Im enw to this stuff and I was wondering what Port & Polishing the Head means, and what it does, and if its good or not??? please let me know
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Porting is when you enlarge a chamber for more airflow usually. It is done using anything from a die grinder to a dremel depending on what you need to port. The idea is that stock head castings are very restrictive and do not allow for the actual amount of potential air to move through your cylinder head.

Polishing is basically the process that happens after you Port the head. The idea here is to make the surfaces of the intake and exhaust ports as smooth as possible. This cuts down on restriction when the air "rubs" against the wall of the head as it passes through.

I have been told that there isnt a large gain to be had when port and polishing certain Honda cylinder heads because they are pretty well done straight from the factory. Basically what i think it boils down to is the bang for the buck isnt worth it in the long run. I would still do it if I had the money around.

I hope this helps. Im not very good at explaining this process. if anyone has a better explanation please continue.
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i've read that polishing doesn't do anything. air is proven to flow the same over rough and smooth surfaces.
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I would have to disagree. although the increase in horsepower is minimal is does make an improvement.
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Yea, given the circumstances of a car engine, I wouldn't think you can notice a difference between a rough tube and a smooth tube, but I bet at hi rev your pistons might be pulling a little harder through the valve to get air into the cylinder.
What makes sense to me is it would just extend the life of the entire cam/chamber assembly
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i just got my head polished not long ago, i havent put it back on yet but it looks brand new and all that carbon and crap in the tubes are gone so.....
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yea, thats the other thing, you get a higher cool looking factor with part polish
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there actualy is about 20-35 hp increase depending on the application and the quality of the job and if you cant tell the difference then someone riped you off. I would recomend a good old port and polish to anyone who is serious about their car.
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And about how much would it cost to Port & Polish the Head????
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probaly depends on the engine size.
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How about a B18C-R (B18C5) or maybe a B16A2????
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It more depends on the construction and shape of the head and how much you want to port and polish it. More porting and polishing obviously takes greater time and care. I also agree with twisted 4 runners post, you should be able to tell a noticable difference with a good port and polish job. I drove a 91 std hatch today with a SOHC Si swap and it was impressive.
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A standard port and polish on a single head motor should run around $1000-$1200
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well I found a site that sells a head and cams and everything that is Port & Polished and it seems fine... Hers the link, tell me waht u think?

http://mmrusa.com/gudehead.htm
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It is definitly worth it if you are going to do it yourself i.e. after you have gained some confidence working on and modding your car. The best reason for this is if you plan on doing some kind of forced induction like T/C or S/C. I personally like all motor better but thats just my opinion. Look at a set of Weber style individual throttle bodies. The ones for the b16's add like 125 hp for 3k. But it is all motor and no lag, or reliability probs.
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