AFR 165 and 185 differences on a stock 302?

Chowder Head · Dec 14, 2005

What are the differences between the two? I don't plan to get a stroker or anything so I'll stay with the 302. I've seen a lot of people just plug the 165 heads in, and I've seen a lot of people opt for the larger, 185 heads. I believe these people have to fly-cut the pistons and run a custom cam to take advantage of the larger head.

But what are the power level differences? Do the 165 heads have better torque down low while the 185 heads get it going at the upper range? My car is a daily driven street car so obviously low end torque is where it's at. I'm just trying to figure out if the 185 head would be worth my while.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

a_k · Dec 14, 2005

suscribing..... i'll be choosing also in about 2 months......

IntenseBlue · Dec 14, 2005

AFR 165s are what you need.

Rick 91GT · Dec 14, 2005

IntenseBlue said:
AFR 165s are what you need.

I agree for the normal H/C/I 302 the 165's are plenty...and they fit without notching the pistons.

Dbeck002 · Dec 15, 2005

165s are so perfectly matched for the 5.0 displacement its not even funny.

Those are the heads i got and i would do it again if i had to.

Chowder Head · Dec 15, 2005

If you guys don't mind me asking, but why the 165's? Other than the fact that they line up perfectly (which is a plus, since I've never changed heads before), is there more usable torque for a street car, as opposed to the 185's?

HO5POINTO1990 · Dec 15, 2005

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/Detailed/630.shtml

look at this link. It shows you the difference between the heads... Now they are on a different motor, but the overall idea is that the 165 and 185 are the same under a cam lift of .400 and at .500 the intake cfm's you can really see the difference. Now if you want to go with a mild cam nothing too high (smog emmissions or prefrence), then just stick with the 165. For the majority purposes it's not really worth the trouble of notching the pistons if you want to save time. And the 165 are a REALLY NICE FIT. it's a GREAT SET and im probably getting a set for myself or the trick flow.

5spd GT · Dec 15, 2005

The 165's will give you a more useable powerband. No need to change pistons (more money) or flycut stock pistons (makes them structurally weaker) and still cost more money. They match very well and flow plenty for a 302/306.

Dark Knight · Dec 15, 2005

165's on mine, wouldnt trade 'em. Pretty much stock engine..

luckythirteen13 · Dec 15, 2005

wouldnt trade my 165's for anything. great for the street and stand up great against the abuse from my sc with stock cam, before the sc, the 165's took a full second off my quarter mile, and thats with an aod

86bluecobra · Dec 15, 2005

I'm not sure why you would all recommend the smaller heads. yes if you are not going to do more mods then i guess why buy bigger heads. but if you are going to upgrade in the future like to a 331 or 347 stroker and so on why not buy the 185's off the bat. but there is the notched piston problem. so with out doing a 331 swap at the same time i suppose you can't argue with what the majority of guys are saying

5spd GT · Dec 15, 2005

86bluecobra said:
I'm not sure why you would all recommend the smaller heads. yes if you are not going to do more mods then i guess why buy bigger heads. but if you are going to upgrade in the future like to a 331 or 347 stroker and so on why not buy the 185's off the bat. but there is the notched piston problem. so with out doing a 331 swap at the same time i suppose you can't argue with what the maority of guys are saying

That is answered by this:

86bluecobra said:
I don't plan to get a stroker or anything so I'll stay with the 302.

86bluecobra · Dec 15, 2005

5spd GT said:
That is answered by this:

lol oops missed that yes then i agree with all the other a set of 165's will suit u fine. damn i have to start reading more closely.

Chowder Head · Dec 15, 2005

That's good to hear. At first, I thought the 185 heads were better in every way if you match them up properly but all the steps to take do sure sound like a pain.

Looks like I'll be getting some AFR 165's.

Thanks for the help guys!

Rick 91GT · Dec 15, 2005

If your building a combo around the 185's then they work great, it's all about the EXACT COMBO.

CoupedUp · Dec 15, 2005

The 165's will give you a little better throttle response down low with the smaller ports, yet be able to feed the 302 enough for a street application.

The 185's work well also on the 302/6 and you would still notice a gain down low over a stock E7 boat anchor head ... with of course good matched supporting parts.

9350coupe · Dec 15, 2005

165's are a great choice just picked them up myself

Paul Perreca · Dec 15, 2005

Chowder Head said:
If you guys don't mind me asking, but why the 165's? Other than the fact that they line up perfectly (which is a plus, since I've never changed heads before), is there more usable torque for a street car, as opposed to the 185's?

I think they all line up perfectly, it's like part of mass producing a cylindar head - my edelbrocks lined up perfectly no questions

from6to8 · Aug 10, 2014

with my setup right now with there be any horsepower plus or minus using the AFR 165 instead of my Trick Flow twisted wedge

Rick 91GT said:
If your building a combo around the 185's then they work great, it's all about the EXACT COMBO.

FastDriver · Aug 10, 2014

maybe a bit, but definitely not worth the swap. Plus, TWs have more potential when ported.

AFR 165 and 185 differences on a stock 302?

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