Upgrading to Stainless Steel Valves Question

Onefast99gsx · 01-22-2007

HI Guys- Well in regards to my other thread about re-ringing, i pulled the head off over the weekend. I think it's time to change the valves while the head is off due to the mileage and high rpms.

I might as well upgrade to Stainless valves. My local machine shop who mostly builds stock car engines said that changing the guides isn't necessary if the clearance is proper. He runs stainless valves and steel guides all the time in stock engines without issues. I read elsewhere that you should change to a bronze/manganese guide though because of the differences of heat expansions. He did say he would check the clearance for me.

So... do any of you run stainless valves with the stock valve guides. Is this ok to do?

Thanks.

**Goat Blower** · 01-22-2007

I've never heard that you can't. It's just a matter if the old ones are still in spec, which I highly doubt. New valve guides with your expensive valves is cheap insurance to not have to pull the head again when your car starts burning oil regularly. SS valves are more durable than the stockers which is good because the exhaust valves take a real beating. Titanium is even better but also uber expensive.

Onefast99gsx · 01-22-2007

Thanks for the input Steve. Since I posted, I decided that I'm at least going to have the stock guides checked for wear. If they are ok, i'm just going to leave them alone and get the SS Valves from RRE. They are an upgrade from stock which is really all I need. They are $8 each. I have to remind myself that this is not a race car. It's a street car that is occasionally taken to the strip about 4x a year. I don't want to be too buried into the project where i'm still working on it in April.

**Goat Blower** · 01-22-2007

They're probably overkill for your app, but at $8/each, that's cheaper than stock valves.

Onefast99gsx · 01-22-2007

Thanks Steve.... yes, orignally i was just gonna get stock OEM ones, just because the head is off and there is about 90k miles on them. So a little better than stock is fine for me. I would probably only estimate 400-425hp would be the most this engine sees on the 50 trim.

**JET** · 01-22-2007

I run 1mm over coated SS valves on stock guides, but I did have them replaced.