pbjones81

I have a 99 trans am, pretty much stock. Ive limited it down to two sets of heads. the Patriot LS6 Stage II. or a set that an individual is selling. they are MTI stage IIs, he says they are about 3 years old with approx 10k miles.

I dont know anything about what to look for in a good set of heads. this is all the information I have about the MTIs from what he told me.

2.055 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves, 941 springs, ti-retainers

just got them flowed on a 3.900 bore (whats this mean?)

Lift Intake Exhaust
.100 73.5 52.6
.200 147.0 105.1
.300 204.7 145.8
.400 248.7 179.6
.500 282.9 203.3
.600 305.5 216.9

without considering price and the debate about the good/bad quality of patriot heads....which would be a better head for me?which one would perform better? and how much better? thanks

gomer

iTrader: (13)

MTI produces some excellent heads. BUT, there has been some great advances in the past three years. I would never buy a set of heads that were ported 3 years ago.

Scalpel

iTrader: (4)

MTI, those heads flow very well.

1QWIKZ

iTrader: (6)

i am sure those 3 year old heads can still outflow the PP LS6 heads...well at least thats what i gather from the inconsistent flow #s PP puts out.

Inspector12

iTrader: (29)

Don't be afraid of those heads they flow very well. Besides take them to the track and see how they perform ETC... I would still think the MTI heads are a better set for the money for sure. Of course I am just assuming you are getting a good deal on them. YOu will be fine either way I believe.

racrx

mti...no comparison

Mike98WS6

iTrader: (5)

MTI makes good stuff. But don't count out the PP LS6's. They flow well.

pbjones81

point taken. but if i may ask, gomer said he would never buy a set that was ported 3 years ago. is this because of the TECHNIQUE they used 3 years ago or is it because they just wear out after 3 years of use and lose their effectiveness? and if its the latter, what makes a set of heads lose their "flowability" (if thats even a word )?

is it from carbon buildup or something? and is this something that can be fixed if I were to send them back to MTI for a freshen up? maybe have them re-polish them or whatever?

by the way..inspector, your location says pearland, is that pearland tx? by houston? if so, i drove there to buy my first f-body. nice place.

SSideExhLS1

iTrader: (1)

even if theyre used...absolutely no comparison!!!!!!!!

kumar75150

MTI for sure

Those flow damn well for 3 yr old heads.

mikemodano9c

how much is he asking for the mti heads?

pbjones81

in response to this quote, im still wondering something that hasnt yet been answered, how does usage lower the flow rate over time???? i mean, why would they lose any of their effectiveness over 3 years? im still confused over this.

thanks

onyxxtreme

iTrader: (4)

usage shouldnt lower the flow rate over time, unless you have some REALLY NASTY carbon buildup. Maybe the springs might be wore out, and they probably are. That would decrease performance, possibly
if they flow what he says they flow, get em. I'de take a set of MTI's anyday, over my Patriots

Evo98z

MTI...period. If it were me, I would take the heads to MTI and have them work on them a little bit (if they could improve them, which I am sure they can)

I am going with MTI. MTI has been around for awhile and there heads have more then proved themselves.

99BackNBlackZ28

iTrader: (5)

No question, MTI. I wouldn't use Patriot (again) if they were given to me for free.

mikemodano9c

i actually think i would lean towards the patriot ls6 style...

again...price would make the final determination...

i would pay 1200 max for the mti heads, since i would change the springs...

what cam are you going with?

Mike K.

Those heads flow pretty good, I say MTI do you know what cc the intake runner is?

pbjones81

he said it was stock size


i dont know what cam im going to get yet, since I havent had a chance to decide which heads i want to go with for sure. i know mti is very high quality and known to be very good, but at the same time i would love to have a set of LS6 heads and patriot has the deal (moneywise) on those, i just hear all kinds of mixed results about patriot. one minute i hear they are the best flowing head and everyone at the track is kicking *** with them, and then the next thread i read, everyone is saying all of these problems they have with them and how low flow numbers they are experiencing (although i cant say that i have seen a bad post about patriot within the last month, have the circumstances improved? or is everyone just tired of beating a dead horse? )......

Cheatin' Chad

iTrader: (3)

I f they are ported they are larger than stock. While porting a head you remove material. This will increase the volume (usually regarded in CCs) of the intake and exhaust runners.

NataSS Inc

iTrader: (9)

I have had my MTI stage 2R LS6 heads for close to 2 years or more. And they still out flow just about any head available. 317 @ .600 (independantly tested). I am not waving any flags for MTI but they do make a VERY good head. They have been in the LS1 arena since DAY 1. I have beat these heads into the DIRT with the kind of racing I do and they keep asking for more. You cant ask to stress an engine part out more than with road racing and open road racing.

Time will not decrease the flow of the heads. And even if there was any buildup on the heads I would ASSUME that before you bolted them on you would have them thoroughly cleaned. I would pay a hell of alot more than the 1200 said above for the MTI heads EVEN if you had to swap the springs. Whats a set of springs 100-200 bones? To give you an idea I am considering selling mine, I wont take anything less than 2500, possibly even more.