I'm going to be doing a 396 build here shortly and can't come to a clear choice on heads. For roughly the same price there are the AFR 227's sourcing a LT4 intake and a custom cam vs the A.I. Trick Flow 21 degree 212cc heads and a custom cam. I was already planning on shaft mount rockers anyways because i'm going solid roller 25x/26x 70xish lift. So let the A.I. vs AFR war begin!. lol just kidding i would like real world info to support one or the other please. This is quite the investment so i'd like to do this right the first time.

Thanks

 

If you're building something this max effort/expensive why would you ask for technical advice on tech, there are ALOT of guys who know their stuff but plenty who blow smoke. Call up the guys at afr and trick flow and actual talk to them or someone who has known experience. I built my setup with help from Martin at tick

 

Because people on tech do not profit from your decision. Sales guys will tell you what ever they jeed

 

Agreed with both points of view. Some vendors are very honest, others not so much. Lloyd, Martin from Tick, and a few others have given advise as vendors without their bottom line as a factor. Others only look at how to profit.

However, no casual member here is giving advise for profit. But we may not be as knowledgeable as some vendors.

 

You have 2 different vendors looking to sell a product. I would either consult a neutral vendor who isn't getting this sale, or read around the forums looking at results. Mike (quick95) ran 9s on AI trickflows, as well as taner runs ported 227s. You are already going solid roller, are you using the factory PCM or no? If no, and you plan on over 7000rpm, why not a single plane? Are the 227s the competition series or as cast? I could be wrong, but competition series AFRs are the lower heads but CNC, like the 195 competitions are 180s CNCed to 195, so the competition 227s are probably 210s CNCed to 227. If it is as cast 227s, then once you get them ported they could be 235s. So maybe you get as cast 227s now, run it for a bit, then send them off to get fully ported. Joelster runs 227s low in the 10s on a 414, I don't know if they are competitions tho.

Maybe PM some of the guys you find running each head, ask them what motivated their decision, if they would do it again, and what advice they have.

Or call AI and kinda hint that they will get the cam business regardless, so there is profit for them both ways, and see if that changes their opinion if AFRs. I wonder if they have a program for AFRs as well, maybe to take the 227s to 235s. AFR only has the 235s for the sbc, not the LTx, but I bet AFR competition 235s are just as cast 227s CNCed to 235. Or ask AFR why they won't sell 235s for the LTx. I think if money isn't a factor the hands down answer would be hand ported 227s like Taner has.

 

I'm sticking with the factory pcm for now but have been keeping a close eye on the new 24x kit that came out, seems more affordable and less guess work. I was totally thinking about getting the cast 227's and sending them to lloyd for extra work. I just wonder if giving him the extra money the eliminators would of cost would net more gains. I would think so since hand porting can smoothen out cnc marks?

 

Spend the extra porting $$ instead on nitrous = ridiculous gains!

 

Technically you don't want perfectly smooth runners, think of a golf ball. Back in the 1500s I believe it was Ben Franklin who invented golf, he noticed that the old dented ***** went farther than new smooth ones, it's because air flows faster over air than it does a smooth hard surface, the imperfections hold a bubble/layer of air for the rest of the air to easier flow over. The CNC marks or a non-polished surface will flow the air faster than a perfectly smooth surface. Call AFR and verify if the eliminator/competition 227s are just 210s ported, if they are then there is no more meat left for porting, they used it all up, buying as cast 227s would have meat left for Lloyd or AI or anyone who knows 227s to port and make better.

 

Completely off topic but the Scottish invented golf. Ben Franklin wasn't even alive at the time.

 

Originally it was named "San Diago", which in German means "A Whales Vagina", but then Kanye stepped in and...

 

Well.....I got two LT4 intakes for sale......a FI and a carb.

I also have a set of stock LT4 heads that can be ported by AI.

PM me if interested......send your email for pics.

KW