i came across a sweet deal on a set of skunk 2's but wanted to know which ones are better. or are they all the same?

edit: i also just came across a set of kms chromoly steel ones as well.

 

Basically the same, I have buddy club retainers... If you can use Chromoly that's one of the hardest steel available for an automotive part... Basically stick to a brand you have heard of and make sure it's of a good material!

So yeah go for the sweet deal on Skunk 2's...

 

so is chromoly good or bad to use?

 

Good for longevity, but because it's so hard it could wear on other parts over time... Never used Chromoly for anything other than roll cages... So I don't have an answer to your question as to whether it's a good choice for retainers as I think most are just straight mild steel...

Bump for a better answer!

 

Iv used crower and supertech..no issues with either company...



http://soundcloud.com/jimifritz/a-st...-full-of-nasty ;-)

 

I feel this is an appropriate time to ask this...

Why are the KMS retainers (F series Titanium) $120 or so when the bismoto units are $180 (also titanium)?

If I remember right, redzcstandardhatch was running stock retainers on his setup for a while and pushing some decent power which makes me wonder if I really need to replace mine or not. How do you know when it is time to upgrade?

 

How hard do you rev the motor?

 

just make sure the retainer fits tightly on the valvesprings. excess play can increase wear if its moving around. i dont know if i would use oem retainers. if you are thinking of just using oem there are companies that offer steel retainers for pretty cheap i personally would just get those.


im currently using supertech ti retainers with supertech dual springs. no issues, 400hp 8800 rev limiter and 01 itr cams. got around 2500 miles on it.

last year i used omni ti retainers with oem itr springs and the same 01 itr cams. also 400 hp, 8700 rev limit i put around 12000 miles on that. i still have the retainers and plan on using them in an all motor build sooner or later

year before that i used portflow ti retainers. i did buy them used with low miles, and put 18000 miles on them myself, running 8500 rpm and about 350whp. they did look pretty worn out when i was done though, so i got rid of them.

thats my experience, hope it helps

 

KMS just repackages Supertech titanium retainers and springs and sells them under their own brand name. I'm not familiar with their chromoly retainers, as to whether they buy from Crower and repackage them or actually make them in-house. I do know that as a company, they have a bad reputation locally, where they are from.

I would just buy the Skunk or Supertech retainers and go from there. A snap fit retainer is ALWAYS better than a non-snap-fit for longevity and wear, so they are not all the same, even if they are the same (or similar) material.

The reality is that most boosted applications don't benefit that much from lightweight retainers as they tend not to be revved as high or as frequently as an all motor build. The main benefit to a lightweight retainer is lighter valvetrain mass which allows a few more hundred RPM before valve float occurs and they allow more retainer to valve seal clearance which is only an issue when running large cams.

If you want a good quality OEM chromoly retainer at a good price, just use the 02 RSX type 2 retainers 14765-PRB-A00.

 

and those can fit a b series valvetrain?^