well im lookin into buyin some heads. and i figured instead of just buyin some 243s and gettin stainless steel valves and all that put on i might as well just buy a fully assembled set of heads. now my question to you is i see all kinds of flow numbers on heads. but the PRC LS6 heads and PRC 5.3 heads have good flow numbers for the intake side of the flow sheets but TEA heads and WCCH and AI heads all have about the same intake flow but the exhaust flow on their heads kill the PRC heads number wise. now i know with different set ups too much porting of a head can be bad cuz it does not match up to the rest of the engine. so how do you know what head is right for you to pick? people get back at me!

 

Nobody

 

Skip the heavy stainless valves if you can. They force you to run spring you wouldn't usually need. If you want hints to how well a head will work, ask for lift numbers all the way til the retainer hits the valve seal. You don't want to see them start to go down at .600 or .700. That means the port is turbulent. If the shape is right you won't see it until .800 or even .900. Especially with the 243's. Those are easy. If they have a 243 port that stalls before .700, they suck. Period. Another indicator would be flow numbers at 14 inches, 28 inches, and ask for flow numbers at around 40 inches. If they can't provide you with those things, move on.

As far as exhaust flow.. it's nice but it's not everything. A 28" 1 3/4 diameter header primary is only going to be able to move about 200 cfm anyway as the gases come back to normal temperatures. It really depends on your combo. With a single pattern cam though you will probably want to help the exhaust with the better number heads.

I do like the TEA's.

 

You can't really go wrong with any of the budget heads out there. The PRC's look like a good deal. So do the Patriot LS6 heads.

At that point you are splitting hairs. Also look in the dyno section at different heads to compare.

 

If you can afford the aftermarket castings then by all means. A properly cnc ported 243 would be the best bang for your buck though.

 

im more just lookin for a good head for my setup than the best head out there since i dont need a max effort set of heads. this is my dd and just want it to run better. thats y i was askin is a head with really high flow numbers really needed for my setup cuz its pretty tame. and i dont plan on doin anything else to i after the heads. maybe a stock set of 243s is best? or just some very mildly ported heads?

 

Yeah, a good set of cnc 243's would be nice for a DD/Street car. You really cant argue with the upgrade in 20rwhp just in pure stock form. Or the fact that depending on who/where you get 243's from they may have the sodium filled hollow lightweights.

 

Keep in mind the reason TSP exhaust port numbers look less than the others is because we don't flow the exhaust with a tube on the end of the port. If we flow with a exhaust pipe it will flows a lot more.

Hope that helps.