question on titanium valves

white97T/A · 06-18-2007, 08:47 PM

I was wondering if there would be any advantage to use Ti valves in a street/strip type engine.. for example with say a peak RPM of 6500 - 6700. I know that Ti has advantages in high RPM applications due to its light weight, but is there any advantage at the 6500 RPM level? Also what is the lifespan of Ti versus typical valves guys are using for example ferra 6000's or comprable.. Would there be any technical reason NOT to use them if the price wasn't a concern?

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BMoney · 06-19-2007, 01:18 AM

titanium valves are very expensive, and are really only good for 1 maybe 2 seasons. after that they can get very hard and brittle. if your only spinning your motor to 6500 I would not even think about Titanium valves. my old motor I had in another car had s/s valves and I spun it to 8600 rpms.

Built LT1 · 06-19-2007, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMoney

titanium valves are very expensive, and are really only good for 1 maybe 2 seasons. after that they can get very hard and brittle. if your only spinning your motor to 6500 I would not even think about Titanium valves. my old motor I had in another car had s/s valves and I spun it to 8600 rpms.

Titanium valves only last one or two seasons?? Are you sure?? Don't titanium valves come factory on all sport bikes and many sports cars? The Z06 comes with titanium valves and I'm sure many other OEM cars do as well. I thought the only negative about titanium valves would be cost. So if cost weren't a factor then everyone would want them for reliable performance?

rskrause · 06-19-2007, 04:32 AM

You don't need them for 6,500rpm. They are very expensive and hard to machine. The light weight can make a huge difference in the rpm potential of an all out motor, especially where large valves are used. A very nice alternative, if lighter valves are needed, are hollow stem steel valves. As far as longevity, I don't know of any issues but I never thought about using them in a street car. OTOH, the LS7 does use them and has a 100K warranty.

Rich

95ttoplt1 · 06-19-2007, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rskrause

OTOH, the LS7 does use them and has a 100K warranty.

Rich

And they aren't dropping valves like the 6.1 hemi with hollow steel valves are. Kind of a funny thought.

SStrokerAce · 06-19-2007, 12:39 PM

If the LS7 had steel valves it wouldn't last 100,000 miles. A 86g stock valve in Ti would be more around 120+g which is seriously heavy and not going to last 100,000 miles with any valvespring.

Bret

Dan Parker '96 · 06-19-2007, 10:34 PM

Is this fancy or to help your setup? Post all your specs and I'll bet you will be able to get it sorted out in quick fashion with the brain power that will follow.

white97T/A · 06-20-2007, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Parker '96

Is this fancy or to help your setup? Post all your specs and I'll bet you will be able to get it sorted out in quick fashion with the brain power that will follow.

I don't really have any specs per se.. was just asking more from a "bench racing" perspective... if on any given engine if you dropped in lighter valves, with no other changes would you see any gains? After further evaluation I am thinking no. Obviously there is more to consider in the whole package to determine if a particular engine needs lighter valves to work properly (eliminate/ reduce valve float) and gain longevity(by not breaking springs) etc.

I have caught my self thinking a lot about little things that could be changed to gain a few more HP over the normal setups that you see.. a lot of guys have the same or similar heads and cam combos, and rotating assemblies.. so for some reason when I do get the opportunity to build up my motor, I want to have a few more HP than one would normally expect. for example if a given Head/cam combo is consistanly making 420 RWHP, I want to run a similar Head/cam combo and end up with 450 RWHP. I already have a couple things on my wish list, but still just thinking and planning. I am starting to think that aiming for the lightest weight crank/rods/pistons, may be a good area to focus on.

rskrause · 06-20-2007, 03:20 PM

Not unless the valves are not being controlled with existing components. What Ti valves accomplish is to allow valve control at higher rpm and/or with more aggressive ramps at a given spring pressure.

Rich