I was talking to my friend last nite and we were talking about the turbo I plan to put on, he said he couldn't see any difference in the 4g63 and the 420a once the turbo went on(discussion start here) but I told him about the compression and how I want to put some new pistons and rods later on so the risk of a blown engine gets closer to 0, he told me why not put a thicker head gasket to lower the compression for the time being to be safe, what are some drawbacks to this and why haven't I heard anything about someone putting on a thicker headgasket in this instance?

The lower compression will hurt your power making ability until you actually do go turbo and depending on the material and hte quality of it, thicker head gaskets blow easier.

For those who like lower compression for turbo yes it's been done. And this will only allow you to run more boost, otherwise it will lower power output.

I of course would never drop below stock compression and if ever went turbo would run 10.5:1. But it is easier to run lower compression and higher boost more room for error, not neccessarily more power.

As with everything in the end, it's all in the tuning.

Una salus victus.
It's not about being invincible, it's about being ready; for anything.



Michael J. Kulaga
e-mail: Michael_97RS@2gntDSM.zzn.com aol IM: MJKulga
http://highlander.dsmpower.com/

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, Hooker 4-1 Stepped Header, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, S-AFC, 8.5mm Magnecor Wires, Crane Fireball HI-6DI2, SS Clutch Line, NRG Susp. Motor Mount Ins., FU/RU/RL STBs, TSW Blade 17x7.5, Bridgestone Potenza RE730 215/45ZR-17. Front KVR Cross-Drilled Rotors & Carbon Fiber Pads

To Be Installed: Ported/Polished Intake Manifold 1/2, Rear disc brake conversion kit w/, Rear KVR Cross Drilled Rotors & Carbon Fiber Kevlar Pads, SS Brake Lines

It will slightly lower compression but it still costs a hell of a lot of money to put in a new gasket. Most people would rather spend $1k more and have a built engine.

The head gasket is a pretty easy install, just time consuming. If you have a weekend and patients you can do it. Therefore the gasket is the only cost.

Una salus victus.
It's not about being invincible, it's about being ready; for anything.



Michael J. Kulaga
e-mail: Michael_97RS@2gntDSM.zzn.com aol IM: MJKulga
http://highlander.dsmpower.com/

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, Hooker 4-1 Stepped Header, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, S-AFC, 8.5mm Magnecor Wires, Crane Fireball HI-6DI2, SS Clutch Line, NRG Susp. Motor Mount Ins., FU/RU/RL STBs, TSW Blade 17x7.5, Bridgestone Potenza RE730 215/45ZR-17. Front KVR Cross-Drilled Rotors & Carbon Fiber Pads

To Be Installed: Ported/Polished Intake Manifold 1/2, Rear disc brake conversion kit w/, Rear KVR Cross Drilled Rotors & Carbon Fiber Kevlar Pads, SS Brake Lines

According to Corky Bell (the author of Maximum Boost) he says using a thicker head gasket to lower compression is not the right way to accomplish it. Do it right the first time, meaning do the pistons and shit like that. It will actually save you problems in the long run.

sounds good guys, just wanted to know if by any means if it would be safer because of the lower compression, I'm not worried about running more boost than it says to with a stage 2, just thinking about running that 7-10 psi without blowing something. I thought the thicker gasket would give me some insurance.