Ok have a question
All this talk about absolutely highest flowing heads available ….
I understand that improved flow and velocity will help any engine, all else being equal. But is it really mandatory to get that last 1/4 cfm of airflow possible Out Of ANY engine of a given size? Any cam? Any CR? Built for any purpose?
No. There is a balance that should be struck. The head flow department is pretty broad. It can be a limiting factor or a lower burger or the head is to big or to small. But the window is pretty wide.
In one example, engine masters did a cylinder head test on a 408 Ford with a tiny cam. (218*@.050 IIRC) and tested 3 AFR cylinder heads @ 175, 195 & 225 cc intake runners. The 175 & 225 mirrored each other’s power curve and the 195 did better than the other two. Watch the episode. See the curves difference’s.
After watching that 408 & it’s tiny cam, I just laughed a bit because it reminded me of Yellow Rose’s saying, you can’t get enough cylinder head on a S/B Chrysler stroker engine. That’s because, IF that SBF had been quipped with a big cam, the 225 would have not been enough. Oh yea! Power it could have made for sure it a bigger badder head would make even more power.
If you take the lesson on the stroker and move it to a stock displacement,, the smaller two head would be the choices your looking at. Which one you ask?
Remember these words I ALWAYS SAY -
“It’s combo dependent!” Also - “Target dependent”
In other words, what is the target of the build?
Now focus on the combo needed for the target.
A stock Edelbrock head is fine for 450 hp. Another head may easily produce more power on the same combo. But does it fit the target of the build?
A way to look at is what duties it is expected to perform.
If you have a 10-1, 360 CID engine and a small cam, let’s under 240@050, the Edelbrock head is fine for street use in an everyday car.
The same engine with 20+ more degrees of duration on the track will like a ported head and if it is heads up NA race car, a better head still yet.
If your racing heads up, the highest flowing high quality port possible is what your after for an efficient cylinder head filling.
This is an1-2 punch because a super high flowing head that doesn’t deliver a quality mix is a garbage head. The head the delivers a quality charge that doesn’t flow high is power limiting.
Does it make as much difference on say a 360 built for a tow rig as it does on a 360 in a dedicated 1/4 mile race car seeking to eke out that last 10th???
A huge difference as I outlined above. However, if your running a limited head in a bracket racer, you may yet be surprised at what can be done if you think hard about what your doing. The old adage of “There’s more than 1 way to skin a cat” comes to mind. Take a peak at the FAST class and S/S racers with there limited head choices.
A lot of fellas place a high priority on extreme head flow. As long as the head flow is a quality flowing head, there is merit in this. However the other classes are limited in head choices but somehow still manage to run very very fast. Considering the head limitation, it can make you wonder why aluminum headed racers are so slow.
When your building a two truck, your focus is on low end power. The better the cylinder head on top, the more power you can make, sure, but a race head need not apply to a two engine like a tow engines head need not apply to a seriously fast race engine. The balance is not there and it’s off really bad.
There both searching for power in two different places.
