Why are AFR heads so expensive?
08-25-2011, 08:06 PM
#25
The title of this thread is the equivalent of the lob in volley ball you spike into the opposing field 
Why do AFR heads cost more....its a good question actually that's discussed here in detail on our site
http://www.airflowresearch.com/why_afr.php
But my summary of the answer is higher quality parts, higher quality aftermarket castings (made in the USA...not offshore garbage), higher quality machining, and a lifetime warranty....the only company I know in the cylinder head business willing to stick their neck out with that.
Not to mention top notch customer service from a company thats been in business since 1972....owners of some of our competitor's company's weren't even born yet.....LOL
And everything I said isnt a bunch of lip service (keyboard service in this case).
Our American made castings have the thickest deck in the industry at .750 thick
Our Valvejob machine is literally a very expensive dedicated CNC machine that specializes in valvejobs only that costs quadruple what you see in most cylinder head shops (even some of the larger aftermarket shops)....how that benefits you is clean crisp valvejobs that aid flow and seal up right out of the box....perfect concentricity every time (a problem that plagues many of our competitor's heads)
We have extremely expensive diamond guide reamers that hone every guide perfectly to size on the CNC machine....no human beings involved after the fact honing guides by hand....not the case with all of the aftermarket budget heads. In fact I've seen a very popular big name "budget head" brand new right out of the box (customer wanted me to flow it) that had guide clearance as loose as .004 on every hole.....essentially the guides were already wasted before these heads were even bolted to an engine (for those that dont have a reference point, .004 clearance on an 8mm valve feels very loose and sloppy, like a high mileage worn out guide....our spec is a third of that and even tenths make a difference in how loose or tight a guide is)
I could go on and on but I dont want to sound like an AFR infomercial.
The time and money invested on the R&D side, the Engineering and CNC side of the business.....its staggering, and you want to know the real trick.....once you spend a retarded amount of time and money to get a single program that kicks azz....what's involved in repeating those results to the general public time and time again so you dont have to take a phone call from a customer who checks your product independently and finds its down 25+ CFM from advertised. And btw, we also guarantee our flow numbers within 2% of what we claim....another AFR perk most companies wouldn't want to touch for the liability involved. We stand behind our product bigtime
This is the type pf work you get out of the box.....if your CNC porting, valvejob, and transitions into an out of both look like this and you didn't spend a good chunk of change then God bless you!! (this happens to be a 23' SBC but our LS stuff looks just as purty I assure you).
The bottom line is you almost have to be a cylinder head expert or an engine shop that sees alot of heads to really appreciate the type of product AFR puts out....there are so many clearances and dimensions you guys wouldn't even consider or think about that separates a really good head from an average or below average head. The gains in airflow and efficiency are just scratching the surface.....
Cheers,
Tony
Why do AFR heads cost more....its a good question actually that's discussed here in detail on our site
http://www.airflowresearch.com/why_afr.php
But my summary of the answer is higher quality parts, higher quality aftermarket castings (made in the USA...not offshore garbage), higher quality machining, and a lifetime warranty....the only company I know in the cylinder head business willing to stick their neck out with that.
Not to mention top notch customer service from a company thats been in business since 1972....owners of some of our competitor's company's weren't even born yet.....LOL
And everything I said isnt a bunch of lip service (keyboard service in this case).
Our American made castings have the thickest deck in the industry at .750 thick
Our Valvejob machine is literally a very expensive dedicated CNC machine that specializes in valvejobs only that costs quadruple what you see in most cylinder head shops (even some of the larger aftermarket shops)....how that benefits you is clean crisp valvejobs that aid flow and seal up right out of the box....perfect concentricity every time (a problem that plagues many of our competitor's heads)
We have extremely expensive diamond guide reamers that hone every guide perfectly to size on the CNC machine....no human beings involved after the fact honing guides by hand....not the case with all of the aftermarket budget heads. In fact I've seen a very popular big name "budget head" brand new right out of the box (customer wanted me to flow it) that had guide clearance as loose as .004 on every hole.....essentially the guides were already wasted before these heads were even bolted to an engine (for those that dont have a reference point, .004 clearance on an 8mm valve feels very loose and sloppy, like a high mileage worn out guide....our spec is a third of that and even tenths make a difference in how loose or tight a guide is)
I could go on and on but I dont want to sound like an AFR infomercial.
The time and money invested on the R&D side, the Engineering and CNC side of the business.....its staggering, and you want to know the real trick.....once you spend a retarded amount of time and money to get a single program that kicks azz....what's involved in repeating those results to the general public time and time again so you dont have to take a phone call from a customer who checks your product independently and finds its down 25+ CFM from advertised. And btw, we also guarantee our flow numbers within 2% of what we claim....another AFR perk most companies wouldn't want to touch for the liability involved. We stand behind our product bigtime
This is the type pf work you get out of the box.....if your CNC porting, valvejob, and transitions into an out of both look like this and you didn't spend a good chunk of change then God bless you!! (this happens to be a 23' SBC but our LS stuff looks just as purty I assure you).
The bottom line is you almost have to be a cylinder head expert or an engine shop that sees alot of heads to really appreciate the type of product AFR puts out....there are so many clearances and dimensions you guys wouldn't even consider or think about that separates a really good head from an average or below average head. The gains in airflow and efficiency are just scratching the surface.....
Cheers,
Tony
08-25-2011, 08:11 PM
#26
On The Tree
Well you need to get ahold of Tony Mamo he works for AFR and does great work on heads, i bought heads from him earlier this year i spent alot but it was well worth the money
08-26-2011, 08:59 AM
#32
Staging Lane
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i really appreciate the education i am getting, it looks like i was comparing apples to oranges, when i compare cnc machined heads to other cnc machined heads AFR is at least in the same ball park. i really only want to do this job one time and although i dont have any plans yet for forced induction it is a potential so AFR is starting to look more worth the money.
08-26-2011, 09:06 AM
#33
i really appreciate the education i am getting, it looks like i was comparing apples to oranges, when i compare cnc machined heads to other cnc machined heads AFR is at least in the same ball park. i really only want to do this job one time and although i dont have any plans yet for forced induction it is a potential so AFR is starting to look more worth the money.
08-27-2011, 08:12 AM
#36
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You have to run very lean in these economic times, and AFR is definitely one of those companies. :
:Jason
08-27-2011, 11:37 AM
#37
AFR heads are among the elite. The quality is top notch and they perform just like they are suppose too. I had some 5.3 heads ported by a vendor that no longer exists. I switched to AFR heads and they destroyed the 5.3's in every aspect.
And don't forget that Tony Mamo goes above and beyond. Super awesome guy willing to help anybody on here.
And don't forget that Tony Mamo goes above and beyond. Super awesome guy willing to help anybody on here.
08-27-2011, 10:38 PM
#39
Though I have yet to build my ls1.When I do ..it wont be a question of what brand heads I will use.I had a pair of AFR 195cc elims on my old 383 sbc with upgraded springs and I cant explain how nice they were.I felt almost guilty bolting them onto the motor because they were so perfect.I had aluminum l98 heads that were re-worked that couldnt hold a candle to the performance gains switching heads did for that motor.You get what you pay for is very true.
Can you save money and go with cheaper heads and make decent power,yes.If your chasing for every hp/tq that can be squeezed from your combo as efficiently as possible and still last a long time then AFR is for you.Plus its easily one of the few parts that can be resold for what you paid for it new.
Can you save money and go with cheaper heads and make decent power,yes.If your chasing for every hp/tq that can be squeezed from your combo as efficiently as possible and still last a long time then AFR is for you.Plus its easily one of the few parts that can be resold for what you paid for it new.
