Stage I vs II vs diff porters
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 325
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From: San Luis Obispo, Ca
Stage I vs II vs diff porters All this talk about cams and such, felt the heads needed some clearing up. Have a few questions and would like some ideas of a good setup for my car. First of all the car is a daily driver and should be fairly reliable, I have a pretty high tolerance for bad driveability though. Im looking at building the car with a heads/cam setup, FLP IV trans, moser 12 bolt rear, ls6 intake, and tuning. Car rarely(never) goes to the track, but races on the street weekly. Im shooting for about 400-410 rwhp and around mid to low 11's in 1/4 mile. Questions on heads/cam:
1. What is the track and/or dyno difference between most stage 1 and stage 2 ls1 heads?
2. I don't have a ton of $ to spend on this setup, but why is it that cartech makes stage II heads that cost under 2k, and other porters stage II heads are nearing 3k?
3. Are there really any differences power wise from porter to porter? I see people on here always shitting on other peoples setups for whatever reason..is there really a big diff?
4. Im looking at either the TR 224 or MTI hammer cam, is it better to match up the porters heads with one of their cams (mti cam + mti heads, etc) to make a well matched setup?
Thanks for reading/replying, greatly appreciated.
-dan
1. What is the track and/or dyno difference between most stage 1 and stage 2 ls1 heads?
2. I don't have a ton of $ to spend on this setup, but why is it that cartech makes stage II heads that cost under 2k, and other porters stage II heads are nearing 3k?
3. Are there really any differences power wise from porter to porter? I see people on here always shitting on other peoples setups for whatever reason..is there really a big diff?
4. Im looking at either the TR 224 or MTI hammer cam, is it better to match up the porters heads with one of their cams (mti cam + mti heads, etc) to make a well matched setup?
Thanks for reading/replying, greatly appreciated.
-dan
Re: Stage I vs II vs diff porters 1. From a consistent head porting shop, expect 10-15 rwhp differences between their stage 1 and stage 2 head setups. This is for a 346ci motor.
2. When you compare heads from various shops, just throw out the entire "Stage X" branding and just compare the hardware used and the size of the valves used. Stock valve seats can only handle up to a 2.02" intake valve and a 1.55" exhaust valve (correctly anyways) and if you see that the heads you are looking at have larger valves, that means the stock valve seats were machined out and new ones pressed in and port-matched. Alot more labor involved there. Also take note if the springs are dual-springs or single springs, and if any custom components are used. Also consider if there are any included warranties, as these are absorbed in the final pricing.
3. Yes there are differences from porter to porter. Every good hand porter has his own methods, level of precison, repeatability, and attention to detail. Some shops produce heads that are outstanding on every other pair, and some shops are more consistent than others.
4. It is always a good idea to match cams/heads from the same manufacturer. They have a very good grasp of what cams work well with their heads. But, if you already have the camshaft picked out, a porter can alter the heads to cater to the specs you are requiring.
Tony
2. When you compare heads from various shops, just throw out the entire "Stage X" branding and just compare the hardware used and the size of the valves used. Stock valve seats can only handle up to a 2.02" intake valve and a 1.55" exhaust valve (correctly anyways) and if you see that the heads you are looking at have larger valves, that means the stock valve seats were machined out and new ones pressed in and port-matched. Alot more labor involved there. Also take note if the springs are dual-springs or single springs, and if any custom components are used. Also consider if there are any included warranties, as these are absorbed in the final pricing.
3. Yes there are differences from porter to porter. Every good hand porter has his own methods, level of precison, repeatability, and attention to detail. Some shops produce heads that are outstanding on every other pair, and some shops are more consistent than others.
4. It is always a good idea to match cams/heads from the same manufacturer. They have a very good grasp of what cams work well with their heads. But, if you already have the camshaft picked out, a porter can alter the heads to cater to the specs you are requiring.
Tony
