Re: valve spring height

[Simon Favre <simon@domain.elided>]

It's kind of like the performance springs you put in the suspension. They
are shorter too. Valve springs are specified by fitted length and fitted
load. The new springs have a higher spring rate than the old ones. This 
means that at the normal fitted height, they will be under more pressure 
than the stock ones. At max lift, they will be under quite a bit more 
pressure than the stock ones. The pressure at max lift is important for 
cam and follower longevity. The other thing to watch out for is coil bind. 
Make sure that the cam (esp. a high lift one) doesn't cause the coils in 
the valve spring to completely collapse. In an Alfa head, this is 
difficult to observe, except by the broken pieces. ;=(

anthony rondeau wrote:

>I bought some performance valve springs and matched them up against my 
>used springs and found the new springs to be shorter.  Does this sound 
>correct? I would have thought they would be the same or taller.

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