When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have pretty much made up my mind on getting the AI TFS 230 heads, but I'm curious if the Mast 225 heads with 11° valve angles would be worth the extra $700ish.
I'm going to going flex fuel\E54, so I want more compression, thus the 13.5° or 11° heads.
Sorry.. Mast 225 heads, not Dart.
Last edited by FCar2000TA; 11-27-2018 at 11:23 AM.
No cam yet. The cam will be spec'd after the heads. Probably somewhere around 228/230 115LSA. It will depend on 13.5° valves vs 11° and how much compression I can run and still be able to safely drive on 91 Octane if I have too.
I guess I am mostly curious if the ability to have a larger cam with 11° valves is worth an extra $700ish for the heads. Mast 225s are about $700 more than AI TFS 230s. I am pretty sure that Mast 240 LS3s are too big for a DD LS1.
Ported 243s heads done right will make a lot of power and retain high port velocity and make great power in NA applications. I would run AI or TEA 243s over dart heads any day. In fact I chose to run them over AFR and TFS as well. Not enough gains to be had to justify the cost. (Not to mention you would need roller rockers as well)
Now if you are running a lot of nitrous or boost I would opt for the aftermarket castings with thicker decks and ARP bolts to prevent any lifting of the head. If your NA or sub 200 nitrous shots, I'd stick with the 243 in regards to the 5.7L.
For a DD a 228/232 114 cam will drive nice and make great power and have a healthy idle. Should make great power from 3000-6500. Keep in mind your are limited in peak torque and HP RPM due to the runner design of the factory LS style manifolds. (This includes the Fasts)
You only need as much CFM as the engine demands. There is a formula provided by Darin Morgan to solve this and it's as follows:
((CID)(RPM)(.000978474))/(#ofcylinders) = minimum air needed/cyl.
Once you figure that out you get a head that meets those airflow requirements and does it while having the smallest ports possible with the proper port design to provide optimal power in your powerband.
For a DD a 228/232 114 cam will drive nice and make great power and have a healthy idle. Should make great power from 3000-6500. Keep in mind your are limited in peak torque and HP RPM due to the runner design of the factory LS style manifolds. (This includes the Fasts)
You only need as much CFM as the engine demands. There is a formula provided by Darin Morgan to solve this and it's as follows:
((CID)(RPM)(.000978474))/(#ofcylinders) = minimum air needed/cyl.
Once you figure that out you get a head that meets those airflow requirements and does it while having the smallest ports possible with the proper port design to provide optimal power in your powerband.
Mast 225s win based on that. They are within 10 CFM of the AI heads.
Last edited by FCar2000TA; 11-25-2018 at 09:12 PM.
The Mast heads appear to have more velocity at .1, .2, and .3. AI's TFS have more from .4 up. The Mast heads will have the ability to have more compression, or a larger cam due to 2.5° lower valve angle.
Still isn't looking like Mast is worth an extra $700.
Last edited by FCar2000TA; 11-26-2018 at 08:24 AM.
The LS3 intake can definitely flowed air very well in my testing. Darin Morgan's formula seems accurate based on my limited experiences with flow tests, rpm & hp.
I would want the 11 degree head. More cam clearance or slightly bigger valves or a little of both could be options.
With the Rick Crawford radius mod mod the LS3 intake can flow up to 92% of what the head can flow unrestricted by an intake manifold which is very good for a plastic manifold. On the same flow bench with a good set of cathedrals the best a Fast 102 LSXRT could flow with the cathedral head was 278 cfm which was 2-3 cfm over a stock LS3 intake.
The right small bore rectangular head with ~240 cc port could be pretty amazing. Brett at Land Speed Cylinder Heads did a tricked out runner LS3 and got 375+ cfm out of a ~240 cc runner
If budget allows let Darin Morgan at Reher-Morrison or Brett at Land Speed Cylinder Heads show those small bores some love!
BTW the SF1020 flow bench used for the testing tends to read lower than average but is exceptionally consistent & repeatable.
Last edited by 99 Black Bird T/A; 11-26-2018 at 02:42 PM.
certain TFS heads are designed around stock rockers
They aren't but it's really easy to make the stock pedestals/rockers work on the heads.
The only thing that keeps them from going on the TFS heads is the TFS head isn't machined for the little tab on the back of the OE pedestal. So if you just grind the tiny tab off they go on flush.
Unless TFS changed the heads in the last couple of years.
I am hoping to have the AI TFS heads milled as much as can be done without a negative effect on the quench area. The only time I will run 91 octane is if I am driving to another city, and can't get flex-fuel. I can always plan ahead for that.
11-24-2018, 10:34 PM
Advanced Induction 230cc TFS vs Dart 225cc inputs 
