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A big valve 8valve is better than a 16valve head for 99% of tbricks

Well, I've been running a flowed 405 with stock valves for a long time. It revs easily to 7k or more if you wanted to and runs better from off idle to redline than when I ran the engine with a stock head.

I think the 405 with flow work or any stock 8v head with work would easily satisfy most power goals for a fun street car while keeping it 8v simple.
 
Are we talking pure performance or driveability as well?

At the same power level, wouldn't a 16v have better street manners than an 8v?
 
Are we talking pure performance or driveability as well?

At the same power level, wouldn't a 16v have better street manners than an 8v?

yeah pretty much. the issue is not so much one of head choice but relative tuning ability. it is not limited to 16v cars either lol.

a better way might be to say "you'll have best results when you do not exceed your abilities as a mechanic", but then if you never try new things you'll never learn anything either.
 
No gasket matching is grinding the ports out so they are the same size as the gaskets. All it does is slow the gas speeds. The throat is not where there is any restriction in the head but around the valve stem is where the work is needed

It doesn't matter at all under boost, which is the only way I like my redblocks. But ya the worst part is directly under the valves.
 
Hi
well this is a easy argument to sort

in standard form
940 turbo 163 horse power

940 16 valve 153 horse power
so its a no brainier
if you use the penta head you get even more because of the comp ratio

so put the same amount of boost in to the 16 valve and you get 229 horse power
I run a 2.5 penta 16 valve on carbs and am very happy with it in my Amazon
 
Sure we know about the efficiency and total power possible. The op question is that the power you can make with a 8v would satisfy most people. At least that's what I thought he meant.

There is a level of mechanical complexity that you are adding and you can make fun power with a big valve 8v.

I like 16v too. Just happy with the power I've made with 8v for fun on the street. I have a 16v head stashed if I decide to make the leap. There was a really nice 245 with an n/a 16v at Carlisle last year that really caught my eye.
 
There was a really nice 245 with an n/a 16v at Carlisle last year that really caught my eye.

Wonder if that was the old Conner850 wagon..... he had a thread a few years back, but I believe he has vanished back into BMW land.....
 
Certainly more than adequate for me, I also prefer the 8v sound. Call me a weirdo. IDK I'm not smart enough to argue the details. 16v does have its own inexplicable cool factor.

Pictures are great, here's a relevant one: a cutaway of the 530 head's exhaust port.



cCcfFdEl.jpg
 
Sure we know about the efficiency and total power possible. The op question is that the power you can make with a 8v would satisfy most people. At least that's what I thought he meant.

There is a level of mechanical complexity that you are adding and you can make fun power with a big valve 8v.

I like 16v too. Just happy with the power I've made with 8v for fun on the street. I have a 16v head stashed if I decide to make the leap. There was a really nice 245 with an n/a 16v at Carlisle last year that really caught my eye.

Yes. For 99% of tbers that want 300 horsepowers!!!1!0? an 8 valve head is plenty. Some bigger valves and an enem cam, which all bolts on using stock hardware, is more than enough.
 
Yes. For 99% of tbers that want 300 horsepowers!!!1!0? an 8 valve head is plenty. Some bigger valves and an enem cam, which all bolts on using stock hardware, is more than enough.

whatchu need bigger valves for? 300 is easy on a stock head with an ipd cam. can't be a sissy with the mbc tho.
 
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