Are you wondering whether you need to upgrade your cylinder head gaskets, and if so, what design and material to choose?

In this video, four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson runs through the basics of head gasket material and design.

If you’re increasing compression or adding power adders to your engine, you should upgrade your head gaskets to ones that can handle the increased pressure and heat and resist a blowout. Anderson touts the merits of multi-layered steel (MLS) gaskets for their ability to withstand high performance operating conditions like supercharged and turbocharged applications, and also copper gaskets for their excellent sealing properties and even heat distribution. (You can read a quick breakdown of all your gasket material options here.)

He also reminds us that thinner gaskets increase our compression ratio, and thicker gaskets reduce it.

Watch the video to learn more:

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Author: Matt Griswold

After a 10-year newspaper journalism career, Matt Griswold spent another decade writing about the automotive aftermarket and motorsports. He was part of the original OnAllCylinders editorial team when it launched in 2012.