Reinforced cylinder head gasket Nissan GT-R R35 VR38DETT

The Nissan engines covered

The VR38DETT is the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine of the Nissan GT-R (R35), from the standard model to the NISMO version, as listed in the table below. The gaskets are sold individually and by cylinder bank: one is needed on the left and one on the right for each engine.

The original gasket carries two part numbers: 11044-JF01A and 11044-JF01B. Nissan publishes neither the bore, nor the thickness, nor the construction. It is calibrated for standard combustion pressure: when that pressure rises, the clamping load drops, the head lifts away from the block and coolant reaches a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The seal does not rest on the gasket alone: the fasteners that clamp the head onto the block matter just as much. Above 100 N/mm², a composite gasket sets for good, whereas the 301 stainless steel of the MLS and MLX gaskets withstands 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and springs back with every combustion. On the O-Ring, the stainless ring closes the combustion chamber, while the gasket body seals the water and oil passages, with no machining of the block.

This page brings together the part numbers of two racing manufacturers, Athena and Cometic, in three constructions: the stainless-ring O-Ring and the multilayer MLS from Athena, and the chamber-stop MLX from Cometic. Gasket bores run from 96 to 103.63 mm and thicknesses from 0.813 to 1.32 mm, enough to tune the compression ratio without touching the pistons or the head. As a rule, the gasket bore chosen is at least 0.5 mm larger than the actual cylinder bore. Each part number covers a single cylinder bank and is sold individually: order one on the left and one on the right for a complete engine.

Technical specifications

Gasket volume is the free space the gasket leaves above each cylinder. It adds to the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio by the same amount. Compare these volumes only between gaskets of the same bore.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, check with a straight edge that both cylinder heads and the block are flat, and have the faces machined if needed. Athena and Cometic deliver their gaskets already coated: apply no sealant or glue.

Technical guide

The three constructions offered

	O-Ring / Cut Ring Athena A steel core lined with asbestos-free aramid fibre, with a stainless compression ring crimped around each cylinder. The ring concentrates the clamping load on a narrow band, exactly where the seal is made, and a silicone bead protects the water and oil passages. It is the construction in the range that withstands the highest combustion pressures; it is offered here in 96.5, 100.5 and 103.63 mm.
	MLS Athena A stack of two to five AISI 301 stainless steel layers, laser cut, embossed and riveted. Around each cylinder, a layer folded back on itself, the Gas Stopper, concentrates the clamping load on the combustion chamber, and beads seal the water and oil passages. A two-coat finish covers the outer layers: one withstands high temperatures and fills small flaws in the block and head, the other, silicone-based, stops the gasket sticking at removal. It is Athena's all-steel solution, from a tuned naturally aspirated engine to moderate boost; it is offered here in 100 and 100.5 mm, 0.95 mm thick.
	MLX Cometic Stamped, riveted stainless steel plates, including a central plate folded into a stopper around the combustion chamber, under a high-temperature coating. The clamping force is localised where it is needed, without increasing bore distortion. It is the most resistant all-steel gasket, for high boost levels; it is offered here in 96 and 100 mm, in eight thicknesses from 0.813 to 1.32 mm.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Athena O-Ring comes in 96.5, 100.5 and 103.63 mm, the Athena MLS in 100 and 100.5 mm, the Cometic MLX in 96 and 100 mm, each in a left and a right version.

Thickness. Nissan publishes no thickness for the original VR38DETT gasket, numbered 11044-JF01A and 11044-JF01B. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

As Nissan does not publish the original thickness, measure with a dial gauge how far the pistons protrude above the block deck: this value gives the remaining distance between piston and head, above all with the thinnest gasket.

The two brands

	Athena S.p.A. is an Italian company specialising in gaskets and engine parts. Its head office and main plant are in Alonte, in the Veneto region, with further sites in Spain, the United States, Brazil and India. Its multilayer gaskets are fitted by car makers as original equipment, and its whole competition range is designed and built in Italy.
	Cometic Gasket, Inc. is an American company making engine gaskets and sealing solutions, set up in 1989 and based in Concord, Ohio. It made its name with the made-to-measure gasket, produced to the bore and thickness requested, built entirely in the United States from 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 bore of the gaskets offered (96 to 103.63 mm) 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: 11044-JF01A, 11044-JF01B.

Important: the gaskets on this page are listed for the VR38DETT engine of the Nissan GT-R (R35) in the table. For any other vehicle, note the engine code before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket runs out of capacity, the reinforced gasket takes over: under higher combustion pressure, it keeps its shape instead of crushing.

As soon as power increases, through a bigger turbo, a supercharger or a raised compression ratio, the head gasket becomes the most stressed part of the top end. Choosing a reinforced gasket avoids the leak and then the removal of the head, a job out of all proportion to the price of the part.