So i have found a place that will check my retainers for a good price and i was thinking i had might as well just swap them if they are truly the weak link in the F20... i was planing on using F22 retainers but then i noticed that Skunk2 and Crower make titanium retainers and i was just wondering if anyone has used them and if they are worth the extra money?

 

I don't think titanium retainers last nearly as long as the stock retainers. My understanding is that they are more for the high HP turbo guys that plan to change them again in 10,000 miles or so. I'd personally check them out, if they look good just forget about it and enjoy the car. If they look bad replace them with F22 retainers. How many miles are on your car? Have you ever overreved it? Did you buy it new?

My car has 76,000 miles on it, over 50,000 of those supercharged. I pulled the valve cover and checked out the retainers and they looked just like the day it rolled off the assembly line.

 

Titanium retainers are to reduce weight in the valvetrain, not for strength. They raise the RPM for valve float, so you can rev higher (with approriate tuning mods). From what I understand, they are weaker than steel retainers and must be inspected regularly for fatigue. Steel is better suited for a street vehicle.

 

They will lower the mass in the valve train. I'm not sure that it would make a large change. If you are in the upper rpm range often it might be worthwile.

When I rebuilt my 93 RSA engine I did use Ti retainers at the suggestion of my tech.

 

its a 2000 w/ 57,000kms on it.
the first day i got the car i pulled a so called money shift screwin around... it was quick but i have read that it doesnt take long at all so i thought i might as well change them out to AP2 retainers becaue i do plan on Auto-Xing the car so it would be safe insurance

 

The strength of the titanium retainer would depend on the alloy used. You can get 170ksi yield and 180 UTS out of a titanium alloy. That compares well with many steel alloys. As with any high strength alloy the surface condition is extremely important. Poorly machined holes and/or scratches can lead to premature faiure.

 

Ti retainers gall...expect to replace them every 15-25k miles. From pics I've seen of a set on an f20, the galling seems pretty severe.

OEM last much longer and are safe so long as you don't screw up.

 

It's not a matter of being "worth the money". They are not as durable. The only reason to use them is if you need or want a higher RPM limit.

I have them on my car, but only because it's a track-only car. I expect to get 4-5 years out of them. If I were daily driving it, that would be 1-2 years and that would just be too much trouble.

 

What was the Gear, How fast were you going? For this to really be worth your worry, you had to be going faster than 68-70mph in second or 93-95mph in 3rd. First would have had to been faster than 45ish, but a 1st money shift is rare.

To get to 10,000rpms
1st: 48mph
2nd: 73mph
3rd: 101mph

http://www.turnzero.com/technical_resource...gear_calculator