Reinforced Head Gasket BMW M5 E34 S38B36

We offer here several reinforced head gaskets for the S38B36 engine from ATHENA and COMETIC, the technical specifications of which you will find below.

Technical specification of the original gasket

• Bore: 93.4mm
• Thickness: 1.74mm

Technical specification

• Bore: up to 95mm
• Thickness(es) available: 1.30mm
• Gasket type: O-ring
• Reference: 330061R

Designed and manufactured in Italy, Athena's reinforced head gaskets are available in two forms:

• MLS: these gaskets are made up of several layers of stainless steel sheet, stacked and riveted together. The stainless steel sheets are laser cut for increased precision and receive an elastomer-based surface coating (NBR or FKM). To achieve optimal sealing, the cylinder contours and water/oil passages are stamped/embossed. For the most extreme applications, extra reinforcement is added at the cylinders.
• O-ring: these gaskets consist of a steel sheet covered with asbestos-free aramid fibre and an AISI 304 stainless steel ring (at 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: up to 95mm
• Gasket type: MLS
• Number of layers: 3, then 5 for gaskets from 1.42mm thick
• Thickness(es) available: 0.76, 1.02, 1.14, 1.30, 1.42, 1.52, 1.68, 1.78, 1.91, 1.98, 2.03, 2.18, 2.26, 2.34, 2.49, 3.05, 3.56mm
• References: C4478, C4478-030, C4478-040, C4478-045, C4478-051, C4478-056, C4478-060, C4478-066, C4478-070, C4478-075, C4478-080, C4478-086, C4478-089, C4478-092, C4478-098, C4478-120, C4478-140

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

• MLS: equivalent to Athena's MLS gaskets, these multi-layer gaskets (between 3 and 5 stainless steel sheets depending on gasket thickness) have stampings around the cylinders and fluid passages.

• MLX: this gasket has an identical base to the MLS gasket, but reinforcement (folded sheet) at the cylinders and a special high-temperature coating are added.

• HP: this is an MLX gasket to which an extra layer has been added, aimed at reinforcing the sealing of the cylinders (see below)