The critical thing is that when the cam fully opens the valve, the coils of the spring still have some space between them. So the lift of your cam and the ratio of your rockers will have an effect. If you have stock springs, rockers and cam, it would probably be OK.

As long as the springs don't bind it probably doesn't matter.

Hi everyone,

I just had a valve job done on my 12g295 including hardened inserts for the exhaust valves. measuring the spring height at rest

  the intake ones are within range at 1.33", but the exhaust ones with the new hardened inserts are too compressed, measuring between 1.26" and 1.29". the springs are C-AEA525 twin (for standard use) which state in the manual that the height of the springs at rest should be between 1.32" and 1.37". the engine is a cooper 998 with d-top pistons, stock cam. Now the guy at the machine shop said it doesn't matter and was puzzled by the fact I was worrying about the spring height. 

 

So I'm asking how big of a deal it is to have the exhaust springs height so compressed at rest. I'm ready to go to a different machine shop and have the height fixed.

Thanks