Ported heads . . .

[studio460]

Regarding the post below, borrowed from a Cobra 4.6 forum, has anyone considered ported heads? Has anyone heard of Fox Lake's products? His post answered the question, "What is the best, proven route to 370RWHP or so [from a normally aspirated Cobra] 4.6DOHC?"

Stolen post from corral.net:

"For road racing most people use N/A For reliability. But with a set of Fox Lake ported heads, with a valve job ($2000), and Extrude honed Intake ($500), LT Headers and full exhaust ($1000-2000), and some type of intake mod like a 80mm ProM and Open Filter ($300). And run all synthetic fluids engine oil, trans, power steering fluid and rear axle fluid that’s worth 6-9RWHP. ($100). You should make 345-365RWHP with a good tune." [--posted by BigBill from corral.net]

[the fat bastid]

bump...because i want answers!
schnell!

[Katmandu]

that’s worth 6-9RWHP.

:bs: ! Not with ALL those mods! :rolleyes:

Foxlake is the place to go for Head Port work on FORD Modular engines.

[ghost]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
that’s worth 6-9RWHP.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Originally posted by Katmandu
:bs: ! Not with ALL those mods! :rolleyes:


Yeah, that does sound suspect on the surface, but I have read where switching a car totally to Redline synthetics freed up a small, but significant amount of HP. It was a Buick GN in Hot Rod magazine. They'd do a mod, then dyno the car. It was repeatable, not a fluke.

Eric

[SergntMac]

Well, if we haven't thought of ported heads before, we sure are thinking of them now! Thanks for the suggestion.

[jgc61sr2002]

Originally posted by SergntMac
Well, if we haven't thought of ported heads before, we sure are thinking of them now! Thanks for the suggestion. I think the cost outways the gain. IMHO. John

[DLoreanMARAUDER]

Originally posted by jgc61sr2002
I think the cost outways the gain. IMHO. John

I agree. for that price, why not go all out and grab the supercharger! im sure there'd be less work involved, with a greater HP gain!

[ghost]

Hey, if you guys want cheap HP with relatively little work, go with nitrous - but take the time to set it up properly. It's safe if you do it correctly and don't overdo the amount.

A blower, properly set up with mild boost, is safe to run as well and you'll get a big performance gain out of the deal without having to disassemble the engine internals.

But if you really want to go fast you're going to need new heads and cams. This has been the evolution of the SS and I don't see why it would be any different with your platform. Heck, just go ask any of the Mustang/Camaro/Firebird guys. All the top dogs are running different heads and cams. Some even add nitrous or a blower on top of that, and it's safer for them to use forced induction because their engines have been built to withstand such pressures (if they're smart).

I'd rather have a car that runs 12's naturally-aspirated via better internals versus a car that runs 12's because of a blower or nitrous with a stock engine. It will last longer and you don't have to worry about your fuel system causing engine failure.

When it comes to reliable, repeatable serious HP, taking the harder and more costly route is the winner hands down. But if you just want to go a little faster with less money and trouble, sure, get a blower and be happy - there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But how fast do you want to go?

Just my two cent's worth. :)

Eric

[the fat bastid]

wise words, ghost.

i feel the same, i'd rather do as much as possible with a n/a setup.

although, in terms of "cheating" i think it goes nitrous > turbo > super (super being the least "cheating" and the way i'd want to go if n/a cant get me low 10s ;) )

now dont go get offened anyone

[merc406]

Good advice gost. No replacement for displacement is more what us here are into, with alittle nitrous added for kicks for some with no ill effects.

[studio460]

Forget I even mentioned the ported heads . . . Head work, cams, etc. are all very expensive, AND intrusive. The Mustang 4.6 DOHC forum (www.corral.net) is claiming 25 RWHP from cams, but they're also talking a lot about broken springs, and broken springs breaking other expensive things inside the engine. All of us seem to be interested in going the route of "best-bang-for-the-buck" bolt-on mods that are safe to use on our daily drivers. I totally agree with this direction. I'm sure I'm going to be super happy with Dennis' Stage I mods, a Stallion torque converter, and a fordchip tune. Can't wait to get started . . .

Thanks for all your comments!

[ghost]

Originally posted by NBC Shooter
Forget I even mentioned the ported heads . . . Head work, cams, etc. are all very expensive, AND intrusive. The Mustang 4.6 DOHC forum (www.corral.net) is claiming 25 RWHP from cams, but they're also talking a lot about broken springs, and broken springs breaking other expensive things inside the engine. All of us seem to be interested in going the route of "best-bang-for-the-buck" bolt-on mods that are safe to use on our daily drivers. I totally agree with this direction. I'm sure I'm going to be super happy with Dennis' Stage I mods, a Stallion torque converter, and a fordchip tune. Can't wait to get started . . .

Thanks for all your comments!

We're not done yet! :D

Broken springs means they did something wrong. It's possible that a bad spring slipped through quality control, but much more likely that someone was binding the spring by using too much cam, or they were using tool steel springs and didn't break them in properly, i.e., they were installed and immediately pounded on.

Please don't take such instances as the norm for such mods, since many more guys do the job right and reap the rewards.

I think you'll find, and I'm confident in saying this, that once you start modding your car and going faster, you'll continue to mod your car for even more speed. It takes a special person to MOD and STOP. I'm not one of those special people, just ask my wallet. :D

Eric

[WolfeBros]

Ported heads is way down on the list of the mods that I would do to my car. It is expensive and invasive for the gains returned. That being said......for some with cash it will be a viable option.

[LincMercLover]

Didn't somebody say that porting the heads on this motor WITHOUT forced induction would be usless and could possibly LOWER HP numbers? :confused:

[ghost]

Originally posted by LincMercLover
Didn't somebody say that porting the heads on this motor WITHOUT forced induction would be usless and could possibly LOWER HP numbers? :confused:

Porting the heads is not a standalone mod, you do it in conjunction with other mods, like a bigger throttle body & intake, cam, roller rockers, springs, etc.

Your engine is nothing but a big air pump, and the more air you allow it to process, the more fuel you can add = more HP.

Eric

[prchrman]

need torque...need torque...porting, headers not torque adder...especially without more fuel intake...

[ghost]

Originally posted by prchrman
need torque...need torque...porting, headers not torque adder...especially without more fuel intake...

Actually, both will ADD torque, except it will move peak torque higher in the powerband. I understand you guys need it down low though, so I get your point. :)


Eric

[LincMercLover]

Originally posted by prchrman
need torque...need torque...porting, headers not torque adder...especially without more fuel intake...

That's what I was getting at.

[prchrman]

ghost...you are so correct...:bows: I think that our motor might be able to handle about 6500 rpms...but I would rather not go beyond that...stresssssses are exponentially increased somewhere in the rpm range...do not know where on the 4.6...anyone? OBTW it is a aluminum block...cobra is iron...:confused:

[studio460]

Thanks for all your comments, guys! That's what makes this board great! Ghost, I appreciate your enthusiasm for further engine mods, but I just got a little scared when I saw the volume of posts regarding broken springs posted on www.corral.net (and granted, these guys are mod CRAZY!)--especially since I had to pay for my own broken valve spring on the bone-stock 2000 Mustang I had, which happened at just 2,000 miles out of warranty! Nearly $600 out-of-pocket--ouch! Again, thanks to all for all the informative posts on this topic--much appreciated!