Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

Has anybody had luck with a mini Valve spring tester?
Looking at pro form 700lbs version.
http://www.proformparts.com/product-det ... increments

Is this speedway a Better buy?
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway ... ,3476.html


I know a rimac is much Better but cant justify th cost of it for one build a year.

The first one is like a Yother i bought many years ago ,,,then i bought a Crane calibration spring!! ,,,,,, and found it to be plus or minus whatever it felt like on the day i used it , the second one is the same as the first with a different action , both are hydraulic so have their own variables , if the tool is accurate enough for what you need go for it [+ - 5-10 lb], [but that is only my opinion].
I bought my Rimac digital some time back and it is an excellent tool and consistent according to the calibration spring.
To the best of my knowledge Rimac have not been manufactured for a while [definitely correct me if i am wrong]
Performance trends is going to be the next product i buy if my Rimac digital dies , the plus version suits what i need , more information than what you need is always better than less.

Cheers and Merry Christmas and a great new year to all of you !!!!!!!!!!!

If I did not have my Rimac and needed a small tester, then the speedway looks more versatile to me!

Goodson supply use to have a nice one for vise usage, but now they only have 2 that go from $899.00 on up!

I have a mini for many years. I use it with my press. Is it the best system? No, If you don't mind being a nut about measuring the distance you compress the spring it will do a good job. Thanks, Charlie

Most of our local engine shops wil test one or two springs for me free...all 16 for ten bucks. But I also am a customer.... not a big spender but a customer.

Having a local engine shop test your springs in their "real" spring tester (Rimac or similar) makes more sense than spending money on spring testers that are not accurate . . . . . . .

I have both. The small one is surprisingly accurate. With my calibration spring that’s 162# @ 1.4” the gauge reads just over 160. It’s marked in 5# increments so you can read within a couple pounds either way. It’s a Tavia.

I'm not anyone special but what I would do is check the same spring 5 times and average the results. I'd also check the springs new and write it down for future reference.
With cheap tools, repeating is the most important part of the equation so averaging is the best bet.

http://www.lsmproducts.com/products/ben ... ng_testers

Don't personally own one of these but LSM's other products are top notch

FYI Just noticed there's a used one for sale in the shop equipment classified section on this site

I would use the proform or similar style for checking seat pressure and not to extreme over the nose pressure. They are accurate and easy to work with in a drill press or vise.Get one that's within the intended spring pressure range you intend to use. The particular speedway tester you posted i wouldn't waste the money on it. The proform mini vise arbor style should do everything you need it to do at half the cost.

I did a quick comparison between my old Yother and the Rimac digital ,the Rimac reads 5lb under test pressures for the same lift points as the calibration graph, so all readings are +5lb . As stated earlier i bought the Rimac after buying the calibration spring .When i was using the Yother all the time i ended up replacing the original pressure gauge with a Floyd precision hydraulic gauge in an attempt for consistency.
100lb on Yother = 116lb on Rimac
200lb " " =212.9lb " "
300lb " " =314.7lb " "
If the later offerings of hydraulic tester are better they could be the way to go for some .
Sorry about the photo quality ,left hand shots with a right hand camera.

Cheers.

One thing I noticed, is the variable of temperature for the calibration spring and The springs being tested. I have seen a 20 lb. difference from morning to the heat of the day.

rfoll wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2017 11:32 am One thing I noticed, is the variable of temperature for the calibration spring and The springs being tested. I have seen a 20 lb. difference from morning to the heat of the day.

that is why you want a good oil flow over the springs and not cut back on the oil flow to them

Havent decided how to do yet.

Is this type realible and accurate? If its good quality and accurate I could maybe live with the 400$ pricetag.
https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/ ... /overview/

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/ ... /overview/

Of is there a downside buying the 1000 lbs version over the 600lbs version. Like harder to read etc. shouldnt springs be checked with the retainer in a tester like this?
I will probably never build anything other than hyd roller engines so the 1000 lbs is overkill.

I have one of the mini ones, when it’s put under pressure the gauge climbs, then drops a bit. I think it’s caused by an air bubble in the hydraulic cylinder...it builds heat as the pressure increases, then cools immediately and the pressure drops a bit causing the gauge to drop. I don’t trust it at all and would rather have a mechanical beam type or digital load cell type.
Somewhere on Speedtalk is a picture of a fixture built by Bill Jones to calibrate a torque wrench using a spring tester. I think a person could build a similar fixture to test valve springs using a torque wrench for measurement of force. Of course, then you’d need to know how accurate the torque wrench is.