Hey all,
My car developed a tick, figured I might as well just replace the lifters and pushrods, see if that'll fix it. I bought the Summit racing LS7 lifters: SUM-HT215-16 and new LS2 style trays. But I'm nervous about them as I see quite a few negative reviews on them. Does anyone have experience with them? Everything I've bought that's summit branded has been awesome, but I'm really not sure about these. Should I return them and go for a different brand?

 

SUM-HT217-16

The part number above is a step up and what I’m about to use. I’m really not sure about what you ordered but I believe they are basically the Delphi version. If you call summit they will probably tell you. The upside with summit is not getting counterfeit copies ( hopefully)
Sucks but the heads have to come off to get to them. It’s a good time to do belts, water pump or anything else why your in there.

 

There is a lot of FUD about these trays online, but I haven't been able to find any credible evidence that they aren't just as good as the original style trays. Guys on the LS1 hot rod forums seem to be having good luck with them.

If, on the other hand you are attempting to use factory parts at RPMs that they were never designed for, I doubt that it matters which type of tray you use. If you fall into this group, you need to step up to link-bar lifters.

 

I have the Summit LS7 lifters. The car does see track use and the rev limiter is set to 7000RPM but I RARELY shift that high. The lifters have been in the car since 2019 and early this year I've developed an intermittent lifter tick.
If you're a casual driver I suspect you'll be fine. If you're an "ENTHUSIASTIC" driver than I'd suggest exploring an other option.

 

I got a direct reply from summit about who manufactures these.
"Your Product Question:Are these manufactured by Delphi? Or are they just the Delphi design?
Answer:

Yes the lifters are made by Delphi and made in the US.
TIM - February 7, 2024"

I'm not sure what to do, I also have some BTR lifters on the way just in case, so its whatever is more reputable at this point. The others will go back.
I daily the car for now, I often like to do a hard pull from a light, never tracking it though, none around here. I might eventually go for a small cam, between tsp 220r or btr stage 2. Or maybe a supercharger.

 

I wouldn't be too afraid of Delphi lifters. There's likely a million of them in use out there daily, if not more.

I'm fairly sure after doing much research there is no LS7 lifter that's better than another (except for overseas Knock Offs, stay away). I'm pretty sure GM puts the same lifters into everything from 2008+. Maybe the LT stuff is different, but we're not talking about that.

 

I suppose the majority of reviews on these are the ones where people have big failures too.
Everyone else forgets about them when they work just fine!
Thanks for the videos!

 

I think I might just stick with them. If they are delphi lifters that makes me a lot more comfortable using them. I'm not doing anything crazy, no high rpms either.

 

I wouldn't be afraid of Delphi lifters, so long as they are used within the scope of their design parameters. IMHO, there is little reason to use anything else, unless you need to step up to serious, high dollar, competition lifters. In fact, many competition engine builders use these lifters, so long as the valve spring pressures are kept to a reasonable limit.

It appears that most everyone else's entry level "street grade" hydraulic roller lifters are made in China. That can be good, or bad, but since everyone is competing on price it's mostly bad. This situation reminds me a lot of Lucas. Back in the '60's and '70's, Lucas was more than capable of building high quality electrical components for British automobile manufacturers. But, if a car manufacturer only wanted to spend thirty cents on a switch, by golly Lucas would find a way to supply a switch for only thirty cents. Because of this, Lucas soon became known as the prince of darkness due to the abysmal reliability of their thirty cent components.
Things in China are much the same. They are more than capable of making very high quality parts, but you need to stay on them and continuously audit their quality control. But, if your main concern is to be able to sell a set of lifters cheaper than the competition, the Chinese are happy to crank out some sketchy lifters for you.

 

Thanks, this is exactly the reassurance I needed.

 

Late to the party but I went through the same dilemma with choosing a good lifter that wouldn't break the bank for my cam swap project.

After much research I ordered the Summit SUM-HT217-16 which are basically rebranded Morel 7717. I've heard great things about the Morel's so I decided to take the leap and get those for peace of mind.

Hope this helps a little.

 

I ran across a reddit thread where someone claims they were fakes. I'm not super convinced though. And if you're running them from summit, it does definitely help too.
Thanks!

 

I think I'll just throw the summit lifters in.
I also bought a set of btr lifters too, so if anyone has some info that will change my mind , I need to know before I put the new set in ~5h from this post lol.

Wish me luck!

 

OP, I have run the Delphi LS7 type lifters (bought from Summit, btw) in my built LS7, with 425lbs open pressure dual PAC springs, for 52,000 miles. My A4 shifts at 7,000rpm. I have had absolutely no issues with them. I also always run gennie GM trays obtained at the Chevy dealer. No issues with them either. I'm not interested in saving $15 or $20, or $4-$5 per tray, by buying non gennie GM trays. No fun at all when a tray fails. No feeling better about it when you need to tear the motor down, and someone says "Gee, I never had any trouble with non gennie trays!!" TronZ, I hear you about Lucas!! Ol' Joe Lucas! You musta owned a BSA, Triumph, or Norton. I had a black and gold Norton 750 Commando (without the blonde who advertised them!!), so I've been there-done that,

 

If you discover a failed lifter, be sure to inspect your cam for damage.

 

Mostly British cars ... Austin Healey, Jaguar, Land Rover, MG, Range Rover and Triumph. Step number one would always be to proactively rip every single Lucas relay out of the car and throw it in the trash can! They could be infuriating at times, because they would always flatly refuse to reliably work, or reliably die!! You just never knew what to expect!!!
I had some near misses with Lotus and TVR, but I had the good sense to run screaming from the room. lol
That said, I did periodically help a buddy with his Bonneville.

 

Those are going in mine this week

 

This is reassuring to hear! I definitely did not skimp on the trays either! I'm glad I didn't too, when I pulled the old ones, the lifters stayed put in the engine. The old ones are definitely toast!