Well basically what the topic is. I'm going to go boost again and I want to boost about 10-15 pounds and was thinking about using a block guard. I already did some searching but didn't find anything that really answered my questions. I've heard a little of both about the block guard as far as overheating and "i'm glad I did it"...

So i'm thinking about getting a block guard, thicker head gasket, and maybe "O" ringing the head... What does everyone know about the 3 things i'de like to do and why would i have to hone? Thanks a lot guys

shane

 

normally they bore the sleeves after installing a blockgaurd. there is a good chance the cylinder walls wont be perfectly round anymore. they also normally use a torque plate i believe its called to ensure they are 100% round after the head is torqued down. all i have ever heard from engnie builders is that oem is just as good as any aftermarket one and the only thing the aftermarket ones are good for is lowering your compression. best bet is new oem headgasket and better tuning. stephen papadokis runs a stock headgasket in his 600+hp fwd civic, of course it is o-ringed but its still a stock headgasket. o-ringing is only good if its done right. i was told not to waste my money on it because none of the local shops will do it perfect and there is very low tolerance for error. if its not perfect it wont help much at all and if the shop doesnt know what they are doing it can actually hurt performance.
no blockgaurd should cause overheating but it is possible if u buy a cheap one. the only thing they will prevent is cylinder wall cracking. other than that they do next to nothing. i am going to use one with my engine just to be on the safe side since i have heard of people cracking cylinder walls at 18psi. o-ringing is not at all worth it unless you are boosting over 20psi.

 

Cosmetic sells a headgasket that has a layer that serves a very similar purpose to "o-ringing". I've got it and it is 0.057" thick sompaired to the stock 0.029". It lowers compression 0.751 points on my SIR-II motor.

 

it's Cometic, cosmetic is Clinique and Mary Kay...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TeamCracka &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Cosmetic sells a headgasket that has a layer that serves a very similar purpose to "o-ringing". I've got it and it is 0.057" thick sompaired to the stock 0.029". It lowers compression 0.751 points on my SIR-II motor.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks how much did it run you?

 

so basically if i was to get the block guard pressed in i'de have to basically take the complete engine apart just so i can hone it...?

 

Heres what Endyne told me about me getting a blockguard...

If you use a blockguard, every cylinder must be honed using a ridgid-style hone. The block must be at operating temperature and there has to be a torque plate used to simulate a cylinder head.

This is what he said in an email to me.... And he was built ALOT of engines and has a ton of exprience so I trust him....

Blaze

 

I seen those cometic gaskets sell between $60-95, all depend which one you get.
This company has them for sale with a nice list of those avail http://www.raceeng.com/showIte...19579 but I never bought from them so I dont how good thier service is.

 

thanks again guys

 

Yep, I got mine off eBay for $90 shipped, but they're resuable unlike the OEM ones.

 

reusable head gasket?

 

thats not good. if ur getting aronud stock height just get oem.....they hold up to boost.

 

I know they will hold but i'm wanting to lower the compression a little as well....

 

oic, u must be in love with turbo lag or have a d-series?

 

i want to lower the comp. to make it a little more safer....

 

that makes no sense. y not lower the boost?

 

no headgasket is labled "reusable"

to answer your question yes you can resuse a stock headgasket , or a cometic , it all depends on how the gasket looks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KraZEtEggIE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that makes no sense. y not lower the boost?</TD></TR></TABLE> Wouldn't lowering the comp. make it safer?

 

lowering the CR with a HG reduces squish. Squish keeps engines alive under boost

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by liveforphysics &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">lowering the CR with a HG reduces squish. Squish keeps engines alive under boost</TD></TR></TABLE> what exactly is "squish"

 

don't lower the CR too much coz at low rpm (off boost) the car can be sluggish.
CR of about 9.5 to 10 is ok and they drive better off boost.

i like high CR and low boost than low CR and high boost for the streets. but if it's for the drag strip then that's different.

 

im the other way around, i like 8-8.5:1 C/r with more boost...

much more fun, and you make enough torque to get around without boost ;-)

why do they call them a block guard anyway, they are cylinder gaurds

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turb &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">don't lower the CR too much coz at low rpm (off boost) the car can be sluggish.
CR of about 9.5 to 10 is ok and they drive better off boost.

i like high CR and low boost than low CR and high boost for the streets. but if it's for the drag strip then that's different.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
hey bro, im not contradicting you but its more when ur not at full throttle you dont build crap for boost unless you are in a high gear. think about it this way. the more boost you have the more heat will be generated increasing chanced of detonation, if you could make the same power at less boost y not go ahead and do it?
on the other hand, lazerus does have a point. it is a cool feeling when your car still gets out of its own way when ur not on the gas then when ur really on it ur in ur seat. kinda like how alot of cars are all quiet at idle then they get on it and ur half deaf.
i think there are way too many people talkin out of their asses when it comes to the whole low c/r, high boost vs high c/r, low boost. understand the facts and decide for yourself. i personally would perfer the power to be there at any rpm since i want my car mainly for track keeping it a good daily driver. o and if you are reading this thread thinking not too many people use a high c/r, low boost setup, look at all the stock internal itr's running boost. final compression ratio and intake air temp are what matters, the lower you can keep your iat the more timing you can give your motor = the more power you can make with the same fcr.

 

The whole point of lowering the compression is to make more power when boosting, alot more!!!! For a street car it makes even more sense to lower c/r because it's has less chance of detonating. Your not losing that much power by lowering your c/r compared to the amount your losing up top by lowering boost. If you want the power at any rpm then put your turbo on the shelf and get a supercharger, don't raise c/r and lower boost instead ....It just doesn't make sense to do so!!!

 

but isn't it true if you have higher compression you have more heat too? so both setups produce alot of heat correct? it sounds like it all depends if you want more torque or more hp when you are off boost