TFS O-Ringer vs. Non O-Ringed Heads. Whats The Difference?

[Unit 5302]

Here's the deal on o-ringed heads. They are setup for Fel-Pro lockwire head gaskets. The o-ring is a circle groove machined into the head to help the gasket hold pressure better under forced induction applications.

Since Ford has only 4 head bolts per cylinder the deck is more likely to warp or lift under a detonation than say the Chevy, since it has 5.

The real drawback to having o-ringed heads with forced induction is that they keep the seal so well, instead of blowing a head gasket under detonation, you roast a piston. Which would you rather do? Change a head gasket, or rebuild your motor?

If your motor is tuned right with serious boost, you shouldn't need them. If it goes out of tune and detonates, I'd rather know about it in the form of a head gasket, not a piston.