Felpro vs Mahle / oem Gaskets

I putting together a parts order to do a head gasket / upper end seals on a 2015 Prius V.

I noticed something interesting when I was digging around Rock Auto. Look at how Felpro vs Mahle does the ridge around the piston differently. The Felpro merges the bump between the two pistons while the Mahle has them separated out.

Doesn't Mahle make the factory gasket?

Mahle by Brabus82 posted Jan 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM

Felpro by Brabus82 posted Jan 23, 2025 at 6:40 PM

 

It is flipped upside down, for sure. But I've also seen pictures of the other side, and they do the same thing with the solid middle ridge. Almost like they are trying to reinforce the part of the gasket that has the most issues. Stumbled across it and found it interesting.

I was about to order the Toyota Kit and Head bolts, but I keep going back and forth on cost. Things have been tight the last two years, and savings have really taken a hit. I've been piecing together the needed parts, so I can hopefully rip into it next week. The Toyota kit has more seals than I need. I'd rather put some of that into a new thermostat, etc. Mahle makes the Toyota OE gasket. There's really not that much difference in cost between the Felpro and the OE Toyota Gasket from my local dealer. I'm curious about the difference between the two. I work with an old-school Ford mechanic who races Mustangs, and he uses Felpro HG on his Mustang builds.

I agree; usually, I would go full OE for most parts. As a car guy, I don't love this car. I don't drive it to save the planet. Its whole purpose is to be something cheap to get back and forth to work (and fund my Cummins ... lol). I would have bought a manual Corolla if I did it over again, but then again, I couldn't touch one of those for what I paid for my V. I paid $8k for it in early 2019. It was 4 years old with 130k on it, and a Jeep dealer wanted it off their lot. So far, it has been a very reliable appliance, and I don't doubt it will continue to do so.