1Fst98ta

I ordered a set of 98 style stg 2 heads for a very good price , But the 5.3 make more power because of the lower compression ... If i got the 5.3 i would need to spend about 450 extra bucks to get them ,Because for one i would need the new valve covers since i have a 98 and i would have to pay a core charge that i do not have to pay with the 98 style heads so are the 5.3's gonna be worth it to me , or are the numbers gonna be close enough where i shouldnt care ?

Taspeed

iTrader: (1)

well, since you have a 98 I am going to assume that you got 98 heads to put on it. so I can't see any real power increase with a 5.3 head if you had the stage 2's milled. If they aren't milled...all things given...the 5.3 will produce a better low end because of the compression. I'm not sure but the runners are with in 5cc of each other on these particular heads so the answer to your question depends on what exactly you got with the stage 2's. Milling, bigger valves, port work, etc....

Rich

foff667

iTrader: (2)

i went with 5.7's umilled...i was going with a large cam anywayz so the 5 or so hp extra that a bump in compression wouldve gotten me wasnt a big deal...and like you said i didnt wanna have to get the new valve covers and brackets for the coil packs.

1Fst98ta

I am comparing the 5.7l stg 2 absolute heads to the 5.3 stg 2 absolute heads , i think they both come unmilled

Taspeed

iTrader: (1)

Yeah..power difference will depend a lot on the specs of the cam you use. I used unmilled unported 5.7 heads on my car with an f1 cam and made 393 hp or something. I put a unmilled/unported 5.3 head with 2.02 intake valves and made 438hp. The numbers with the stock cam and same heads were marginal...not worth the justification of the head swap imo.

Rich

Steve Burger

iTrader: (33)

I got the 5.3 AS heads because I am running a .59x lift cam. I could get 11:1+ compression without milling the heads. With 5.7 heads and milling PV clearance would be iffy at best.

Hope this helps.

1Fst98ta

wonder how much of a difference it will make for me ... i am running the tr 224/224 112 lsa cam

Steve Burger

iTrader: (33)

How much lift?

1Fst98ta

I belive the lift is .563

1Fst98ta

ttttttttt

Hardtop00SS

iTrader: (17)

I'm in the same boat as you. I got a TR224/563/112 and I was wondering what kind of heads to go with. I was leaning more towards the 5.3 because people have been making decent power gains with these heads and the TR224 and the price is right also.

Robbie

Dave00C5

iTrader: (4)

I just installed a set of Patriot 5.3 stage 2's tonight on my car. I have a comp 224/224 581 581 XER on a 114. After taking it out for a ride these heads have definately stepped up the performance over the high dollar gtp's i removed. All else the same these heads make it pull like a freight train. Give Texas Speed a call if your lookin for performance at a great price.

BoneSS

iTrader: (9)

I am debating 5.3 or 5.7 S2 heads also for my 98. The way I look at it, with the automatic and the stall I have now, I won't be able to go too aggressive with a cam in the future, and might upgrade the one I have now to something maybe like a 228, so I would be able to get the 5.7's milled, and not have to worry about the valve covers and coil pack brackets.

Dave00C5

iTrader: (4)

With a 98 that is your best bet.

smazman

Not to steal your thread but I have a 99 Corvette and was wondering pretty much the same thing. I will be installing a 228/228 cam and want to do heads at the same time. Should I go with LS6 Stage 2 or 5.3liter heads?

Thanks,

Sam Mazman

TeeKay

Let me just say this about that (after 30 some-odd years of making dumb mistakes). If you have yards of money, go for the most performance you can buy, damn the cost. If you're like most of us, bang for the buck is where it's at. Since you didn't say how your use your car (street, street/strip, mostly strip), I'm gonna assume that you want a strong street car with an occasional track blast. Going from stock heads to any kind of stage heads (H/C package), you are going to see some good power increase. Do you think that it's worth $450 + core to get another maybe 25-30 hp over the less expensive heads OR would $450 buy you some really effective bolt-ons to complement the new H/C package and maybe get nearly the same? My choice has been to go with the less expensive parts and try to add more "stuff" that complements the change (LT's for instance).

My point is that if you try to match components from the filter to the exhaust tips, you will get better overall results than if you buy the top of the line something and don't put in supporting mods. IOW, the heads might be killer, but stock everthing else won't let them work to best potential. If it were me, I would be super happy to have a really good set of heads for so much less than the "killer" set. My advice is not to agonize, you done gud! HTH