Cams!

[95talongirl]

Ok, so I was getting into a debate over aftermarket cams and having to degree them. I personally believe that even though some brands claim to be "drop in" that you should still take the time to degree them, just to make sure. So I guess my question to the masses here is.. who has aftermarket cams, and did you degree them? also are some brands better than others when claiming "drop in?"

As for me, I've been looking at some that have a pretty decent lift, but a 265/265 duration. I'm not looking for anything too aggressive since some would probably outflow the turbo.

Thanks for any insight!

 

[LiquidX]

What turbo setup are you running?

264 labeled cams are good to keep your psi to redline. Most cams actually don't *need* to be degreed when they are claimd to be drop in. They are built using OEM specs but each motor is different and it wouldn't hurt any cam at all to be degreed.

I'm going to be running Delta 272s on my new setup just dropping them in.

 

[95talongirl]

I knew I'd forget somehting in the first post. I'm on a E3 16g.

Thanks!

 

[DSM_PWR]

Sure you can make power just by dropping them in, but you'll be taking full advantage of the powerband if you degree them to your desire

272/272 Are great for most people... i dont see why people even bother with 264...

Those are probably the same people that cry about prothane motor mounts

 

[95talongirl]

Yeah, I was also considering the 272/272's. But i was reading mixed results when using those with the small frame turbos. However, that could be from not turning it right, or other variations.

 

[Strm Trpr]

If your motor is a virgin meaning never cracked open, then maybe a claimed "Drop In" cam will be very close, but very rarely dead on.

Case in point.
My buddy just got his motor back from FFWD.
FFWD built him a long block and degreed in his no longer available grind Kelford 264/270's.
This block was decked some few thousandths just to put a mirror finish on the deck, and the head has had two resurfaces that I know of and never any warpage.
His exhaust cam needed to be advanced 0.5* and the intake cam needed to be advanced 1*.

Mitsu MLS Head Gaskets at about .025" thicker than OEM, just swapping to that HG without degreeing your stock cams will make a difference.
There are machining tolerances that make every engine different from Mitsu.

Truth is, all camshafts should be degreed in, but the majority does not degree them.
What's the point of having adjustable cam gears if you're not going to degree your cams?

 

[95talongirl]

Thanks for the input. I'll end up degreeing them more than likely, as I'd like to get the most out of what I have.