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Well, there are a number of reasons to put a thicker head gasket in. The amount of power created on a stroke is not solely a function of your compression ratio. As a matter of fact, it is really only a fraction of the important components that go into making power. The decrease in compression is linearly proportional to the increase in volume within the cylinder. This means that the cylinder can accomodate more air and fuel. This then means that there is more potential energy in the cylinder. More potential energy means there is a potential for more kinetic energy upon combustion. Another reason (and lesser) reason is that the head gaskets made my Inline Pro are stronger than the stock gaskets. And yet a third reason is the safety of your engine. Yes, Preludes, and nearly every other Honda, will run just fine with a stock head gasket. With such high compression, though, you are that much closer to the limits of detonation. A thicker head gasket allows you to have a larger safety margin, Especially if you have variable boost. One other thing (not that this is a great argument) but nearly all turbo sports cars come out of the factory with relatively low compression ratios. You can't help but wonder why they do this. I would venture to say that they have even better reasons than the ones I just cited. Anyway, I hope this provides some answers.
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