02ElectronZ06

Whats the best OEM cylinder head and why?

I am leaning towards the LS9 cylinder heads but just wanted to see what you guys thought. Would an LS3 cylinder head work just as well? I know the LS9 is cast from a superior metal and thats what keeps me wanting the LS9

rotary1307cc

iTrader: (5)

ls9/lsa

02ElectronZ06

is the LS9 superior to the LSA as I would assume?

rkreigh

I believe the LS9 has a bit better casting technology. better alloy and it's "spin casting" to reduce porosity and increase density

but the LSA heads are WAY cheaper and would work pretty well.

not so sure how much I like the "swirl bumps" in the ports but they probably don't hurt the flow all that much and increase the turbulence to get a more homegenous mixture.

the engineers know more than I do

transaman98

iTrader: (16)

LSA heads seem like the way to go as far as best bang for the buck. Supposedly the LSA heads utilize the "rotocast" technology and are much more dense of a material than LS3 heads. I read that they also have a thicker deck.

ramairroughneck

iTrader: (35)

I struggled with which heads to get. I priced out bare Lsa heads, valves, spring kit, and cnc porting, shipping back and forth, etc. In the end I decided to go with Texas Speed Prc Ls3 255s. I like the light hollow intake valve, .675 springs, heavy casting, thick deck, and the great flow numbers through a smaller than stock runner. I realize these forums favor trends and thet're not heavily used but I have no regrets. I'm sure theres a cheaper route I could've taken but cheap never works out for me.

02ElectronZ06

Price is always a factor. I would love the best bang for the buck but I'd the price difference is minimal for a tfs cylinder head vs a stock casting than I'll spend the extra coin. I found the ls9 heads for a good price. I was thinking of having them mildly cleaned up but that's about all.

gnx7

iTrader: (28)

LSA/LS9 heads are same rotocast castings. Less porosity with a thicker deck than LS3/L92 heads.

LS9 heads have titanium intake valves.
LSA heads sell for much cheaper as a result.

If you have the $..... the TFS LS3 heads are very very nice.

blake b

iTrader: (11)

LSA, LS9, and LS9 heads have the same deck thickness unless you go to the lsx versions. Louis at LG cut them apart and measured. They were in the .400 to .430 range. The LSA and LS9 are stronger though due to their rotocasting and better material.

I made 825whp with wcch l92s and > 1000whp with PRC 260s. Both on an ls3 engine.

Edit: he may not have cut an LS9 but he did cut an ls3 and lsa. I can't find the link at the moment but he posted it here on ls1tech

02ElectronZ06

I am leaning towards the LS9 heads but I will definitely look into the TFS LS3 heads as well as the Mast.