I would appreciate any advice you can provide me.

I'm about to do some engine mods and I'm stuck on which SE heads to go with.

I already have a PCIII, 95" kit, SE pipes. I want to go with the S&S 570G gear driven cam. I was considering the SE Performance heads with high compression forged pistons. Among a few other minor improvements.

My question is this - What would I gain by going to the SE HTCC CNC ported heads and matching HTCC pistons? Is it worth the extra cash? I know alot of you have opted to use other products besides HD. I'm not having a dealer do this but the Mechanic that is doing the work prefers HD parts and I trust his abilities.

I should also add that my goal is for the bike to pull hard from 2500 rpm through 4000 rpm.

Thanks
Dino

 

Send yours out to get ported & polished! You'll get better results.

There are several site sponsors that offer these services:
BigBoyz
GMR Performance
Millenium

Then you've got others like:
Head-Quarters
Performance Techniques
Branch
Zippers
Bishop
etc.....

 

Do they enlarge the ports too? How much does it cost?

 

The SE Performance heads are a good performer out of the box when combined with the 570G cams. This combination regularly produces 95hp and 105tq. It is referred to as the Hippo build on Harley Tech Talk (MSN). There are many dyno charts and numerous threads on this over there if you do a search. It is a very economical build with great results.

SE Performance heads un-touched out of the box
Flat top pistons fly cut
.030 Heads gasket
S&S 570G cams
Good exhaust (2-1 seems to give the best results with this build)

Everything I have read is that the hi comp builds using the CNC heads are very difficult to tune and don't have the easy rideability as the SE Perf. builds.

Just my opinion.

 

The best bet is to talk to a (or some) shop(s) and explain your goals and objectives and let them recommend a solution to accomplish that. Compare what the say and see what suits you best.

All of them reshape the ports to optimize flow and port velocity, wether "enlarge" is the right term (or not), I am not sure. Additionally, some use larger valves, some don't.

Looking @ Biggzeds signature, it occurred to me that I left out Geralomy. They are another big player in head and throttle body technologies.

Regarding cost.... It depends on what ya get & where. I know they range from $299 to $1000. But..... how much do S/E heads (and possibly special pistons - HTCC) cost?

 

call scott at Revolution Performance, a sponsor here or steve at GMR...for the same money you can get some brand new cast heads that way outperform any HD head...

and dont listen to PhilM...his motor shakes

 

I was looking at the dyno sheet thread earlier today and didn't really see any significant increase in power from the HTCC over the Performance heads.

 

That's about what I was hoping to get out of it. Then I started thinking... we'll if it's opened up anyway should I throw a few more bucks at it for better parts. I'm starting to think it may be a better investment if I add 2 into 1 exhaust and stick to the original plan and forgo the HTCC ported heads.

 

Phil - That's the real beauty of the Hippo build I referred to earlier. Those heads brand new from Zanottis are $573 before shipping (If I have the part# right 16953-99). There really isn't a better bang for the buck out there in my opinion. It would be cool to put 2 of them together, one with the SEP heads and another with a Big Boyz $299 port job on stock heads to see the difference.

Just goes to show... You can make some respectable power without breaking the bank.

No disrespect to GMR, Rev Perf, HQ, Zippers or any other speed shops stuff.

 

I have a complete Harley Screaming Eagle Build ... including the SE HTCC CNC Ported heads. I have friends who sent their heads to Branch and other shops for custom porting jobs, and none seem to produce much better/worse numbers than I do. There are a lot of variables, but in the end Harley spends a lot of money on developement and research. Granted, they are designed for the street use and not Drags, but all in all they are a quality product ... AND ... my dealer warranteed the work as long as it was with all Harley components.

With that said, if I had to do it again, I would probably send my stock heads out to be re-worked by a competant shop., thus eliminating the cost of the heads themselves. Do your research, and pick a porter/builder that offers a package including heads and matching pistons, maybe even matching cams. Some offer an Exchange program that will allow you to send in your existing heads as a "Core Exchange", thus lowering your overall cost.