LT1 AFR's???
Originally Posted by 1991 RS/SS
Not sure if I really want to get involved in this, but anyway, here goes...
I will admit that Dwayne is absolutely crushing me on power right now with his AI ported heads vs my AFR's, but my car has some pretty major issues right now.
Maybe Im wrong, but one thing that the AFR's definitely have going for them is strength. I origianlly bought them with the plan of running a forged bottom end and a boatload of spray. The AFR's weigh alot more than the stockers, especially after alot of portwork on the stockers. The AFR's have a very thick deck. I had walked away from my car and came back 15 minutes later to find the temp gauge pegged. I had the AFR heads checked for cracks or warping. They pressure checked perfect and are as straight as the day they were new. The engine shop that checked them was amazed at the fact that they needed no work at all.
I guess im not arguing or agreeing with anybody. I think Dwayne made a very good choice and is doing very very well with his AI setup. I also think that if the people with the AFR's are happy, thats good too. Everybody has their own opinion and you know what they say about opinions. I say, buy whatever you think you will be happy with (AFR in my case).
I will admit that Dwayne is absolutely crushing me on power right now with his AI ported heads vs my AFR's, but my car has some pretty major issues right now.
Maybe Im wrong, but one thing that the AFR's definitely have going for them is strength. I origianlly bought them with the plan of running a forged bottom end and a boatload of spray. The AFR's weigh alot more than the stockers, especially after alot of portwork on the stockers. The AFR's have a very thick deck. I had walked away from my car and came back 15 minutes later to find the temp gauge pegged. I had the AFR heads checked for cracks or warping. They pressure checked perfect and are as straight as the day they were new. The engine shop that checked them was amazed at the fact that they needed no work at all.
I guess im not arguing or agreeing with anybody. I think Dwayne made a very good choice and is doing very very well with his AI setup. I also think that if the people with the AFR's are happy, thats good too. Everybody has their own opinion and you know what they say about opinions. I say, buy whatever you think you will be happy with (AFR in my case).
I brought up some aggressive cars to show just what well done stock castings can accomplish, you AFR defenders seem to just focus on the fact those are admittedly race setups. My question to you then is if AFRs are so good where are the comparable "race" setups with AFRs putting down more power AND going faster at the track because HP is only a piece of the puzzle? I am not talking the F.A.S.T. controlled, shop built, piles of money spent I am talking comparable setups with the heads being the biggest variable. The ET page for the Impalas posted the top 4 are FAST controlled I specifically know several were shop built one is Combination Motorsports car, another ships the car from Sweden to have the engine does here in The States though does a lot of other stuff himself.
TECH Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 437
Likes: 2
From: Cleveland
stock elminator vs. just going fast-being prideful goes both ways. some people want to go as fast as they can under a given set of rules. Some people just want to go as fast as they can. A lot of people start with no budget and improve what they can incrementally and end up searching for hundredths under a self imposed structure....they have the right to be very proud of their accomplishments, but at some point they could have gone faster "easier" if they'd spent the money on aftermarket parts. Pride can become an issue because one has spent a lot of time to get where they are OR if they are defending their purchasing decisions. Can a stock eliminator guy go faster by bolting on a set of 18 degrees? sure. Does he feel like he's "beat" when a guy races him with 18 degrees...no. We're just dealing with two different mind sets here.
When it comes time to put seats and guides in though...you'll quickly narrow the $ spent compared to the afrs. If you need to make 300cfm to hit your ultimate horsepower goal..Any head porter that can get that out of LT's will get 320 out of AFR's with a lot less total effort.
If we call an LT1 and LT1 just because the way the manifold looks...that's follows the same arguement. You'll spend a lot more time and money to port a lt1 manifold ( possibly welding the tops of the runners to match cross sections) to support a 300cfm than simply adjusting the bolt pattern on a single plane or stealth ram. To further the argument,the LT1 manifold for 300cfm heads becomes and enigma or Engine-Muh in this case. No low end torque support from runner length and yet it requires welding and porting to not knock down a 300cfm head that can support high r's.
Basically, both sides need to not look at each other, but look at themselves and determine what's more important to them and what their ultimate goals are. -Brian Nutter
When it comes time to put seats and guides in though...you'll quickly narrow the $ spent compared to the afrs. If you need to make 300cfm to hit your ultimate horsepower goal..Any head porter that can get that out of LT's will get 320 out of AFR's with a lot less total effort.
If we call an LT1 and LT1 just because the way the manifold looks...that's follows the same arguement. You'll spend a lot more time and money to port a lt1 manifold ( possibly welding the tops of the runners to match cross sections) to support a 300cfm than simply adjusting the bolt pattern on a single plane or stealth ram. To further the argument,the LT1 manifold for 300cfm heads becomes and enigma or Engine-Muh in this case. No low end torque support from runner length and yet it requires welding and porting to not knock down a 300cfm head that can support high r's.
Basically, both sides need to not look at each other, but look at themselves and determine what's more important to them and what their ultimate goals are. -Brian Nutter
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Bakersfield, CA
I am not defending either one.
I never said stock castings were not good, or AFR's were better.
I got a deal on a set taht were not out of the box and have worked well for me.
Would I ahve gone with LT1 ported, yes, if I did not find the AFR's.
But like I said before, anyone will be fast if you maximize what you got.
I never said stock castings were not good, or AFR's were better.
I got a deal on a set taht were not out of the box and have worked well for me.
Would I ahve gone with LT1 ported, yes, if I did not find the AFR's.
But like I said before, anyone will be fast if you maximize what you got.
