the 3sgte head difference, 2nd. vs. 3rd. Options

[frosty]

Alrighty,

I'm looking to perform the 5s-gte motor build-up and I'm trying to decide which gen. gte head to go with. I know the 2nd gen had the tvis system and the 3rd didn't. I also read on some guys page months ago (and now I can't find it) that the 3rd was a better casting. To me that didn't matter if the head is getting ported and polished, but I believe he said the 3rd already had larger ports. (he had both heads side-by-side for visual aid) Mainly I noticed the difference in the 2nd and 3rd is that the 3rd came with a slightly better turbo and different compression ratios (probably a more aggressively tuned ecu?). I asume that this is really the main contributing factor to the 50ish hp increase.

I just want to know if there is any real advantage of one head over the other.

I see that alot of member on here swap using the 2nd gen motor and have great success with it. Esspecialy with the ct26 turbo. I pretty much want about 250 to 300 whp as a daily driver and see that it's done with the full 2nd gen. 3sgte.

If there is no real huge advantage of one head over the other then I would go with the 2ng gen. due to it's easier to find, parts are also easier to find, and the fact that it's cheaper than the 3rd.

[phattyduck]

Two things about the 5s block make it better:

1. Taller deck height. You can have larger displacement while keeping better rod ratios.
2. Slightly stronger block. The cooling passages between the cylinders is stronger reducing the likelyhood of cracking cylinders at high-horsepower levels (600hp+). This is still true even after the block is sleeved...

From what I have seen and read, a de-stroked 5s-gte at around 2.1L will give a nice high redline (9k-ish for the bottom end). With supporting mods all around, you can have one monster motor.

The 5s-block still has problems for building a motor. Many little things are different - no oil port on the block for the turbo, different water passages internally (sometimes), timing belt length issues, and other casting differences that can cause problems.

I personally don't think it would be worth the hassle of the 5s-gte unless you final goal is over 500 crank hp.

-Charlie

PS. Generally, it is accepted that the 2nd gen head is better for high-horsepower use in the US, mainly because of the better shop/vendor support.

[alltracman78]

Two things about the 5s block make it better:

1. Taller deck height. You can have larger displacement while keeping better rod ratios.
2. Slightly stronger block. The cooling passages between the cylinders is stronger reducing the likelyhood of cracking cylinders at high-horsepower levels (600hp+). This is still true even after the block is sleeved...

I think that depends on the 3S block you use, but whatever.
I hadn't realized the deck height was taller.
For the record, my point was that the 5S is not this immensely better block to use. Not that it was no good, or not as good as the 3S block. No worries though.
Good info. Thanks.

From what I have seen and read, a de-stroked 5s-gte at around 2.1L will give a nice high redline (9k-ish for the bottom end). With supporting mods all around, you can have one monster motor.

I agree 100%
You can definitely make a beast out of it.