for gaining extra power from porting/polising.

all in all , its up to you. if it was me, id rather have aluminum heads

Yelo

I've never tried to argue the Iron as a material vs. Aluminum as a material issue....what I am tring to argue here is the Iron LQ4 head vs. Aluminum LQ4 head issue.....both materials haver there ups and downs, I am just trying to compare supposedly identical heads of different materials