Guys I've had a set of AFR's (205's milled 59cc) on my car now for a couple of months, and I just wanted to say that i'm yet another satisfied customer. The amount of power I got from a H/C swap is amazing... the amount of torque these things produce is insane. The quality is nothing short of perfection.

I used to work at RKSport a couple years back when I first started talking to Tony about his heads... just like most people, money was a little tight and it's taken me a couple years till I could afford a set. But what do ya know... my engine took a dump and it was time for some upgrades

With a lot of help from my local LSX shop Cunningham Motorsports (CMS - a sponser here). My new engine with the new power adders was astonishing... creating reliable power with a tap of the throttle

My main mods are in my sig, for those of you interested...

I just wanted to share how pleased I am with the QC of the AFR lineup and hope that when it comes time to purchase a set of heads many of you will give em a shot at your business

 

Might find numbers there.

Glad to hear you are happy.

 

I have a set waiting to go in to

 

AFR heads are amazing.

 

They are quality heads.

 

Do you think you would have made a faster car by going with PRC heads and a fast 92/92 setup for roughly the same cost?

Not putting anything at all down but im wondering your thoughts are on the subject. Cause im on the fence

 

I have no information on the AFR LSX heads but those for the SBC and LT1 motors are phenominal. They have to be the best out of the box heads available for the older style SBC's.

 

PRC Heads? - NO
Although they are a great set of heads, one of the main differences is AFR does their own casting. The PRC heads if I'm not mistaken are basically reworked GM LS6 heads... Because of this the AFR's have a larger deck, which is a nice thing to have. The AFR's are proven over and over, and you just can't go wrong...

Fast 92/92 - Yes
The Fast, as of now is probably the best Intake Manifold on the market. However we have yet to see what the new Street Warrior Weiand will perform like... Even though I might pick up a few HP with the Fast 92/92 setup, I am strongly against paying $1300-1400 for it... I think it's an absolute absurd price and they can keep that piece of golden plastic...


I'm guessing that combination above would have been roughly the same cost as my current combination... But I find the heads to be a much more integral part of the engine than the intake manifold... the Intake manifold is much easier to swap if I ever want to upgrade.

 

agreed, great heads.

 

I beleive in the old saying "you get what you pay for".

 

I'm gonna have to go ahead and respectively disagree with everyone in this thread, minus "kingsey", cuz I think he raises a valid point.

I will not doubt say that AFR is a good, quality product.

But from a numbers standpoint, and again, I'm not saying this to be an *** or talk trash, but with more cubes and AFR heads, you're making about 17 RHWP more than me, and I'm on stock bottom end and even on stock (LS6) intake.

I think matching the cam, CR, valve sizes, spring, etc. for the right setup is far more important than the actual brand/cast of the head.

From a durability standpoint and certainly from a quality standpoint, I will agree that the AFR head is superior. However, the craftsmanship and affordability, as well as the results, on a ported 243 head is certainly the better "bang for the buck".

You say that the heads are a more integral part of the top end, however I think EVERYTHING needs to be considered equally when creating a build in order to create a particular flow for the motor. I also decided to skip on the FAST 92/92 setup, but I did so cuz I'm very conservative, as the biggest gains with the FAST are generally seen in the high RPM range as the motor starts to get "choked" and it needs more flow. I didn't want to spin my shortblock higher than 6500 RPM. I have also seen the FAST setup kill some torque while boosting HP.

Regardless, it is a fact that aftermarket castings provide more HP.... However, I'm not sold that is significantly more to merit their price over a ported stock-cast.

 

I'm on a stock bottom end as well, along with a VERY conservative safe tune... I have MUCH more power available with my setup than as it is of now, but I just haven't gotten around to "topping it out" because I've been busy with other things going on in my life as of now and honestly am out of money at this point ... also, even though I have more cubes going on, we are talking what.... 18 more cubes? I don't think that's that much of a difference... i'm sure it helps some, but not a lot... now if it were a 402... different story

ABSOLUTELY!!! I guess, what I meant was, the heads are one part you don't wanna skimp out on unless you plan on spending even more money down the line for the additional HP your looking for that you left on the table before...

And that's why I made this thread, to give my honest opinion of how I feel about the AFR Product line... whether it helps you later down the road or not when it's time for you to pick up a set of heads, I hope it helps, but if not, then good luck in your build with whatever you decide to do

 

Not to come in here and start chit, but you are trying to compare the OP's 224 cammed car to your 230/232 cammed car??? Let's get real. No comparison when looking at peak numbers. Actually I'm surprised Wheelman isn't making more peak HP. Better look at the OP's entire curve if that's the case. It's gonna be a fat one...

 

Ahh some day...

AFR's = a work of art.

 

didn't even notice that Frito... good eye!

added my dyno sheet to the first post... which i should have done originally i suppose...

 

AFR makes a very nice head.

 

Ive wondered about this...I went with a set of PRC stage 2.5 5.3L heads, milled down to 59cc(same size as the OP's). My numbers are in my sig, and I think it will be pretty safe to say that I will make around 420 when I get my LT's and custom y on monday(currently running shorty headers and stock cats)
So lets say I make around 420, thats 16 less than the op. My cam is a little bit bigger, but my power curve is nearly identical.
So really considering the OP's extra CI, how much of an improvement are the AFR's over my PRC's?



Of course I understand that the AFR's are better quality, and would love to have some of my own, but hell my heads cost me less than 2000 brand new from TSP.
So what are the other advantages of the AFR's?

 

Eh, maybe in the price bracket they're in...

But 'best' out of the box...You can get some KILLER heads that are far more crazy than AFRs. But then again, those heads start around 4-5k for bare castings.

 

432rwhp/403rwtq. Gotta love the AFR heads. The tip in and throttle response is amazing. The low end TQ is unbelievable. There are more to heads than just peak #'s.

 

great numbers good luck