300 whp setup, should I replace HG for safety? SR20

[1320VR4]

I bought an ecu / 740cc injectors / garrett gt2781 turbo and some misc odds and ends from a friend. He's upgrading his setup so I bought his hand-me-downs. He had his car dyno'd at 305 rwhp with this setup and the current tune on the ecu. I'm expecting for my car the tune will be close but I'll still have it professionally gone over once I finish installing stuff.

Anyhow the previous owner ran on the stock head gasket without issue. Was setup as a drift car so it probably had a few thousand miles on it plus beating the snot out of it at the track.

Should I worry about having to replace the HG and do studs or just leave it for now. Plans are in a year or two to build an entire fresh engine so I can go for more power and maintain reliability so I won't be pushing it farther than 300.

I've heard mixed suggestions from folks on if I should or shouldn't worry.

[jr_ss]

Stock headgasket and new OEM head studs/bolts. Should be good for 400 or so.

[Karlhammer]

Cosworth has the best fire ring clamping I've seen for the money. Won't have any issues one bit. Little bit more than oem but well worth it.

[hanzbrady]

Its a quarter of a century old. Replace it.

[Tom N]

Cosworth has the best fire ring clamping I've seen for the money. Won't have any issues one bit. Little bit more than oem but well worth it.


I was under the impression that the cosworth head gasket did not have a fire ring like the Apexi does.

[jr_ss]

Cosworth has the best fire ring clamping I've seen for the money. Won't have any issues one bit. Little bit more than oem but well worth it.

I was under the impression that the cosworth head gasket did not have a fire ring like the Apexi does.

That's because they don't. However, it is a very good headgasket.

[TheRealSy90]

Keep in mind boost/horsepower does not kill head gaskets nearly as easily as detonation does.


There's plenty of unopened sr20's with the original gasket and studs in the 400hp area reliably.
It's all in the tune really.

[Nissan2nr22]

Keep in mind boost/horsepower does not kill head gaskets nearly as easily as detonation does.


There's plenty of unopened sr20's with the original gasket and studs in the 400hp area reliably.
It's all in the tune really.



accurate af

[KAT-PWR]

Keep in mind boost/horsepower does not kill head gaskets nearly as easily as detonation does.


There's plenty of unopened sr20's with the original gasket and studs in the 400hp area reliably.
It's all in the tune really.
Quoted for truth.

Its all in your tuners wrist work

[cotbu]

Quoted for truth.

Its all in your tuners wrist work
[emoji817]

[justinbyrant]

the last few posts have hit the nail on the head however I would like to add to it, think of it this way, keep the fuse high, when something goes wrong and the tune is bad, or you spike boost or lose boost or any number of things that could happen would you rather replace a head gasket or something more expensive? personally I like to leave my head gasket as a weak point on the engine, detonation causes combustion pressure to spike when it does would you rather blow that pressure through the head gasket or bend a rod? or even less blow out your rings or any of the other number of things that could happen from detonation, no matter what your replacing a head gasket anyways

[TheRealSy90]

Right, would you rather brake/burn a ringland or rod or just blow the gasket out lol.