Titanium valve check...
 

Fyi to anyone that thinks they can get away with Ti valves, they figured out how to check for that now. Very simple test. Measure the displacement of the valve, figure the mass based on steel, wham bam.
I am glad that they came up with this method. Pretty basic. One NHRA guy told me that the only way to check was to put it on a valve grinder and see what kind of sparks it throws.
That might upset a racer.
Its too bad they dont have time or maybe the manpower to do more teardowns. Its what always made Indy relevant in my mind.
I only know 2 cars they checked, which were the hemis, that believe it or not had steel valves.
If we can run those engines as high as we do with steel, anyone that thinks they need Ti might want to research cam suppliers, I know a guy..
thanks
cw

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

Anyone tech crew that can calculate that?

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

I dont claim to be an expert but couldnt you check the valves with a magnet ?

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

Not if it certain grades of stainless.

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

I run Ti valves is a Modifed motor and I will say it was the cheapest investment I have made. Disregarding the weight issue, considering the tight valve to piston clearance when trying to maximize CR, the slightest touch and a stainless valve gets bent. I have hit pistons to the point denting them with a Ti valve and they stayed straight. They are the next best thing to rubber when it comes to accidental contacting of a piston. I have a box full of bent stainless valves, no bent Ti valves.

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

316 series stainless is non-magnetic, and 400 series is slightly magnetic. The only time you may have a magnet adhere to a Stainless or Titanium valve is when they have hardened tips installed and it will be the only area of the valve the magnet will adhere to.

Only a handful of OEM and paper engines have Titanium valves. In Super Stock class, if the OEM valves were Sodium filled, they may be replaced with Titanium if the weight is equal to or greater than the original.

You can still pick up power by running hollow stem Stainless valves.

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

Great question!
300 and 400 series Stainless steel has a vast difference in the percentage of Chromium. 300 series also has Nickel, and Molybdenum while the 400 series does not. Therefore, they have different weight densities. In addition, how do they account for weight variations for hollow stem valves based on the length of the valve?

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

The tech guys could sonic check for hollow stems, they allready have a sonic checker for cage thickness.

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

There are devices that can conclusively ID the material without removing the head, just remove the valve spring. With the spring off one can check the stem with an XRF metal analyzer. These are accurate and as small as a few pounds. The cost can be an issue as ones just for this type of test would be around $15K new, less for refurbished plus, they can be rented. If there are other components such as chassis parts that need the material verified it's possible the cost could be justified. I've used these, they're super easy to use and accurate.
This article has all the basic info on this technology - https://blog.metalvp.com/articles/ha...-honest-review

Re: Titanium valve check...
 

316 stainless has moly not 304