2.5 head gasket upgrade OR forged?

Hey guys, question for you. I own a hawk sti with 30,000 on it. I want to keep it as standard as possible. The car runs fine but I'm going to sort the headgasket issue out anyway before it inevitably goes at some point and so I can drive it around without constantly looking at the temp gauge.

I'm torn between having just the head-gaskets done (along with the bolts etc) or spending more and going for a forged build. Clearly a forged build is the 'better' option as such, but I don't want big power / loud exhausts or anything. I like the standard car, it's perfect for me power wise etc.

What's everyone's thoughts?

 

I would go for a full build,will help sell the car in the future and will give you the full confidence in the car that you desire.

Are the piston rings a problem in standard 2.5s aswell?

 

Hi there

Personally I would go with full rebuild,because as above this would help with sell car in future

I would go at least with basic build like Forged pistons(Mahle),Manley Forged rods,11mm ARP headstuds and Cosworth headgasket set and full ACL bearing set,this should be enough for piece of mind and will be enough for 450bhp in future or will help with future upgrades too

Hope this helps and good luck there

Thanks,Jura

 

I've forged both Hawk Sti's that I've owned. First was due to the head gasket going at 20k and on my second I fully rebuilt before I had any problems.

On both engines the Pistons were in perfect condition.

If you do decide to do a forged build I would also remove the secondary air pump and tumbler valves as they can cause problems. Most builders will do it for free while the engine is out.

 

A bit off topic, but who would you get to do the build?