[lDejavul]

I've been looking at the LME timing chain guide but its $240 bucks and that seems like a stretch for upgrading a $30 tensioner to a guide.

Has anyone seen this Texas Speed one or have any general thoughts on it? Seems like a good compromise for only $99 and gets you away from a tensioner.

TSP Timing Guide

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by lDejavul

I've been looking at the LME timing chain guide but its $240 bucks and that seems like a stretch for upgrading a $30 tensioner to a guide.

Has anyone seen this Texas Speed one or have any general thoughts on it? Seems like a good compromise for only $99 and gets you away from a tensioner.

TSP Timing Guide

Looks pretty much just like the LME one to me.

[GreyGhost702]

They work the same. LME uses a 1 piece billet aluminum design. Can't tell what the TSP guide is made of but it's not a 1 piece design, it has composite (plastic) pads on the guide ends. This makes it at least a 3 piece design. The pads will wear much faster than the billet aluminum. 60k miles, 120k miles, who knows. I'd be upset if the black portion wasn't at least steel though. It's definitely the budget piece between the two. I've lost $150 (way more) in a slot machine before, so the LME still felt like a good deal to me and that's what I'm running. I think the updated OEM tensioner would've been just fine, but I like billet stuff.

[lDejavul]

Have you actually seen the LME chain guide? It sounds like either they changed the way its made or you haven't actually seen one. That looks like it has composite (plastic) pads on the guide ends. I think I'll save some money and check out the TSP one. Maybe LME will end up lowering their price since they aren't the only option in town anymore.

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by lDejavul

Have you actually seen the LME chain guide? It sounds like either they changed the way its made or you haven't actually seen one. That looks like it has composite (plastic) pads on the guide ends. I think I'll save some money and check out the TSP one. Maybe LME will end up lowering their price since they aren't the only option in town anymore.

Yeah, timing chain guides are often plastic as are many OEM ones. I don’t know anyone trying for 100,000 miles on their race engine lol.

[GreyGhost702]

Originally Posted by lDejavul

Have you actually seen the LME chain guide? It sounds like either they changed the way its made or you haven't actually seen one. That looks like it has composite (plastic) pads on the guide ends. I think I'll save some money and check out the TSP one. Maybe LME will end up lowering their price since they aren't the only option in town anymore.

Well nail me to a cross and pour gasoline on me. I could have swore it was a solid chunk of metal. But I guess using a plastic composite wear pad makes more sense.

I stand corrected. I guess I didn’t really notice the pads with all the hypnotic billet bling. If the TSP one is steel, that would be the price difference. And yes, I have actually installed one and fondled it, too. Just didn’t recall the piece correctly. A thousand pardons for my error, sir.

[Katech_Mike]

Support the innovator and not the copier. I'm all for competition in the market but when you knock off a product basically 1 for 1 I can't get behind that. We will only use LME chain guides in our builds that require one.

[lDejavul]

While I don't like companies ripping other companies designs off. I don't think much of this is original from LME either. They just took the original LS2 dogbone and gave it 3 bolts to mount to the current engine. Not sure what else TSP would need to do to make it unique to them. To each their own and I can respect that.

[GreyGhost702]

Originally Posted by Katech_Mike

Support the innovator and not the copier. I'm all for competition in the market but when you knock off a product basically 1 for 1 I can't get behind that. We will only use LME chain guides in our builds that require one.

I fully support billet 🤣

[h018871]

Originally Posted by Katech_Mike

Support the innovator and not the copier. I'm all for competition in the market but when you knock off a product basically 1 for 1 I can't get behind that. We will only use LME chain guides in our builds that require one.

I agree with you Mike. It looks like the pads are more thoroughly secured in the LME piece, pretty too.

What are the indicators where a chain guide would be required over the OE tensioner?
BTW, I have the LME guide in my LT4.