Reinforced head gasket BMW M3 E30 S14B23

We offer here several reinforced head gaskets for the S14B23 engine from ATHENA and COMETIC, whose technical specification you will find below.

Below (click on the image) you will find the head studs / head bolts for the BMW S14B23 engine:

Technical specification of the OEM gasket

• Bore: 93.4mm
• Compressed thickness: 1.82mm

Technical specification

• Bore: up to 95mm
• Compressed thickness(es) available: 2.00mm
• Gasket type: O-ring
• Reference: 330021R

Designed and manufactured in Italy, Athena reinforced head gaskets are available in two types:

• MLS: these gaskets are made up of several layers of stainless steel stacked and riveted together. The stainless steel layers are laser-cut for greater precision and receive a surface treatment based on elastomer (NBR or FKM). To achieve optimal sealing, the contours of the cylinders and of the water and oil passages are stamped/embossed. For the most extreme applications a reinforcement is added around the cylinders.
• O-ring: these gaskets consist of a steel sheet coated with asbestos-free aramid fibre and a stainless steel AISI 304 ring (around the cylinders). A bead of silicone applied at critical points (water and oil passages) ensures maximum sealing of the head gasket. This type of gasket is mandatory for heavily forced-induction engines.

Technical specification

• Bore: 93.4mm (OEM) or up to 94.5mm
• Gasket type: MLS
• Number of layers: 3, then 5 for gaskets from 1.30mm compressed thickness
• Compressed thicknesses available: 0.69, 0.76, 1.02, 1.14, 1.30, 1.42, 1.52, 1.68, 1.78, 1.91, 2.03, 2.18, 2.34, 2.49, 3.05, 3.56mm
• References: C4294, C4294-027, C4294-030, C4294-036, C4294-040, C4294-045, C4294-051, C4294-056, C4294-060, C4294-070, C4294-075, C4294-080, C4294-086, C4294-092, C4294-098, C4294-120, C4294-140, C4295, C4295-027, C4295-030, C4295-036, C4295-040, C4295-045, C4295-051, C4295-060, C4295-066, C4295-070, C4295-075, C4295-080, C4295-084, C4295-086, C4295-092, C4295-095, C4295-098, C4295-120, C4295-140

Founded by Bob Gorman in 1989, Cometic is recognised worldwide as a leader in the design and manufacture of reinforced head gaskets. These, like all of the brand's products, are manufactured in the United States. Cometic reinforced head gaskets are made up of several stamped stainless steel layers held together by rivets. There are three types of Cometic head gasket:

MLS: equivalent to the Athena MLS gaskets, these multi-layer gaskets (between 3 and 5 stainless steel layers depending on gasket thickness) feature embossing around the cylinders and fluid passages.

• MLX: this gasket has the same base as the MLS gasket but adds reinforcement (a folded layer) around the cylinders and a special high-temperature coating.

• HP: this is an MLX gasket to which an additional layer has been added to further reinforce the sealing of the cylinders (see below).