Engine builders have to make a variety of calculations when they are selecting parts for a build. A builder needs specific information about parts to make the right choice, and Engine Pro is making that possible with its Performance Vale Spring Progressive Chart. This chart outlines the critical dimensions for all of Engine Pro’s valve springs that are used in high-performance applications.
Performance valve springs can be used in multiple applications based on what a specific engine needs. An engine builder has to make some type of compromise between what they want, what the camshaft manufacturer suggests, and what the valvetrain needs to function. As you can imagine, that’s a tight rope to walk while still getting the most performance out of a mill, and why it’s important to know all the specs of a valve spring.
Dave Sutton from Engine Pro explains why the company developed this Performance Valve Spring Progressive Chart.
“Manufacturers and suppliers may show a particular installed pressure and open pressure, but the chart allows the builder to see approximate pressures from the valve spring at different heights and through its travel. It may be possible to use the same spring at a taller installed height, lower closed pressure, for a flat tappet camshaft, and it may also be used at a lower installed height, higher closed pressure, for say a hydraulic roller camshaft.”
Engine Pro’s main goal with this chart was to make sure engine builders knew and understood how the company’s products could be used. Valve springs take a lot of abuse, and the last thing you want is a spring to break because it wasn’t designed to work for a certain application. The wrong valve springs can also rob an engine of horsepower, so knowing what a spring is capable of will prevent unintended horsepower loss.
“Seeing the pressures at various heights also allows for some compromise for the particular lift of your camshaft and rocker arm ratio. It can allow you to see what will happen if you were to increase the rocker arm ratio and if the spring can safely allow the additional lift before coil bind. A good example would be the popular change on a small block Chevy from the stock 1.5 to a 1.6 ratio rocker arm. You can do the math and see how much lift that will add at the valve. You’ll also be able to see if the spring and the new open pressure will work, if it will be too much open pressure, or if it will bind,” Sutton explains.
You can check out the Performance Valve Spring Progressive Chart and all the springs Engine Pro offers right here.