I believe my head gasket has a small leak, due to the fact I am blowing small amounts of white smoke, and the fact my coolant is going down very steadily. So I was curious if there was a specific head gasket anyone would recomend for high performance? I have called Auto Zone, Advanced Auto, and Oreilly's Auto Parts for them all to tell me all they carry is Fel-Pro, however Auto Zone said they could order a couple other brands, but nothing extremely significant compared to the Fel-Pro gaskets. I was told there is a gasket that is twice as thick as the stock one, that should support high boost, but I want some more advice. So tell me your opinions.

 

Yeah an aftermarket would help you and it would support more boost. But to be honest unless your running something insane its really overkill. Butif it goves you epace of mind then go for it : )

The thing that will determine the life of it is how the head studs are tq'ed and the order of how they are tightened. Not to mention the quality of the head studs.

Remember that you cant re use the stock ones because they are stretch bolts. If you do, you would very well have to do all of it again. Im sure thats not something you would apreciate.

Also, if your car is a high mileage car then you should think about doing a timing belt replacement sinse the head is going to have to come off and everything (over 60k). If you do that... you might as well do the water pump and tensioner too. Thats just my advice... you dont want to see what a motor looks like after that belt goes... not pretty.

 

Could go with the MLS head gasket.. But unless your running 20+ lbs of boost I wouldnt waste the extra money getting a HKS head gasket or one comparable to that..

 

I've also considered if I am going to the trouble of tearing down the engine to replace one damn gasket I might as well go all out and do them all. Also, I was considering building the bottom end up as well....Any suggestions????....The bottom end right now is stock. The only major upgrades have been fuel injectors, fuel pressure regulator, high pressure fuel pump, sheet metal intake manafold, small 16g turbo kit, and a greddy Intercooler to name a few. I also have the DSMLink installed to help fine tune certain areas of performance.

Ohh and @ TheAdvocate I am running 20psi at times(the track & races) but usually I keep it around 15-16psi when just cruising around. So If there is a really good gasket I'd rather do it right the first time, than have to go back and do it over if you get what I mean. I know it might be a little extra but to me it's worth it.

 

Just go with the OEM headgasket. It will work fine. And what turbo are you running to be doing 20psi. But i say go to a dealership and get OEM

 

I just put a felpro one on and it seems more then adequate.. I personally think spending 200+$ on a head gasket is a waste unless you are pushing really high hp..

 

Id do a Cosmic Gasket

 

Never heard of Cosmic, has anyone here used them before? Are they made of a copper like metal?

 

So many conflicting opinions. We all need to come to one conclusion. My advice to you would be to get some form of multi layer gasket. Those are the best...

 

Here's the thing, I don't want to stick with the OEM gasket because eventually I'll be right back to where I am now. I am trying to go "overboard" to prevent any further mishaps from occuring, so yes multi-layer gaskets are something I am definately considering, and also possibly some sort of metal gasket. So forget the idea of going with stock replacements, hence my subject line "Performance Head Gasket".