Is porting and polishing worth is?

Gforce

Viper Owner
Joined
Jul 20, 2004
Posts
103
Reaction score
0
Folks -

I am trying to squeeze out about 50 more rwhp from a totally stock Gen III motor but I'm reluctant to really "open up" the motor. A supercharger is probably more money than I want to spend and I'd worry about it at the track.

A friend of mine was hyping up getting the heads ported and polished but I thought that most of the time someone did this, they also went with a matched cam.

Any of you guys have experience or advice on either the heads or a more desirable (cost effective + reliable) alternative?

thanks in advance -

J
 

STUGOTS

Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Posts
5,573
Reaction score
0
Location
NY/CT
if its done right heads can make TONS of power.

Give greg good a call hes the best in the business for heads.
 

2002_Viper_GTS_ACR

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 9, 2002
Posts
4,030
Reaction score
3
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina
I currently have a set of core Gen 3 heads. Make me an offer ;-)


Yeah, I am thinking of sending Greg Good a set of Gen 3 heads to do his magic and put them on my Gen 2.

BTW. Last time I did a head change only, with no exhaust mods, I got about 40 rwhp on STOCK exhaust. I would have seen much more, had I put headers and full exhaust after that. But I sold the heads and returned the car to stock. Now lets see how much better the Gen 3's do.

Jon
 
OP
OP
G

Gforce

Viper Owner
Joined
Jul 20, 2004
Posts
103
Reaction score
0
Stugots - do you by chance have greg's number around? Maybe you could PM me?

Jon - so you did heads alone (no cam) and got about 40rwhp? This is good news. Any idea how much I should expect to pay for heads?

j
 

STUGOTS

Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Posts
5,573
Reaction score
0
Location
NY/CT
Stugots - do you by chance have greg's number around? Maybe you could PM me?

Jon - so you did heads alone (no cam) and got about 40rwhp? This is good news. Any idea how much I should expect to pay for heads?

j


I dont have greg's # but hes on this board alot just pm him.

Greg's heads have been known to give over 100RWHP WITHOUT a cam for his "stage 2" heads which are $3,700 but well worth every penny (they are my next mod along with a cam from Greg as well)
 

2002_Viper_GTS_ACR

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 9, 2002
Posts
4,030
Reaction score
3
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina
Stugots - do you by chance have greg's number around? Maybe you could PM me?

Jon - so you did heads alone (no cam) and got about 40rwhp? This is good news. Any idea how much I should expect to pay for heads?

j


I dont have greg's # but hes on this board alot just pm him.

Greg's heads have been known to give over 100RWHP WITHOUT a cam for his "stage 2" heads which are $3,700 but well worth every penny (they are my next mod along with a cam from Greg as well)

Hey Stu,

Not to bust balls, but are you sure about that? I spoke with greg about his heads, and he is quoting about 50-60 RWHP gain, not 100, and I am looking at his top of the line set up, even going with Gen 3 heads which have an advantage over gen 2 heads. Have dyno numbers for proof? before and after? And actual final set up of the car, headers, t&D's, cats, other mods? That accomplished 100 rwhp ?

Thanks.

Jon
 
Joined
May 28, 2002
Posts
425
Reaction score
1
Location
Houston, Texas, USA
Jon, I've never guaranteed anyone 100 horsepower N/A from my heads, although as much as 90 horsepower over stock has been reported. I always tell people 60 horsepower is what they should expect. That's a conservative number in my opinion, and one that is always achieved. Heck, I've done lots of V8 stuff......LS6, Ford small block, you name it, that picked up 60 over stock. 60 on a V10 is a no brainer. 240 cfm stock to over 300 cfm ported is worth a lot of power.

How much power a car gains depends on a lot of things. The condition of the shortblock, the cam (and where it is degreed), the exhaust system, the tuneup. Lots of things. A good flowing set of heads is just a tool to get air into and out of the cylinder. Having good flowing heads is not a guarantee that you'll make a lot more power in spite of everything else about the engine, but if you don't have a good set of heads it is guaranteed that you won't get a sniff at the power a car with good heads and everything else in the combination optimized makes.

Boosted, my heads are worth well over 100 horsepower over stock.

one of the problems with assigning horsepower gains to the heads alone is the fact that most guys also put in a larger cam when they do the heads. So, how much credit goes to the heads, and how much to the cam? They work synergystically together as a team. The whole is worth more than the sum of the parts. The head doesn't flow anything if the valves are shut.
 
OP
OP
G

Gforce

Viper Owner
Joined
Jul 20, 2004
Posts
103
Reaction score
0
Greg -

Is it worth it to just go with new heads if I keep the stock cam and exhaust? Is that where you would expect 60rwhp or was that number for a cam + head (in which case - as you pointed out - someone would have to ask what shape of cam).

thanks -

j
 

STUGOTS

Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Posts
5,573
Reaction score
0
Location
NY/CT
Stugots - do you by chance have greg's number around? Maybe you could PM me?

Jon - so you did heads alone (no cam) and got about 40rwhp? This is good news. Any idea how much I should expect to pay for heads?

j


I dont have greg's # but hes on this board alot just pm him.

Greg's heads have been known to give over 100RWHP WITHOUT a cam for his "stage 2" heads which are $3,700 but well worth every penny (they are my next mod along with a cam from Greg as well)

Hey Stu,

Not to bust balls, but are you sure about that? I spoke with greg about his heads, and he is quoting about 50-60 RWHP gain, not 100, and I am looking at his top of the line set up, even going with Gen 3 heads which have an advantage over gen 2 heads. Have dyno numbers for proof? before and after? And actual final set up of the car, headers, t&D's, cats, other mods? That accomplished 100 rwhp ?

Thanks.

Jon


There are a few guys on this board that gained 90 - 100 on a N/A car.

Joseph Dell (I think his car was supercharged at the time) gain WELL over 100 and something RWHP.

Greg says 60 or so HP but I dont think anyone has had that low of a # (not that 60 is low lol) most gain quite a bit more.
 

J DAWG

Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 9, 2002
Posts
2,238
Reaction score
0
Location
MS
I gained 80 rwhp with a decent set of heads and a bigger cam thru totally stock exhaust. Me thinks that number is about to go up a little with a really "good" set of heads.


John
 
Top