Have any of you out there had titanium retainers in your setup long enough to know how long they last before wearing down to the point of not being usable? I've been told they should be replaced after 20,000 miles or so, and I've been told that titanium is a superior metal and can withstand much longer wear...Which is right...Anyone got any first hand experience with these (actually put the mileage on them) Skunk II's in particular?

 

Seen a car at work one time, guy claim it was on there for 6 months/10,000 miles.
One crack in half, others were thin or had slight crack, or worn out.

Rocket's TI is warranty for life, btw.

If not, OEM is proven too.

-Bert

 

get them nitride coated if you're that worried about it.

 

If you purchase a set of retainers and springs such as the REVs that are a snap fit into the spring and the retainers shouldnt wear because they aren't spinning on the end of the spring.

 

I would love to hear some more info on this too. I have read conflicting opinions too. How about some real proof and not "yea they suck" BS.

 

i had about 10-15k on my skunk2 springs and retainers before i pulled them out, and u konw what? not so much as a wear mark in them where the springs sit.

 

so is this a "lifetime" mod as long as a piston/rod doesnt go smashing through the head? cause i am either considering the revhards chromoly valvesprings/retainers for my sohc when i get my crower stage 2 cam. or thinking that titanium would be / is one of the strongest alloys available to the public, you'd think this is the obvious choice. then again titanium can be weaker then steel of not produced properly. and again this really depends on how the manufacturer "scans" for defects within its product before it being shipped out to the customer. i forgot which brand it was, but they x-rayed, and did a few other scans on their Ti valve springs and retainers before they were shipped out to you, which is because it would guarantee a product that should last for a really long time. this is a really good question for both the people with turbo/all motor /highrevving applications. i'd like to see if any others can share their knowledges on this topic.
i tried to give a little info on what i knew. dont know if it helped but yea...
thanks
chris

 

i could be wrong, but why the **** would a company like skunk2 make a product that protects the head of ur motor wear out after 20k miles??

/me thinks theyll weather fine. at least i hope mine do

 

Skunk2 don't claim any head protection for the motor as a result of using their retainers; they state reduced valvetrain mass. Also, being for competition use, it's up to you to ensure your motor's running properly.

 

The aftermarket retainers were not meant to last long. Why don't they tell you? Because they want you to buy them. The titanium retainers are lighter in order to allow you to rev higher by a few HUNDRED (not thousand) and also are better for heat. But titanium is a much softer alloy, thus being able to be worn more easily. Stock ITR retainers are good to rev past 9k and will last much longer. It's not worth the money, unless you're ready to be checking your retainers every 15k miles. And as for getting them nitride coated, why not just nitride coat stock retainers and have them last longer? I used to think that retainers should be purchased alongside of the rest of the valvetrain until I began researching them. You have to learn WHY you purchase anything before you throw them in your engine. That way you can save yourself money and a hassle and allow that money to be spent eslewhere.

 

generally...they're said to last 30k miles....BUT, that depends on the condition of the usage

some will last longer, some will last a LOT longer, and some wont last...

but, they're usually good for the life of the engine, considering if you have a built/ highly modded engine...you don't have a HUGE life expectancy anyways

 

i know of a few echc racers that replace their toda retainers every season or 2...

just make sure to check them every once in a while, you will be able to see if they are worn, the edges will become sharp.

 

So i can use skunk2 stage 2 cams with skunk2 valvesprings and type r retainers?

 

As someone who has Skunk2 TI retainers, I can say that mine are in perfect condition for the amount of abuse they have taken. They have seen high revs and has been used approximately 4,000 hard miles.

Right before purchasing them last year, a person broght a set in with 2 damaged retainers with outter rings that had come completely off. That scared me a bit, but decided to go ahead with my purchase. As for now, I am happy with them.

 

not all retainers are created equal

things to consider
-design
is it a press fit design? as in, does it fit snuggly into the valve spring?
if its not a tight fit, then the retainer moves or "wiggles" around in the spring. that is what leads to wear
-material
there are alot of different ti grades out there. do the research on what is best and what the manufactuters use
-machining of the retainer
some retainers are done fast with not much attention to detail. leaving quality a variable with the retainer. considering there are 16 retainers in a dohc inline 4, it leads some possibility that one of them could have an error in production


ti isnt soft per say. the reason why they could ware is because of when ti is in contact with another metal and there is contanst abbresion/friction, then that will lead to ti retainer wear

some people/companys offer lifetime warranty. make sure that you find out the full details of what that means. like if you need to have it installed by a machine shop (someone who knows what they are doing) or what set of springs need to be used with it to have a life time warranty
also factor in that if you have a ti retainer break, then its your whole engine that will get screwed up.
if the valve drops then it leads to the head getting screwed up, the piston getting screwed up, the cylinder wall getting screwed up, and metal shaving going into your oil system possibly leading to metal under the bearings.

is the ti retainer company able to actually cover replacement of all those parts if their product breaks?

how are you going to prove that is was their fault? thats a hard thing to do sometimes based upon the situation.

research is your friend
knowledge=power

 

I used to have Jun 3's and jun ti retainers on my car, and after 40k of driving they were still fine.

 

the skunk2 one's are pretty thick compared to the other ones people are running...but do remember a lot of retainer companies have had plenty of mishaps with some batches of retainers before.

i bought my retainers used so i know their good. :D also they have zero damage to them...they look new!

 

<-- running nitride coated skunk2s.......@11,000 miles on them, taken to 9300rpm daily, and they're mint

 

the skunk2 ones HAVE to be thick to deal with their shitty *** springs

high seat pressure = BAD

 

dammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Jason, you got pwned

 

[QUOTE=[TODA R] 2000]

Really.. b/c TODA doesn't make retainers.

[QUOTE]

they said they had toda valve train.. cams and springs and whathave you...... i was assuming they had toda retainers. oh well

 

here, this is prime example, 15k on them

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=378196

I have some broken ones here at work, i'll post some pics saturaday.

 

Guys these are race parts they are not meant to be on a daily driven car that sees 1000s of miles. I dont see why people complain and im not really sure how many of you would notice the difference between Ti retainers and stockers in the same motor. Maybe it would shorten you mod list up that much but I think that would be the most noticable thing otherwise you wouldnt know the difference. Sure they help when you are trying to eek the last bit out of yer motor and who isnt? I would think if you dint go to extreme to lighten your valves and the other reciprocating masses then whats the point of retainers esp if they will not last?

Why does a company like skunk 2 make these things? Becuase people put races parts on their cars and race them.

Oh titanium is a very hard brittle metal. Chromoly is harder but titanium is harder. Chromoly depending on if it has been heat treated or not is brittle as well. I am not a metalurgist but i have worked with both metals over the years.