Beehive springs

[hotrod 80]

Swapped out to a set of these on my Hydraulic roller motor . Keepers and retainers are way lighter than conventional . This technology is great . Higher spring rate with a single spring than i had with conventional dual spring . Great upgrade . Thanks Super 73

[BR3W CITY]

I'm still trying to understand the exact limititations or preferred uses for the beehive spring. It seems like they are great to rev on, since the lower spring pressures mean it can react faster without fighting the spring...but how can that same lower spring pressure also prevent float in those higher rpm?

Anyone tried them with boost? Its been a dual-spring world for a while.
I'd like to hear more about ur experience with them.

Is there really a weight savings?

[Super73]

There is a savings on spring mass. The math is 1/2 of the spring weight is seen at the valve, the other half at the head, same idea as sprung and unsprung weight for suspension components. Add the smaller OD of the retainer meaning less weight there as well. If they are titanium, well, there is even more.

Weight at the valve side is much more important than weight on the lifter side. As rpm increases that weight becomes more important, it is not linear, more of a bell curve.

Sure to the shape of the spring, harmonics are better and less need for a dampner as well.

They do have limits. But will work great in many applications.

They can work on a boosted application provided the cam lobe is not overly aggressive. Shim them to .060" of bind to get seat pressure up and that will help with the valve bouncing off the seat. Also, use the lightest valve you can.

Brew, if you are planning on using a comp 918 for your application, you might consider a turned down hollow l92 valve. Mine are 2.08" and weigh 87 or 89 grams (memory is not there tonight). My previous 2.08" weighed 117 grams. That is a huge help for valve control.

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by Super73

Brew, if you are planning on using a comp 918 for your application, you might consider a turned down hollow l92 valve. Mine are 2.08" and weigh 87 or 89 grams (memory is not there tonight). My previous 2.08" weighed 117 grams. That is a huge help for valve control.

Good info, and thanks for the response dude. I actually found out last night I'll be getting a fully worked set of 317's, and we've got about $1k in Manley titanium valvetrain stuff sitting in the corner. I think with the Ti we should see the improvements in response pretty much right away.

[Super73]

Curious what one of the TI intake valves weigh. Care to share weight and diameter?

[hotrod 80]

The Beehive for me worked great and my valves are the hollow sodium? filled style

[Super73]

Glad to hear they are doing their job!

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by Super73

Curious what one of the TI intake valves weigh. Care to share weight and diameter?

I gotta get down to the other garage and tear back into them all, but when I do I can try to get that stuff for ya. I'm curious how they are going to "feel" in the valvetrain, the difference in noise etc.

[BigDan3131]

Beehives are old tech already, conical springs are the new way to go. The October issue of Chevy High Performance has a great article about them.