what is a good valve spring/retainer brand to use for a NA crvtec setup. im kinda on a budget but i still dont want to take the easy way out and get the cheapest shit

 

import builder.....good stuff....

 

JG dynamics

 

Skunk2 makes great cams, but stay away from their valve trains.

My current motor is all custom, however my last motor was Eibach springs & Crower titanium retainers. Not to pricey

 

If you're good with moderate cams like skunk stage 1 or CTR cams then run the ITR valvetrain. You can rev it to 9500. If you are gonna use a more aggressive cam like Stage 2 Skunks, Toda, ect, then use titanium.

 

what do you have against skunk2's valve trains? personal experience? mine's working out great with 8,000 mile on it, seeing 10,000 rpms quite frequently.

for a mild/budget CR/VTEC build, ITR springs and retainers are probably the way to go.

 

No, I do not have any experience with Sk2 valve trains...but my head porter does. So, when it comes to heads...and this does...I listen to him.

 

does he actually have a bad experience, or is he just passing on the same information? i've heard many shop owners say "oh, brand whatever sucks, i would never install that on a customer's car," but then under pressure will admit that they've never actually had a bad experience with brand whatever.

skunk2 valve trains have a real bad rap in the community, but before i got mine, i grilled everyone who badmouthed them on honda-tech to see if i could find tangible, first hand experience of a skunk2 vt failure. i found several, mostly due to improper installs, and only 1 that was a manufacturing defect (retainer snapped in half). in that case, skunk2 fixed everything for free.

on a related note, this happens all the time i've found. if you're ever board and looking for an interesting read, search honda-tech for aebs intake manifold or something. when they first came out, somebody came on and said it added like 15 hp, and the whole community went nuts. it became common knowledge that aebs IMs added 15 hp. but if you read through the longer threads, when they were finally independently verified, the claims were bunk, and they actually seem to be pretty crappy products. but reading the history of all the hype is pretty interesting... aebs must have sold several hundred to people who said, "well, even if only adds 1/3 of the power they claim, it's still a good deal." (it doesnt, and it's not).

 

Yes he has used them, and is one of the best head porters in the biz. He switched to a different brand/set up a few years back even though he is still a Sk2 dealer. If you would like to talk to him I can hook you up...but he is not local. Hell, talk to any good head porter for that matter.

Honda-Tech is a place to go if you want to bandwagon. Yes, alot of people mouth off shit without knowing what the fuck they are talking about. I don't really deal with H-T much anymore. Just lurk.

If you ever want a no shit good answer about anything, go see what the pros use...and WHY! Talking to people at performance shops is not the way to find out what is good and what is bad. Remember, although they may be good guys and do outstanding work...they are there to make money.

 

crower titanium retainers & dual valve springs...& a set of 402's