Why Titanium Retainers
Valve spring retainers are responsible for keeping the correct pressure on the valve spring by locating it between the spring seat and the retainer itself. This pressure that varies according to the position of the valve when actuated by the camshaft is what controls the whole valvetrain and it’s a critical aspect of a performance engine.
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It is always a good idea to reduce the mass of the valves, valvesprings, valve locks, and retainers because dynamic forces seen at the valve increase with the square of the RPM (exponentially), so the higher the rpm, the more important it is to cut valvetrain mass.
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If the mass of the valvetrain gets too high for the spring rate, engine rpm and camshaft profile then it quickly gets out of control, resulting in valve float, loss of power, valve wear, piston to valve contact or valve to valve contact. This must be avoided at all cost so we have two solutions: more spring pressure or lighter valvetrain or both.
More spring pressure is a great way of better controlling the valvetrain but has limitations:
1 - Stiffer springs generally allow for lower maximum lift because the spring coils are thicker and more prone to coil bind
2 - Stiffer springs take more horsepower to compress when the engine is running which means lost horsepower
3 - They induce higher wear rates on the valves seats, the valve tips and camshafts lobes
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On the other hand reducing valvetrain weight has no drawbacks, it makes for a more efficient engine, with the ability to rev higher without loss of valve control which means more RPM and more horsepower.
Switching from steel retainers to titanium retainers is the most usual way to reduce valvetrain weight. The reduction in weight comes from the fact that titanium is around 42% less dense than steel (4500 vs 7700 kg/m3). In practice, for example the Yamaha FJ1100/1200/XJR steel retainers weight 8g each while our titanium ones weight only 4,3 grams. This weight quickly adds up as you multiply by 16.
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Another advantage when you change to a titanium retainer the opportunity to optimise the design, including reducing the overall height of the retainer to allow for more camshaft lift without having contact between the bottom of the retainer and the valve stem seal (with the added benefit of even lower weight as a consequence).
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The only drawbacks to a titanium retainer is that it is more expensive (titanium isn't cheap) and it wears quicker than steel and this is why you don’t see them often used in production engines. We offer our retainers with a tuff nitriding treatment that protects the surface of the retainer from this increased wear.
In conclusion, titanium retainers are an effective performance modification that allows better valvetrain control for race engines and modified street engines where the RPM is higher than stock and where the camshaft profile produces higher rates of acceleration to the valves.