New bullet for AFR 215 R&D
01-17-2010, 12:22 AM
#1
New bullet for AFR 215 R&D Well....
After more delays and push-backs than I care to count, AFR will finally be releasing its new 215cc cathedral head (more than likely a late Jan/early Feb product launch).
We are just waiting on our first pallet of "production" castings but we had received some test (sample) pieces about a month ago to inspect and sign off on and I managed to sneak a couple out the door to top off this LS2 stroker I had built specifically for this purpose that has been patiently awaiting their completion.
Major kudos must go out to the even more patient owner of the heads (and engine of course) who waited for this build longer than I care to share....but it was all for a worthy cause and we both knew gong in the timeline was "dicey" at best.....LOL
Needless to say, we are all very excited to see what type of power this package can muster.....the dyno date is set for this Thursday, January 21st (in what looks to be the wettest week on record in southern CA if the weathermen are right....hopefully they aren't).
Summary of the build....
In short, our goals were to maximize drivability and low/midrange torque as the previous stroker combination he owned was a bit aggressive with ported LS7 heads that yielded a curve that was just too soft down low at part throttle for his liking. This car was primarily a street toy and the nature/personality of his former package simply didn't make sense. I think I will always remember one of the first serious conversations we had about the new engine and his comment concerning his previous build (mind you this was still a 402 stroker) was "anything under 4000 RPM's and you had to call down to the engine room in advance"....classic line I tell you.
Anyway, this is the main reason we opted for the 215's versus a set of 225's (truth be told we were originally going with ported 205's). Of course for me, this type of project is right up my alley because its in line with what I typically build for myself and I always enjoy the challenge of trying to tweak as much power as I can from a very drivable user friendly combination. These types of builds require alot more thought and refinement (essentially hitting all the details) to produce big power. Smaller cams and smaller heads do wonders for the response Steve was looking for but make it less conducive for the engine to carry the torque which, multiplied by RPM, ultimately represents the power potential upstairs.
The key here however is the better, more efficient the cylinder head, the less cam you need to make big power which is one of the reasons you guys have seen our 205 (and my ported 205 combinations) do so well. In fact the curves they usually produce don't usually peak early at all, in spite of their smaller runner volume and modest peak numbers (300 CFM with out of the box 205's and 304 CFM or so with the ported 205's....of course a real-world 300 CFM mind you which is capable of more than most realize). The trick there is how explosive the curve is from the crack of the valve to peak (alot of area under the curve) and that combined with a lot of airspeed and charge inertia tends to pack the cylinder quite well.
Its this design strategy that I incorporated into the new 215 heads and I'm hoping to retain most of the "goodness" the 205's offer with a little more peak power potential from the slightly larger higher flowing runner. I also romanced/blueprinted these head as well, similar to how I have reworked the 205's for a handful of customers, focusing only on perfecting/optimizing them....not changing the design or adding volume. Being the creator of the prototype they were copied from affords me some luxuries and helps me to look for small details in a production part that can improve flow.
A quick rundown of the engine specs and I can fill in more of the blanks for you guys next time....For now I will provide some of the basic info I know you might inquire about.
Bore and Stroke 4.022 X 4 (407 CID)
Compression 11.5 to 1
Callies Compstar crank and rods / Wiseco pistons
Single pattern XER cam 242/242 on a 114 plus 3' (111 ICL)
"Mamofied" AFR 215 heads worth approx 6-8 CFM or so across the curve
FAST 92 that of course I ported....NW 90 mm TB for the dyno test
Yella Terra Ultralite rockers
Comp Cams 5/16 .080 wall pushrods
Here are some pics of the heads and engine going together....will follow up with more info as needed and of course post the dyno results shortly after. Hope you guys are having a good weekend
-Tony
After more delays and push-backs than I care to count, AFR will finally be releasing its new 215cc cathedral head (more than likely a late Jan/early Feb product launch).
We are just waiting on our first pallet of "production" castings but we had received some test (sample) pieces about a month ago to inspect and sign off on and I managed to sneak a couple out the door to top off this LS2 stroker I had built specifically for this purpose that has been patiently awaiting their completion.
Major kudos must go out to the even more patient owner of the heads (and engine of course) who waited for this build longer than I care to share....but it was all for a worthy cause and we both knew gong in the timeline was "dicey" at best.....LOL
Needless to say, we are all very excited to see what type of power this package can muster.....the dyno date is set for this Thursday, January 21st (in what looks to be the wettest week on record in southern CA if the weathermen are right....hopefully they aren't).
Summary of the build....
In short, our goals were to maximize drivability and low/midrange torque as the previous stroker combination he owned was a bit aggressive with ported LS7 heads that yielded a curve that was just too soft down low at part throttle for his liking. This car was primarily a street toy and the nature/personality of his former package simply didn't make sense. I think I will always remember one of the first serious conversations we had about the new engine and his comment concerning his previous build (mind you this was still a 402 stroker) was "anything under 4000 RPM's and you had to call down to the engine room in advance"....classic line I tell you.
Anyway, this is the main reason we opted for the 215's versus a set of 225's (truth be told we were originally going with ported 205's). Of course for me, this type of project is right up my alley because its in line with what I typically build for myself and I always enjoy the challenge of trying to tweak as much power as I can from a very drivable user friendly combination. These types of builds require alot more thought and refinement (essentially hitting all the details) to produce big power. Smaller cams and smaller heads do wonders for the response Steve was looking for but make it less conducive for the engine to carry the torque which, multiplied by RPM, ultimately represents the power potential upstairs.
The key here however is the better, more efficient the cylinder head, the less cam you need to make big power which is one of the reasons you guys have seen our 205 (and my ported 205 combinations) do so well. In fact the curves they usually produce don't usually peak early at all, in spite of their smaller runner volume and modest peak numbers (300 CFM with out of the box 205's and 304 CFM or so with the ported 205's....of course a real-world 300 CFM mind you which is capable of more than most realize). The trick there is how explosive the curve is from the crack of the valve to peak (alot of area under the curve) and that combined with a lot of airspeed and charge inertia tends to pack the cylinder quite well.
Its this design strategy that I incorporated into the new 215 heads and I'm hoping to retain most of the "goodness" the 205's offer with a little more peak power potential from the slightly larger higher flowing runner. I also romanced/blueprinted these head as well, similar to how I have reworked the 205's for a handful of customers, focusing only on perfecting/optimizing them....not changing the design or adding volume. Being the creator of the prototype they were copied from affords me some luxuries and helps me to look for small details in a production part that can improve flow.
A quick rundown of the engine specs and I can fill in more of the blanks for you guys next time....For now I will provide some of the basic info I know you might inquire about.
Bore and Stroke 4.022 X 4 (407 CID)
Compression 11.5 to 1
Callies Compstar crank and rods / Wiseco pistons
Single pattern XER cam 242/242 on a 114 plus 3' (111 ICL)
"Mamofied" AFR 215 heads worth approx 6-8 CFM or so across the curve
FAST 92 that of course I ported....NW 90 mm TB for the dyno test
Yella Terra Ultralite rockers
Comp Cams 5/16 .080 wall pushrods
Here are some pics of the heads and engine going together....will follow up with more info as needed and of course post the dyno results shortly after. Hope you guys are having a good weekend
-Tony
Last edited by Tony Mamo @ AFR; 01-17-2010 at 12:39 AM.
01-17-2010, 11:05 AM
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As the Owner of the incredibly gorgeous piece that Tony has masterfully assembled, I MUST give a shout out to Tony himself, and AFR as a company. He ALWAYS made himself available to answer ALL of my questions, and answer the same question on many different occasions. He is easy to talk with, and tells you want you NEED to hear, not what you want to hear. Getting to this point (engine complete, dyno day scheduled), has taken a VERY, VERY, VERY long time, as Tony stated above, much longer than either of us anticipated or care to think about. But, throughout that time frame, Tony was always there for me, always ready to do whatever I wanted (change direction if I wanted to), always there to listen to my persistent whining, non stop complaining, and just being a complete PITA. I am sure there were many times that Tony “secretly” wished he had turned me down as a customer. Heck, I may even be in his top 5 “Worst customers ever” 
, but he hung in there, and did his best to keep my attitude positive and understand the big picture.
And AFR, what can I say. They went out of their way to accommodate "little ‘ole me" when the pieces started coming together. I am just one single, insignificant peon in their great big world of customers, but I feel like part of their family now. They really did everything they could to help me out. I am excited, proud, and a little humbled to be a small part of showcasing AFR’s new 215 cathedral head. I cant tell you guys at just how anxious I am to see this thing on the dyno and be witness to the results. The cool thing about this whole “ordeal” is shortly after the engine dyno, the motor will be installed in my Z, and I will have chassis dyno results for everyone as well. Some damn good comparison data the most are not privilege to.
Anyway, just wanted to publicly thank Tony for EVERYTHING he has done for me these past months and months and months and months. He started off as just a guy on the other end of the phone giving me advice, to not only becoming my engine builder, but has become someone that I can honestly call my friend.
An amazing journey to say the least.
Stay tuned for the engine dyno results, there will be more pics and vids!!!
Steve
, but he hung in there, and did his best to keep my attitude positive and understand the big picture.And AFR, what can I say. They went out of their way to accommodate "little ‘ole me" when the pieces started coming together. I am just one single, insignificant peon in their great big world of customers, but I feel like part of their family now. They really did everything they could to help me out. I am excited, proud, and a little humbled to be a small part of showcasing AFR’s new 215 cathedral head. I cant tell you guys at just how anxious I am to see this thing on the dyno and be witness to the results. The cool thing about this whole “ordeal” is shortly after the engine dyno, the motor will be installed in my Z, and I will have chassis dyno results for everyone as well. Some damn good comparison data the most are not privilege to.
Anyway, just wanted to publicly thank Tony for EVERYTHING he has done for me these past months and months and months and months. He started off as just a guy on the other end of the phone giving me advice, to not only becoming my engine builder, but has become someone that I can honestly call my friend.
An amazing journey to say the least.Stay tuned for the engine dyno results, there will be more pics and vids!!!
Steve
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01-17-2010, 01:06 PM
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Subscribing - so what do I have to do to arrange a ride in the finished product? This build sounds exactly like what I want to do a little on down the road. I've been a huge fan of Tony's work for quite some time...can't wait to see the results.
01-17-2010, 01:11 PM
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01-17-2010, 01:15 PM
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Hey Steve, glad to see this project finally coming to completion. I am very excited to see what these "mamofied 215's that flow 6-8 cfm more across the board" can do. I'm sure they are going to be bad *** !!! Best of luck hitting 550+ rwhp bro, but I somehow don't think luck will have anything to do with it. Optimized setups make a decent amount power more then these thrown together builds. You should be very happy when all is said and done.
On a side note, with your ls2 block being bored to 4.022, how much room is left for future rebuilds? What size int/exh valves are being utilized ? How do the XER lobes compare to LSL lobes?
Great job on the build and the write up Tony !!! ----> (As usual)
On a side note, with your ls2 block being bored to 4.022, how much room is left for future rebuilds? What size int/exh valves are being utilized ? How do the XER lobes compare to LSL lobes?
Great job on the build and the write up Tony !!! ----> (As usual)
Re: bore size - not at all concerned with "future builds" using this block. IF I ever get the notion to do something else (who am I kidding, the notion is always there - it's the wife's approval I need LOL!) I will prolly go with something that is LS7 based.
Cant help ya with the cam comparison, dont know anything about XER vs LSL, just went with Tony's suggestion based on what kind of performance I was asking of him.
01-17-2010, 01:28 PM
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01-17-2010, 08:48 PM
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I also would like to thank Tony on a job well done and Looking forward to the dyno results.
Since steve blames me for the journey of owning a corvette, I still say its the best purchase he ever made. You guys only know the heart beat of this project and not the rest of the details. It is going to one bad **** and I looking forward to help assisting, plus comparing the old combo to the new.
Congradulations Steve been a long time coming and I am glad your bringing your dream into reality.
Since steve blames me for the journey of owning a corvette, I still say its the best purchase he ever made. You guys only know the heart beat of this project and not the rest of the details. It is going to one bad **** and I looking forward to help assisting, plus comparing the old combo to the new.
Congradulations Steve been a long time coming and I am glad your bringing your dream into reality.
01-18-2010, 01:57 PM
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Did I miss something? Do the 215's come in a large bore (4.00) and a small bore (3.903) version? I know that the 225's are compatible with the LS1/LS6 small bore blocks.