Im currently bulding my engine and wondering if anyone can tell me about copper head gaskets...good or bad. Some people tell me they always leak, some say good only for NA, some say they are really hard to break. I want one that lowers the compression a bit, but not if it's going to do more damage then good. can someone set the record straight for me?

 

They are very hard to seal, thus, they tend to seep or leak!

 

Plus you need to send your head for a center grooving for it to seal properly...call the manufacturer..they would say the same thing... just get a 92-95 Ex head gasket? If you're going to run Turbo and want low compression get the greddy one.... which i have and they bolt in!

 

they are very hard to seal is correct. if you oringed it should work okay but that just not worth it. Jsut use the greddy or hks one or get on from inlinepro there gaskets hold up really good.

 

What motor do you have? B18C or B18A/B? Check out www.raceeng.com They have metal hadgaskets available for the B18C and B16 for pretty cheap!

 

I was under the impression that the Inline Pro Headgasket was made from copper?

 

copper head gasket's are the best ever made for compression, but they can't seal water! some company's put a copper ring around each cylinder, and then use another material for the rest.

 

If you have a Vtec, get the ITR head gacket and headbolts.

 

ITR HG and bolts are the same as B16A/B17A/B18C

 

If you do use a copper head gasket, you should NOT use a copper O-Ring. You need to have Stainless Steel O-Rings installed. What would the point be of using a copper gasket and a copper o-ring. They are both soft metals. You need one to bite into the other, then you have a better chance of getting a good seal.

 

prodrivejohn is correct. i use this setup with a copper headgasket and a
stainless o ring in the head. i spray 2 coats of copper seal on both sides
of my gasket and then i put a thin coat of permatex ultra grey around
all of my water jacket holes and then assemble. i occasionly see a drop
or two of coolant if the car sits over two weeks.it never leaks when warm.
i do not recomend this setup on a daily driven car because mainly of the cost
and anything under 15 pounds of boost you should never need anything
but an oem metal gasket.