Just one curious question though. Why is it that every high performance car (i'm
talking factory for the street) uses aluminum heads. The V10 in the viper has its
roots in the V10 truck engine but it has aluminum heads. I think ther might be
more to it. I am not an engineer just seems viable to me.
Jeff Durling
ScottH216@aol.com wrote:
> All else being equal, aluminum heads will make LESS power than cast iron
> because of this heat loss to the coolant. They are not as efficient. Heat
> that would otherwise be used to build torque by pushing on the piston is
> dissipated into the atmosphere by the cooling system. (Band-aid fixes include
> thermally coating the combustion chambers, or increasing compression as
> stated in other posts). The main advantages to aluminum are that it's easier
> to machine and repair than cast iron, the lighter weight can be a benefit to
> handling and in drag racing, and the fact that they usually have a better
> port design than production heads... But just slapping on a set of aluminum
> heads without making any other changes is no guarantee of increased HP.
>
> Scott
> '94 Dakota 318 - 15.24 @ 89
> '68 Camaro 355 - 12.02 @ 112
> McKennaRacing.com
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