ARP Pro Series Cylinder Head Stud Kit, ARP2000 (230-4201)

Head studs replace the factory head bolts that clamp the cylinder heads to the engine block. Studs pull straighter and hold more clamping force than bolts, which keeps the head gasket sealed when cylinder pressure climbs.

why this one — This is the standard answer on a Duramax that has been tuned or turned up, because the factory torque-to-yield bolts start letting the heads lift and push gaskets once boost climbs. One kit covers 2001-2016 in ARP2000 material rated at 220,000 psi tensile. The downside is brutal and worth saying plainly: the cylinder heads have to come off to fit them, so this is a shop job measured in days, and the smart time to do it is when the heads are already off for something else.