I disagree. (Or would say, I'm ok with agreeing to disagree).

A few others thoughts on the matter-



But could the thermal properties of iron offer a power advantage over aluminum? That question gets complicated.

“Thermal conductivity has been debated for many years,” said Kevin Feeney of RHS, Memphis, Tennessee. “Historically, an iron head was considered more durable, and able to make more power due to the fact that it would not dissipate the combustion heat as quickly. With everything else remaining equal, there exists some merit to this argument.”

Mike Downs of Trick Flow Specialties, Tallmadge, Ohio, pointed out that the thermal conductivity of aluminum is “four or five times that of iron. This means an iron head will usually operate hotter. On the positive side, this means the fuel is pre-heated in the intake runner and easier to ignite in the cylinder.

On the negative side, it means the preheated air/fuel mixture will expand, reducing the effective flow into the engine and increasing the risk of pre-ignition. A properly designed aluminum head will transfer heat more quickly to the coolant, leaving the intake runner cooler and therefore able to flow more air-fuel mixture into the cylinder. High-energy ignition systems easily compensate for the cooler intake charge and help achieve maximum fuel burn.”

“The greater thermal conductivity of aluminum is a great advantage,” agreed Chris Frank of Frankenstein Racing Heads, Joshua, Texas, “especially in power-adder applications. That ability to dissipate heat quickly allows for more aggressive tune-ups.”

“Aluminum heads dissipate heat quicker than cast iron,” echoed Torrance, California-based Edelbrock’s Smitty Smith. “This can be an advantage in elimination-style drag racing, keeping the head temperature consistent round after round.”

With aluminum, Tony Mamo of AFR (Air Flow Research), Valencia, California, concurred, “detonation is less likely in an engine on the ragged edge, as it won’t hold as much heat. But that also firms up the argument that a cast iron head on an engine without detonation issues would make more power for the very same reason!”

“You need to build more heat with aluminum to make the same power,” agreed Bill Mitchell Jr. of Bill Mitchell Products, Ronkonkoma, New York, “or compensate by coating the chambers to keep more heat in the cylinders.”