Quick question: Im about to purchase some titanium retainers.
Which brand would you guys recommend between these two:
Skunk2 or KMS engineering.

KMS is cheaper by about $30.00, costing $120, while the skunk2 is $150.00

Thanks but saying "neither, use X brand" is not what im looking for.

 

since you dont want to hear of other and better options, I will just tell you to get kms

 

setup?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Money &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">setup? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yep. Personally, I would go with the Skunk2's.

 

As far as my setup goes, mainly boltons, no headwork yet. I just wanted to use the opprotunity of having my timing belt service, valve adjustment etc, to throw in some extras. Is it true that you shouldn't mix and match different brands of Head components?
Thanks.

 

unless you're getting cams you really don't need titanium retainers....

 

Why not? I just want to reduce overall valvetrain mass while theyre right there doing a valve adjustment anyway.

 

titanium retainers wear quickly and are usually only good for 10k-15k miles

get the rocket motorsports ones, they seem to have the best proven reliablity (search)

 

yes i had rocketmotorsports retainers on my b18c1 swapped hatch and they lasted a good 30k with me driving it and are still on the car to this day with the current owner

 

never heard of the retainers going bad that early

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bigz187 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">never heard of the retainers going bad that early</TD></TR></TABLE>

how would you know when it is time to change them?

I have crower retainers so i'm wondering how long they will last.

thanks

 

well, I ended up buying some skunk 2 titanium retainers. I guess if, or when, they "wear out" that i'll put in some springs, valves, cams and cam gears huh? lol.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by oranginal &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

how would you know when it is time to change them?

I have crower retainers so i'm wondering how long they will last.

thanks</TD></TR></TABLE>

People say that you can inspect them for damage during valve adjustments, however you really need to remove them to gage their thickness. If the retainer fails, you will be looking at a rebuild.

 

A quote from Wikipedia: "The two most useful properties of the metal form are corrosion resistance, and the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal. [4] In its unalloyed condition, titanium is as strong as steel, but 45% lighter).["

It seems they would be just as strong, and most likely stronger, than the oem retainers, right?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by scootertribe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A quote from Wikipedia: "The two most useful properties of the metal form are corrosion resistance, and the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal. [4] In its unalloyed condition, titanium is as strong as steel, but 45% lighter).["

It seems they would be just as strong, and most likely stronger, than the oem retainers, right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

how many times does it need to be said

quit being lazy

AND SEARCH!!!!!!!

 

^ that was a search based on actual chemistry facts. I was going to say that titanium should actually last longer than steel. For retainers going bad that fast i do not see how that is possible when your upgrading the strength of the metal. If someone wants to shed some light on this please explain

 

Every type of metal has its own fracturing and stress characteristics. Hell, I can give you an example. I've seen wheelie bars on funny cars that were made of titanium that would bust, not bend like steel, but simply bust just like anything that is hard and brittle. There are metals that are soooo hard and brittle that when stressed or impacted in just the right way, they will shatter or "explode." Not like a bomb explode, but snap like a thin twig.

Similarly, all metals act differently under frictional, harmonic, and stressful forces. It all depends on the metal being used.

Another way to look at it is how it is not a good idea to thread some metal fittings into a certain metal hole, such as aluminum threaded tightly into aluminum.

I hope this helps!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sivikvtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">titanium retainers wear quickly and are usually only good for 10k-15k miles

get the rocket motorsports ones, they seem to have the best proven reliablity (search) </TD></TR></TABLE>

x2

i would stay away from the tit. retainers, unless you wanna crack the head open every 10k to check for wear...

 

Your retainers & valvesprings should be paired to match your cams... IMO, Skunk 2 as a general pick.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Your retainers & valvesprings should be paired to match your cams... IMO, Skunk 2 as a general pick.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Always a good idea

 

forged retainers ftw