Hi all,

My B18C1 head will be coming back from the machine shop next week and I'm finally going to start buying parts for it once I get it back. I am set on purchasing Buddy Club Spec III+ cams and a valve train to accommodate them. I was thinking about getting dual valve springs from either Supertech (cheaper) or Buddy Club (just to match the cams) but I don't know if its worth the extra money to get aftermarket retainers. I want to steer away from titanium retainers because my car would be a daily driver and supposedly titanium retainers wear down much faster than steel ones. However, I was wondering if I could reuse OEM retainers instead? I've already read numerous threads concerning the subject, all with different opinions, and all relatively outdated. What should I go with, Supertech steel retainers or OEM ones? For what it's worth, I intent on staying with the stock 8,000 rpm redline. Thanks in advance for any replies!

 

I think with that redline you should be fine. I have different cams but I'm using skunk2 stage\tuner 1s with blox dual valve springs and stock retainers revving to 8300. If I plan to rev higher (new cams) Im going to get titanium or aftermarket steel retainers just to be safe. I've met people that rev to 8500-8600 on stock retainers. Your cam's should make power past 8k. I would get retainers for peace of mind.

 

Brand new OEM retainers would be fine, but you'll probably pay the same amount for aftermarket.

 

Steel unless it’s a race-only car. OEM are fine for just about any non race build.