should i get my heads ported now?
08-27-2005, 08:31 PM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
should i get my heads ported now? im puttting headers on my car and was wondering if i should go ahead and take my heads off to port and polish them. is this something i should think about?and if it is how much sould i get them ported?thanks.
08-27-2005, 08:43 PM
#2
getting them ported will not help very much unless you plan to install a new camshaft as well. In fact porting your heads before you get a bigger can probably hurt you more than help you.... IE: less air in More air out..... it could reduce HP and Torque. porting can cost anywhere from 600-1500 dollars and can either be done by hand which is not always perfect port to port. or they can be CNC machined which will be much closer to spec port for port.
08-29-2005, 03:14 PM
#5
as taken from the "you wanna be fast post"
Heads and cams are like peas and carrots. They belong together, should be bought together, they rely on each other; so we will discuss them together.
In the beginning of this thread, we said the motor is a power-making air pump. Well, your heads and cam decide just how much air gets in, and how much gets out. Most often referred to as the heart of any race car, the head and cam selection is a huge factor in just how much power your pile is capable of making.
Just because you buy the biggest cam on the market, and the biggest-port highest-flowing heads on the market, does not mean that you will make a ton of power. It does not work like that. When purchasing a H/C package, you want a setup that is:
1. Matched to each other's strong points
2. Compensates for the weak points
3. Best suited for the displacement of your motor
1. Matched to each other's strong points:
Every head has its strong points and weak points. If you have a set of heads that flows particularly well on the intake side, then your cam selection should take that into account. If it has excellent port velocity, then your cam should again be geared to exploit that. For example, if your heads make the best flow at higher lift, then your cam should have the lift numbers to get it there.
2. Compensates for the weak points:
Like the strong points, every set of heads have its weak points. It is my belief that the cam should compensate for the shortcomings in your heads (since cams cost less). For instance, if your heads do not flow as well on the exhaust side, you may want to consider a cam that has a longer exhaust duration, to allow more time for the waste gasses to escape.
3. is Best suited for the displacement of your motor:
If you go out and purchase the biggest-port highest-flowing heads, and the most monstrous cam you can find, and slap it on your stock 346, what will you have? The baddest, fastest 346 this side of the Pecos, right, buddy? WRONG... you will have a over-priced, under-thought pile, that won't hold an idle, falls on its face, and never makes power in any usable power band. Good luck with that... What you want, is the highest-flowing smallest-port heads suited for your cubes, and a cam that makes the very most out of them.
I will not get vendor-specific. The choice, in the end, is still yours. I would advise that you ask a ton of questions, to a ton of sponsors, and go with the one that has the best results on hand, is willing to be up front and answer your questions, and puts technical information in words you can understand and will help you match a cam for your needs.
Heads and cams are like peas and carrots. They belong together, should be bought together, they rely on each other; so we will discuss them together.
In the beginning of this thread, we said the motor is a power-making air pump. Well, your heads and cam decide just how much air gets in, and how much gets out. Most often referred to as the heart of any race car, the head and cam selection is a huge factor in just how much power your pile is capable of making.
Just because you buy the biggest cam on the market, and the biggest-port highest-flowing heads on the market, does not mean that you will make a ton of power. It does not work like that. When purchasing a H/C package, you want a setup that is:
1. Matched to each other's strong points
2. Compensates for the weak points
3. Best suited for the displacement of your motor
1. Matched to each other's strong points:
Every head has its strong points and weak points. If you have a set of heads that flows particularly well on the intake side, then your cam selection should take that into account. If it has excellent port velocity, then your cam should again be geared to exploit that. For example, if your heads make the best flow at higher lift, then your cam should have the lift numbers to get it there.
2. Compensates for the weak points:
Like the strong points, every set of heads have its weak points. It is my belief that the cam should compensate for the shortcomings in your heads (since cams cost less). For instance, if your heads do not flow as well on the exhaust side, you may want to consider a cam that has a longer exhaust duration, to allow more time for the waste gasses to escape.
3. is Best suited for the displacement of your motor:
If you go out and purchase the biggest-port highest-flowing heads, and the most monstrous cam you can find, and slap it on your stock 346, what will you have? The baddest, fastest 346 this side of the Pecos, right, buddy? WRONG... you will have a over-priced, under-thought pile, that won't hold an idle, falls on its face, and never makes power in any usable power band. Good luck with that... What you want, is the highest-flowing smallest-port heads suited for your cubes, and a cam that makes the very most out of them.
I will not get vendor-specific. The choice, in the end, is still yours. I would advise that you ask a ton of questions, to a ton of sponsors, and go with the one that has the best results on hand, is willing to be up front and answer your questions, and puts technical information in words you can understand and will help you match a cam for your needs.
