The beehive retainer, in steel,...
The beehive retainer, in steel, weighed 15 grams.
The test began by installing the 924-1 cylindrical valvesprings on theengine and chucking it into the Spintron. We used both steel (test No.1) and titanium (test No. 2) valve retainers, along with 3/8-inch steelvalves and steel valve locks. We ran the engine up to 7,000 rpm andwatched what happened.
For tests No. 3 and No. 4, we installed the 26120 Comp beehivevalvesprings. Again, we used steel and titanium valve retainers. Whilethe look was considerably different, there was no difference in sound orany required part changes. The same valve locks were used as well.Obviously, the biggest change was the weight. The retainers weresignificantly lighter with the beehive units--dead weight, according tothe Comp engineers. "It's like installing titanium valves in yourengine," said Douglas. "Guys spend a lot of money on lightweight valveswhen they can get the same effect and the better performance of thebeehive spring for a lot less money. These springs are not expensivecomparatively to standard cylindrical springs. It's almost like freepower."
Our tests, as the charts clearly show, demonstrate that the beehivesprings, with less weight, are quicker revving and more stable than thetraditional cylindrical springs. Corvette owners who change springs withthe engine in the car can achieve the benefits of this lightervalvetrain mass. If your engine is older, a valvespring change can be aquick lift to the engine's performance. If you're ready for a camshaftchange, installing these springs allows you to select ahotter-performing camshaft due to the increased abilities of thevalvesprings to keep the valvetrain in line. If you're building anengine, these springs are a simple upgrade that any big-block enginebuilder should consider.
The steel traditional retainer...
The steel traditional retainer weighed the most at 35 grams.
The traditional cylindrical-spring...
The traditional cylindrical-spring retainer weighed 19 grams.
The beehive spring weighed...
The beehive spring weighed 99 grams. The spring's weight isn't ascritical as the retainer's weight in improving valvetrain performance.The key is that these springs are much lighter than the dual-springunit. The weight differential relates only to the part of the springthat moves during compression and rebound, rather than the entire springmass.
To perform at the level required...
To perform at the level required by the beehive spring, the traditionalvalvespring requires a dual-spring setup, this one tipping the scales at140 grams--41 grams more than the beehive spring. Some may think a dualspring is safer should the outer coil break, but that isn't the case, asinner coils are never strong enough to save the engine. If the outercoil breaks, you've got damage. Regardless, Comp reports no coilbreakage, especially with street-engine applications.
This chart shows the performance...
This chart shows the performance of traditional-style (Comp PN 911-1)valvesprings (same style as 924-1 units noted previously) andhigh-performance beehive units (Comp PN 26120) on the big-block engine.While the slight horsepower gains are positive, the beehive springsallow for bigger-lift camshafts and are more durable due to less weight.
This dyno sheet, from Joe...
This dyno sheet, from Joe Sherman Racing, details the power and torqueof the traditional cylindrical springs in a high-horsepower, high-rpmengine application.
In similar fashion to the...
In similar fashion to the previous photos, this dyno sheet shows theimproved performance of the beehive springs on the same big-blockengine. Improvements range from 1-2 hp up to 12 hp with just a springchange.
The beehive springs reduce...
The beehive springs reduce weight as shown in this photo; the beehivespring is at top. This weight reduction is comparable to installingtitanium valves, without the cost. In addition, larger valve stems arenot required because of increased spring stability.