>>>*Sorry I have been gone a bit, I had to have some surgery to fix a little problem, all fine now it appears.

*Actually, that is not a "Rock Auto" product, it is a RockProducts gasket, different company.

Neither company makes gaskets, they pack them into kits.

I personally sat in on the conference a bit over a decade ago, many of us were working on solving the problems with the Honda CVCC and other makes like the Neon that were eating head gaskets.

The steel facing was the solution as it allows the aluminum head to slip during warmup, and that technology is in use by many other suppliers, including Toyota. The Graphite impregnated core is identical to that now used by nearly all manufacturers, none of them can use Asbestos anymore as it has been banned.

The term "Slipperplate" was mentioned, I liked it and registered it under my own company. Sneaky I know, it's called marketing.

The design is in use in thousands and tens of thousands of Japanese import engines with success. In fact "Rock Auto" also uses similar technology, and not a thing wrong with that product, either.

If in doubt, buy the Toyota product. I happen to know who makes them.

Most of the time when I see a gasket fail on any engine, I can look at it, and the surrounding metal on the head and the block, and see the reason. Then we can often trace right back to the cause.......*EB