Reinforced cylinder head gasket Mazda PE-VPS

The Mazda engines covered

The Mazda PE-VPS petrol engine, a 2.0 litre sixteen-valve unit, is fitted to the Mazda 2, 3, 5, 6, Biante, Premacy, CX-3, CX-30, CX-5, MX-30 and MX-5 models listed below, as well as the Nissan Lafesta.

This original gasket carries the part number PE01-10-271. Its bore is 85 mm; Mazda publishes neither its construction nor its thickness. It is designed for standard combustion pressure: when that pressure rises, the clamping load weakens, the cylinder head lifts and coolant seeps into a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The head gasket does not create the seal on its own: it holds thanks to the fasteners, which clamp the cylinder head against the block. Beyond 100 N/mm² of admissible stress, a composite gasket is crushed for good, whereas the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets withstands 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and regains its shape after every combustion.

This page presents the part number from Cometic, an American maker of racing gaskets, for a single construction: the multi-layer steel MLS. The gasket has an 85 mm bore, like the original gasket, and a thickness of 0.71 mm. As a rule, the gasket bore chosen is at least 0.5 mm larger than the actual cylinder bore. Each part number is sold individually, one gasket per engine.

Technical specifications

Gasket volume is the space the gasket leaves free above each cylinder. It is added to the volume of the combustion chamber: the more there is, the lower the compression ratio falls. Only gaskets of the same bore can be compared on this figure.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, check with a straight edge that the cylinder head and block are flat, and have them machined if needed. This gasket is fitted without sealing paste: Cometic supplies it already coated.

Technical guide

The construction offered

Cometic MLS Stainless steel sheets, stamped, stacked and joined by rivets. The outer sheets carry active beads around each cylinder and each fluid passage. A moderate clamping load is enough to seal and the bore distorts little. It is the all-round gasket, from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to moderate forced induction.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Cometic MLS is offered in 85 mm (C14161), in that bore only.

Thickness. Mazda does not publish the thickness of the original gasket. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

Since the original thickness is not published, measure with a dial gauge how far the pistons stand above the block, especially if the removed gasket is thicker than 0.71 mm: that value gives the clearance left between piston and head.

The brand

Cometic Gasket, Inc., an American maker of engine gaskets and sealing solutions, was founded in 1989 in Concord, Ohio. It made its name with the custom gasket, cut to the bore and thickness requested. All its production stays in the United States, using American materials.

Advantages over the original gasket

When a reinforced gasket becomes necessary

• Adding forced induction, or raising boost on an already turbocharged engine
• Cylinder rebored beyond what the 85 mm bore of the original gasket covers
• Looking for a compression ratio different from standard, higher or lower
• Engine that has already lost its gasket, or is consuming coolant
• Competition use, where the gasket goes through repeated temperature rises

Vehicle compatibility

OEM part number: PE01-10-271.

Important: the part number on this page fits only the PE-VPS engine: check your vehicle's engine code before placing an order.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

Once the original gasket has reached the end of its capacity, the reinforced gasket holds its ground: under higher combustion pressure it is not crushed and keeps its geometry.

With a turbo, a supercharger or a raised compression ratio, power climbs and the head gasket becomes the most heavily loaded part of the top end. Fitting a reinforced gasket is then a matter of prudence: it spares you the leak, and the cylinder head removal that follows it.