retainers are not needed unless the car is being revved over 9k.... not many cars rev that high. dont call him cheap when hes just asking a question

the gsc beehive springs ARE MADE TO BE USED WITH STOCK RETAINERS.

 

stock retainers are 4 grams.
titanium retainers for regular spring are 9 grams.
less weight makes the springs job easier.

the stock retainers is thick. it come very close to valve stem seal at full lift. so if you over rev engine and follower leaves cam lobe it wont go far. the retainer runs into the seal like a bump stop. very nice feature of stock retainers.

I love the stock retainer gsc beehive combo. its an excellent choice for most every ones build.

 

you guys are amazing, thanks for the advice.

thats all i needed to know.

just wanted to confirm whether it was a true statement to use stock retainers with aftermarket beehive springs.

this car will see street only and very few times a week will this car be driven.

i wont go past 7500 regardless so hopefully statements above are true,

thank you again!

 

+1

 

I wouldn't have reused my stock retainers when I had my beehive singles installed if I wasn't sure that they'd work great. If you ever have any further questions about it though, I recommend you follow-up with Greg from GSC.

 

Gsc beehives $200 , supertech dual springs and retainers $300 for $100 dollars more you have a complete package done with knowing you can do whatever you want..

 

You can get the beehive singles for about $150ish when you buy them with GSC cams.

 

Only partially true. You have to rip the head completely apart to fit the supertech seats, probably have to have the head off for that for sure. Added cost and time. The GSC's are simple drop-ins on the stock seats, put stock retainers back on top and you're good to go.

 

Cheap

Just to be clear, its not so much that i'm calling anyone cheap. Its just such a small cost overall that its one of those things u just do. But to each their own.

 

Me and my friend had them done at a shop and no head was taken off and was done with the head intact .The cost was around $250 to have them installed and had them done and were installed within 2 hours..

 

That's some expensive labor!

 

reviving dead thread because I am in the same boat as the OP and did the search function.

A lot of you must like burning money, if the manufacturer says they aren't needed...and they infact manufacture their own to sell as well, then they most likely....aren't needed.

If HKS, GSC, Comp, BC etc...all make springs as well as retainers, but they say you don't NEED their retainers, i'd believe them.

My car is setup with GSC S2s, and I just wanted extra insurance, GSC doesn't even require valve SPRINGS on their S2s, let alone their retainers. Unless you push 30+ psi or rev past 7500. SO the company that makes the cams...makes springs...and retainers...and will still tell you all you need is the cams. So why buy retainers? Unless its a drag/track car.

Also, having worked at a machine shop for years, and made components like retainers...the idea of charging 150-400 dollars for essentially 16 glorified washers is insane. Once you have a good lathe setup, cooled, and a blade jig made, you could cut 100 of these in 5 minutes.

 

Well for what it's worth, I run GSC S2's and installed MAP beehive springs with the oem retainers since it was the "affordable and recommended method". 2 months later I noticed my car smoking @ idle so I removed my valve cover to check my valve stem seals. While in there I noticed 2 of my oem retainers cracked nearly in half, fortunately I didn't drop a valve. I did the cam/spring install myself at home, however when I found the cracked retainers I was away from home TDY and had to pay a shop $600 labor to do my seals and retainers. So my best advice is to do both seals and retainers when swapping cams/springs.