Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: Richard48Y on Wednesday,May 18, 2022, 01:25:37 PM
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Anyone here used or have a source for Ti valves to fit a TS head?
Since I am rebuilding the head anyway now would be the time for any possible upgrade.
Also interested in Beehive springs.
Unless there is an extant source it seems I may run into a minimum order issue.
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TC engines can be made to rev albeit with lower valve guide life. You can get forged cranks, heck, even cranks from billet. For the crossflow, not so much. Cam wear increases dramatically when you get above 7k. Cranks also have issues at revs.
Crossflows do, however, breath very well. Maximizing valve size, flowing the ports carefully give good results. The other thing easily (somewhat) done is increasing displacement. A reliable 1800 is no problem. I’ve seen 1950cc as well but no idea how reliable.
All this is a long way of saying that lightening the valve train isn’t necessarily the best place to open up the wallet. You can spend a LOT of money to get to 160hp (or more) and the soccer mom’s van will still smoke you at the line.
Finally, if you want more power, there are cheaper engines to build on that will make SERIOUS power.
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Actually not looking for more power so much as easing strain on the valve-train.
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Maybe titanium push rods would be cheaper and more effective way to lighten the valve train.
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Hmmm, maybe so.
Source?
And didn't we have a thread on roller rockers, whatever happened with that?
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The air-cooled VW and Porsche crowd have all sorts of otherwise unobtainium goodies. Custom pushrods is one of them due to the various stroker cranks available.
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Maybe titanium push rods would be cheaper and more effective way to lighten the valve train.
Richard Winter was using Titanium pushrods on his renault engined racecars since the early nineties I believe. I would definitely talk to him as I recall him telling me how he kept bending the standard rods at RPM