20 psi 402ci - TFS 225 or 235 Heads – Head Gasket Implication
08-16-2024, 01:43 PM
#1
20 psi 402ci - TFS 225 or 235 Heads – Head Gasket Implication TL;DR If you were wanting to eventually max out an F1A-94 Procharger, on a 4.005” bore, would you rather sacrifice ~4% in power and have a TFS 225 head running LS9 gasket, or TFS 235 running an LS7 like gasket.
I’ve got a set of AFR 225’s (62cc chamber) on a 402 putting me at about an 11.2 CR. I’m generally uncomfortable with these heads for running a lot of boost. They’ve been milled a lot, which kinda sacrifices the deck thickness benefit, and even with E85, that CR feels a bit sporty to me for eventual 15-20 psi in a street car. I would prefer something around 10.5 I think. And I coincidentally have a lifter I think that failed or at least got loud on the 1st start with these heads, so they probably have to come off anyways.
I had my heart set on a set of TFS 235’s with 70cc chambers, but I’ve learned that you probably can’t run LS9 gaskets with these which feels like a real blow. The LS9 gasket diameter is 4.100 and TFS says to run a 4.130 gasket. I’ve heard people recommend the LS7 gasket, but going from a 7 layer MLS to a 3 layer (that also blocks off a few coolant holes) seems like a bad idea if the goal is to run more boost. And the cometic gasket reviews are all over the board. I’d say 50% of posts mentioning them call them garbage though a lot of that is from the LS1tech heyday from say 2006-2014, so maybe they’ve changed something. Anyways, as much as I hate to spend nearly the same money on a 'lesser' product, I'm actually wondering if the Trickflow 225 would be a better overall solution due to head gasket options.
I’ve got a set of AFR 225’s (62cc chamber) on a 402 putting me at about an 11.2 CR. I’m generally uncomfortable with these heads for running a lot of boost. They’ve been milled a lot, which kinda sacrifices the deck thickness benefit, and even with E85, that CR feels a bit sporty to me for eventual 15-20 psi in a street car. I would prefer something around 10.5 I think. And I coincidentally have a lifter I think that failed or at least got loud on the 1st start with these heads, so they probably have to come off anyways.
I had my heart set on a set of TFS 235’s with 70cc chambers, but I’ve learned that you probably can’t run LS9 gaskets with these which feels like a real blow. The LS9 gasket diameter is 4.100 and TFS says to run a 4.130 gasket. I’ve heard people recommend the LS7 gasket, but going from a 7 layer MLS to a 3 layer (that also blocks off a few coolant holes) seems like a bad idea if the goal is to run more boost. And the cometic gasket reviews are all over the board. I’d say 50% of posts mentioning them call them garbage though a lot of that is from the LS1tech heyday from say 2006-2014, so maybe they’ve changed something. Anyways, as much as I hate to spend nearly the same money on a 'lesser' product, I'm actually wondering if the Trickflow 225 would be a better overall solution due to head gasket options.
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Jimbo1367 (08-23-2024)
