I have read some people say that aftermarket valves and retainers should be replaced every year when running aftermarket cams. Is this really true?

Or does it also depend on how aggressive the cams are?

If I run a milder cam like a skunk2 tuner 1, or a Buddy Club Spec 3+ , or another cam that says you can stay with the stock valvetrain would that mean I would have to replace the stock springs and retainers every year? Would it be any different with aftermarket springs and retainers?

What about with a more aggressive cam like a skunk2 Pro 1 or something similar that requires aftermarket springs and retainers? Then would they have to be replaced every year?

What about the valves themselves? Can I run the stock valves? Do they need to be replaced every year with the springs?

 

bump

 

I would check TI retainers every 10-15k miles as they tend to worn out due to the titan low resistance to stripping when in contact with other material.
If that happens and retainer breaks you gonna have lot of trouble :D
This is how a worn TI retainer looks like.
And look for TI17 retainer as it has more resistance to wear

 

^^Oh man!!

 

Yeah, I think I am going to stay with the stock valve springs and retainers.

 

BC has steel retainer for high mileage applications so you could go with that ...
BC Steel retainers link
BC valvetrain kit (steel)

 

That is the ideal solution. Thanks!

 

and no, you don't need to change valves, but i would change it for some lighter ones though if you'r not tight on budget..
Ferrea FTW

 

Older titanium retainers and spring kits where the retainer did not fit tightly into the spring often experienced a much higher rate of wear and therefore failure. This is where all the "fear" came from regarding the use of titanium retainers. Newer designes like Supertech and Rocket Motorsports (not sure about Skunk2) use snap fit retainers which don't move around in the spring and do not have the wear or failure rates of older, more dated designes. Many people including myself have run the newer valvetrain for many thousands of miles with no obvious signs of wear. The best answer would be to run the valvetrain (including cams) that best suits the intended use of the car they'll be installed in.

Also, Ferrea valves may be lighter but stock valves flow better than aftermarket so it's always important to know ALL the facts before making a purchase rather than hearing one statement and simply jumping on a band wagon.

 

I would be careful with your stock valves depending how many miles are on them. I installed some Blox dual springs and Ti retainers for a friend about a year ago and they were snap-fit, I think. Have also seen Crower steel retainers and springs that were snap-fit.

 

When you say thousands of miles, do you mean like 5,000 miles, or like 20,000 miles?

Are you sure that the stock valves are the best flowing? I would think that then aftermarket designers would simply copy the stock design. Aren't there any aftermarket valves that at least flow equally well as the stock valves?

 

I ran a set of portflow retainers about 40k miles before swapping in another engine. Upon disassemby,no visual wear. They looked perfectly fine. I wish i had measured them when they were new, but this was like over 5-6 years ago.
I have never had a valve failure with oem valves...

 

I've got over 65k on my supertech retainers and springs. daily driven on skunk stg2 tuners. no visual signs of wear on any retainer upon last inspection...

 

When I say thousands, I mean well over 20,000 miles like the two people above me said. You'll notice that they both used a spring and retainer combo that are snap fit as well, that's the difference.

Yes I'm sure about the stock valves being the best flowing, that's a well known fact in the industry. It's not that they flow massive amounts more air than aftermarket do, but it goes to show that you can appear to copy a design but only the real thing will perform the best. Aftermarket valve manufacturers focus more on weight and materials for the variety of different uses out there and sizes.

 

Thanks everybody for posting about the durability of your valve springs and retainers. I was worried, but not so much anymore. I will go with springs and retainers that snap together.

 

GTFO

you are so wrong. ther is a reason aftermarket exists for valves. its not for oversize alone

 

00red_si you need to do some goddamn research on honda valvetrain

 

lol, I did, why do you think I posted what I did. How about you do some searching and then come back and see if you can prove me wrong. Big bold letters doesn't make you right, just creative.

 

Ferrea SuperFlo versions will flow much more then OEM

 

Now you're just comparing apples to oranges. Honda does not make an undercut valve.

 

No

AFTERMARKET VERSUS OEM

That is a aftermarket valve compared to a honda oem

 

Aftermarket valves are always higher flowing.

They can be thinner, they have more material for a 5 angle or higher cut, the material is smnoother, etc..


Honda valves are steel or aluminum, depending on teh motor.

Smoother material allows more flow on a smaller scale, while valve shape can be adjusted for flow as well.

I was gonan post that ferra comparison, but someone already got their panties in a bunch saying its apples to oranges

Of course it is, one is for fitment and durability. the aftermarket is for flow, and the thinner part allows pressure to build up behind that burst, and give it a push


I love pulse scavenging!

Hoinda OEM isnt made fror performance

 

lets see a flow bench test on these two comparisons..... how much more CFM can one really gain from swapping valves alone? i wouldn't mind seeing some proof here, it would be very interesting. how many aftermarket companies advertise + gains by switching to their valves?

 

I sent a PM to a guy on my d-series.org forum

He does head porting and flow charts for ehads.

I do recall him saying the style of valves that go thinner produce about 10-25 extra cfm in teh midrange, but since it causes the air to suddenly go down that thinnner part, the high rev range only sees about 5-10 extra cfm


low rpm flow didnt really change much, which makes sense since thinner valve= more volume = less air velocity at lower rpms.


With that being said, Honda OEM valves are good flowing stock, but just cuz its good doesnt mean its best!!

-Matt

 

OEM type R valves are narrowed down in a similar way. While flow was discussed as to why it was done, a reduction in weight had more to do with why it was done. I'll try to find the flow chart comparrison between a GSR (not narrowed) intake valve and a type R intake valve, there was no difference between them.

Aftermarket companies are good at marketing but they often aren't nearly as good at supplying factual/actual data. Cutting their valve down like that may actually increase flow over their un cut valve and so they'll market it as the "ultimate flowing valve" when little do people know, it won't out flow a stock OEM valve.