Just received my crower valve train kit, part number bc0010. Could have swore it was suppose to come with titanium retainers, but it came with steel retainers. Are these any less reliable than titanium? Shooting for 700whp and revving in the 9500rpm range, if that helps any.

 

Steel is much more durable and has a longer service life... as well as weighing no more than titanium units

I use them in all of my street motors as the added durability means you don't have to worry about a retainer failing (and yes Ti units have a service limit then fail) plus steel units are much more affordable

I normally reserve ti units for "race cars" as they don't see street conditions and they normally get replaced after say a season or a certain number of races. So they never reach the failure point

We have tool steel retainers in our 600whp ls7 and haven't had one issue, even when circuit racing. We weighed ti and stock units as well as steel and both ti and steel had the same weight. .. this is because the steel used is much harder then titanium so they can be thinner.

Over time ti units will start to gall where the spring sits as well as the valve. And the failure is always brutal

 

So why even bother to replace the oem retainers?

 

Lightweight valve train allows for higher revving, billet vs cast retainers also offer better valvestem retention and prevent valve float

 

I always just use oem, if that helps I have seen to many of the TI retainers fail and drop or bend a valve. I have seen the retainers just snap in half on my buds car and he was actually just coasting. Valve bent alittle but head was good after we put a new valve guide and valve in.

 

Titanium has a service life, as it galls. Titanium retainers were originally designed for race only purposes and eventually trickled down into street use but they have a service life, just like most things but it's not a very long service life and you can't pin down exactly when one will fail

Given the advances in metal alloys and machining technology todays tool steel retainers are just as light as titanium equivalents but much stronger and have an almost indefinite service

Hell most race teams have swapped to steel simply for the safety factor and peace of mind that a motor won't grenade a valve during competition.

 

I don't know about stock but an aftermarket steel retainer would do the trick. I've been in the market

 

I know where to get steel retainers dirt cheap, as well as supertech dual springs

 

pm me wantboost, im intrested if you dont want to post it here

 

Will do, I have to find them online again, I think retainers were 50 bucks(2 different part numbers to fit different spring diameters) and the supertech dual springs (2 different part numbers for different spring pressures/rates) were like 135.

 

Yup yup. When the b16 gives way ill be getting something from super tech or skunk 2 pretty sure. What kind of limits are we talking for durability? 9000rpm will last years in most cases? Or

 

For a b16 9000rpm is fine, the smaller stroke and rod ratio means you'll have minimal stresses on internals at that rpm range but my main question is why?

Why spin to 9k? I doubt you're still producing power that high in the rev range, especially with your turbo. Power should drop off much earlier, meaning there's no point in turning the motor that high