gomer

iTrader: (13)

Ok.. I've been researching the comp 918 springs and have come across alot of great information on the advantages of using a single spring. Here is an article that sums up most of what I have found so far, some really great reading that describes the tremendous benefits of this type of spring. Guess what I'll be installing on my new Patriot LS6 style heads now?

beehive spring design

robertbartsch

Yeh; I know it is a great design; too bad the quality control at the manufacturor is almost non-existent...

Translation: They shure have made a lot of springs that have broken!

gomer

iTrader: (13)

Have you heard of a "blue stripe" breaking? I know there were some bad springs initially, but not since the release of the "blue stripe" ones. I have been searching for over two weeks now and I haven't found a single person that has failed one of the newer ones? If you know of someone, please let me know what the circumstances were. I want to use these springs on my new heads and large cam, but I want all the REAL information I can get about them. I ran a set of 918's on my TR220 for a while without problems.
Thanks

Scalpel

iTrader: (4)

I don't believe there has been one reported blue stripe break on the boards as of yet. I believe Comp got their act together.

John02SS

iTrader: (47)

Great article Gomer! Good luck with the new heads and big cam! Look forward to seeing the new #'s.

John

Colonel

Interesting.

Jorday

I also haven't heard of any of the blue stripe 918 springs breaking, and know a few guys locally that are using them without problems.

nuzee

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for posting that link. I just got a set of 918s yesterday. I didn't realize that the 918s had that many benefits. Good reading!

BigPlanTransAm

interesting read. but,it was reccomended to me that the 918 spring not be use with the G5X2 cam. is this because it has greater than .600 lift? i noticed in that article it says they have 3 types of beehive springs but is there one that can handle the high lift of such a cam?

SStrokerAce

iTrader: (2)

I found that article in a Mustang Mag a few months ago, and it's exactly right. The best advantage of those springs is the weight. The mulitple resonance of the springs is also a added benefit.

As for the 918's breaking, I don't think anyone has found a new one break which is a great sign. The only downfall of those things is they can't handle the aggressive ramps the XE-R's have effectively, so you need something for the 977's for the aggressive cams.

Bret

2001CamaroGuy

iTrader: (6)

yeah.....918s (and other bee hive springs) are really "neat" design (low mass)....

too bad they won't work on anything bigger than mid 220s to 230 duration....above that people float (and brake) them.....

I just went all out from the start. I had my heads machined to fit 987s (for my TR224) and when I upgrade to a larger cam, I can direct swap to 977s...

gomer

iTrader: (13)

I was concerned about this too, but Jason from Thunder Racing told me he used the 918's in his own car back when he was running the TR230 and he spun it to 7,000rpms regularly without any signs of valve float. Also, search around for the results of thunders HUGE new reverse split, the TR236. The guy that is running it installed it in his car with the 918's he was already running. Look at his dyno graph.. no float. The more I read and hunt for information, it becomes obvious that all these "stories" about float and breakage are just that... secondhand stories, not firsthand information backed up with conclusive data

Fireball

iTrader: (21)

I run 918s no problem on a 232/232 camshaft

Krab

iTrader: (28)

That was an interesting article, I also didn't know there were that many advantages to having 918 springs. I always wondered why the coils got smaller towards the top of the spring. Does anyone know how much the titanium locks are and do you think they're worth replacing? I'm asking because I'm going to buy some Yella Terra rockers soon and if the locks are relatively cheap, then I'll replace them as well.

Jake99SS

I'm still not too keen on just a single spring. I just replaced my 941s with another set of 941s. They had >30k miles on them. I'd broken 3 in the last 8 months and none of those broken springs caused any other damage.

2001CamaroGuy

iTrader: (6)

Can the 918s be made (installed) such that they would work in place of a Comp 977?

Until that happens, the 918 will still be for "smaller" cams.

2001CamaroGuy

iTrader: (6)

has anyone ever looked into the Comp 26595?

it’s a beehive spring that is rated at:

209 @ 1.800"
370 @ 1.250"
max lift of 0.750"

it has a 2.000" install height vs. the 918's 1.800" though.....so I guess it would need a longer stem valve.....

SStrokerAce

iTrader: (2)

The 26595 is a flat tappet spring and you have to either make your own retainers (easy for guys like us with a CNC lathe) or cut down a LS1 retainer.

You would still need to have a +.200 valve to get the seated pressure down to 150lbs and the over the nose would be about 326lbs. The sick thing is you don't want to know how much they cost. You could buy at least 2 sets of 918's for their price.

On the 918's you could shim them up to 146lbs at the seat and they will do a better job on the bigger cams. At that point you are still on the fence. The reason is that you reduce the valve mass by about 17% less than the 977's, you'll have less seated pressure by 6% and about 26% less pressure over the nose. That 26% less pressure over the nose is not enough.

Now if you went to LS6 valves or Ti valves, the 26918's would work. You would drop the mass down about 40% so the differences in spring pressure would not mean as much. That setup will hold about 7,000rpm with a XE-R type lobe.

Bret

MyLS1Hauls

iTrader: (2)

I respect Bret's opinion, but I'm not sure why people think that 918s dont hold XE-R cams. Lots of guys are running them and are what Comp actually recommends. Sure they are probably a little weaker than ideal, but they seem to be working with my cam all the way to 6600.

Slowhawk

iTrader: (12)

I was concerned about this too, but Jason from Thunder Racing told me he used the 918's in his own car back when he was running the TR230 and he spun it to 7,000rpms regularly without any signs of valve float. Also, search around for the results of thunders HUGE new reverse split, the TR236. The guy that is running it installed it in his car with the 918's he was already running. Look at his dyno graph.. no float. The more I read and hunt for information, it becomes obvious that all these "stories" about float and breakage are just that... secondhand stories, not firsthand information backed up with conclusive data

[/quote]

I'm the one running the 236 and 918's with .597 lift.
They are great springs and I've never had a problem with them breaking,but with this big Cam they are floating now and made me switch to Cranes.I still recommend 918's for anything under 230/230 and .590 lift.