getting ready to completly rebuild me head and was just trying to see if the ti retainers are really worth the extra money? set up is a stock gsr bottom end. buddy club spec 4's supertech dual valve springs. head milled .020 tuned on s300. i was thinking of maybe like a 8700 rev limiter basically what i have seen these cams stop making power at. i already have the valve springs, just trying to see what you guys would suggest...i know the saying about i should do it while everything is apart but i am kinda broke and want to finish this thing.

 

the retainers are thinner in the keeper area. so they are needed to clear the seals and guides so you dont get bind on larger than stock cams.

 

any other opinions??

 

man if it is a financial thing, youre probably waiting for the first person to say "yea stock ones are fine" and will dismiss anyone who says "you need aftermarket ones."

that makes it hard to help you.

 

at the very least get new steel retainers. i've seen them run for under 70 bucks.i've heard of people running aftermarkets cams for a while with stock retainers.But IMO it isn't that hard to save the extra 200 dollars to keep a head safe, you probably spent over a thousand dollars to put together neways so why not be safe.
goodluck

 

If your that tight on money your retainers will work. Not sure if the gsr stock retainers are of the same quality, but when I got springs for my F22a head from bisi I was told to stick with the stock retainers. He said there was no advantage unless I was spending alot of time at 9000rpm+. He said the stock retainers would be just fine, mind you that I was going to buy them till he said that it was not needed.

 

$150 for retianers or $5000 to by another engine when you drop a valve... you choose

 

Well, obviously you have have chosen a high quality camshaft...why not call/contact
Buddy Club and see what they have to say? Also, what made you select the "BC4" camshaft profile?

 

my buddy owned a shop a couple years ago and it did not do to well because the town i live in, no one buys anything. he had 2 sets of cams brand new in the box after he closed down so he was just trying to move everything. i got them for $180 or blox "A" cams for 180. so i went with the buddy club. i think i'll give bisi a call tomorrow and see what he says. i honeslty was looking into the m24x cams when i was building my b20vtec but i could not find a dealer or their website. but i got a good deal on the bc4 so i think i will be happy. that's what i was told is that unless i am really reving it high i did not need them, but just trying to get some more opinions.

 

Depending on what the rest of your mods are, I think the Blox A's would've been a better choice.

 

whys that? i just bought some bc4 cams too. why down grade to a "stg 1" cam? sorry to thread jack but i'm building a ls/v and so i'm pretty much in the same boat.

to answer the OP, i would get the ti retainers because you dont want your motor to blow up. also, its a comfort thing. you know you have reliable parts and dont have to second guess it. killer deal on those bc4 cams. got mine for 365 pretty much new too. i would of bought both and sell them for more if i was you...

 

Its always a good idea to go with new retainers. Although you dont need Ti retainers, unless once again it is one more thing to reduce weight. Stock retainers work well. I have been using the stock retainers with my .450+ lift cam and 9300rpm shifts for the last 2 years.

This year I will go with the Ti retainers to help save weight in the valve train mainly. It may not be much, but every little bit helps.

 

Most 1.8L builds typically due not have enough flow to really take advantage of that cam. They make power but your have to rev them really high, greater than 8500 rpms. A Blox A cam is pretty good for most builds because they produce good torque from 4800 to 8300 rpms. Peak power typically occurs at 8000 rpms.

If you don't get Ti retainers your motor will not "blow up". Also how can you say a Ti part is reliable when Ti does not have an endurance limit. Like SOHCinWA said you get them when you are looking for every bit of power and I will add, "not necessarily long term reliability".

 

Crower Steel, better then stock, reasonable cost.

 

even if the head is PnP with 3 angle valve job? my head is pretty much fully built. also, im all bout the highend.

thanks for the info, but i'm looking for every bit of power.

 

^^^ Congrats on the .01 hp.

 

Ok, so how much does the head flow at .45" of lift at 28 inches of water?

 

I use to make Aluminum retainers for JG & DPR back in the 90's. I had them Hard anodized and made 1/2 of them blue and the other 1/2 red. I know people that are still using them in their cars today... I wish I still had a set for my build lol.

 

X2 agree.

 

why you doggin me for? i want every bit of power. even if just .01 hp...whats wrong with that? a lil here and there adds up buddy. thanks for being a lil douche. and plz keep smartazz comments to yourself. thanks.

to the OP, dont half azz when building a motor. especially using a high lift cams like bc4. get something aftermarket/stronger. also, buddy club recommends/requires use of aftermarket springs and retainers when using these cams. even if you see them not making power after 8700rpm, it mite make more power in your setup. every setup is different. get retainers so you dont have to worry bout the stock retainers breaking on you. gl man.

 

using large cams like that he going to need aftermarket retainers TI, alum., SS as long as its quality non ebay **** you will be fine, you cant use stocks on much larger cams than ITR. the retainer will hit the valve seals.

 

i heard ti retainers wear fast

 

not true. A snap fit retainer is very durable.

 

^x2

As long as the retainers where made to fit the specified springs correctly (aka snap fit) they should last just as long as regular retainers. This is because there is no constant movement between the retainer and springs.

 

What valves are you using? The main purpose of Ti retainers is to drop weight on the valve assembly. I've seen some aftermarket valves that were pretty light though, so in terms of weigh you may not need a light retainer if the valve itself is lighter.