The Camshaft Mega-Thread!

[DrifterProdigy85]

Benefits of a 264/272 setup is mainly powerband related. You get the starting powerband of the 264 camshaft with the ending of the 272 camshaft. Lets say you have a turbo that hits full boost at 4500rpm and holds to 8500rpm. The 264 will start giving gains at 4500rpm and the 272 will allow torque to hold all the way to 8500rpm. The 264/272 setup will deliver power earlier and hold longer but power wont peak as high as a straight 272 setup would. Camshafts are matched for the turbo thats chosen. The turbo is usually what makes the powerband and the cams allow the breathability for whatever RPM the turbo is working. No sense in having cams where they arent working at all. You can use smaller cams to effect spool up but the turbo is still gonna hit the hardest at a certain spot which is where i think the cams should be made to work. A good example is my car. Peak torque is 5krpm and holds solid to redline. Im running 264 Step 1 cams. You can feel the torque early in the revs but power is still not being made till later. I would benefit from a straight 272 setup. Might feel slower down low but it would make more torque and make more horsepower at redline. Maybe this ramble helps out some.

[DrifterProdigy85]

Quick reference of Turbo and Cams to choose.

T25...Stock, 256/256T28...Stock, 256/256, 256/264GT28RS....256/256, 256/264, 264/264GT2871R .64.....256/264, 264/264GT2871R .86.....264/264, 264/272, 272/272GT3071R .63.....264/264, 264/272GT30R.....264/272GT35R.....272/272

Im sure this will bring in some kind of debate. These are the setups i would consider though. Lowest Cam profiles being for low end response for drifting and highest profiles being for max power for drag racing.

[thatdudety]

someone help me... im about to get a 240sx. i use to own one but a old lady totaled it for me..... but im going to do an sr swap and i wanted a turbo setup that is for drifting but can also be really fast for drag. what size turbo would i need.? i was looking for over 450 hp. and what cam setup... 272/272? im new to cams and turbos.

[DrifterProdigy85]

450hp and drifting isnt needed plus good luck finding good boost response for that kind of power. Your best bet is the 2871R .64 with HKS 264 Step 2 Cams. Probably be around 375whp with 20psi around 3600-3800rpm. Youll also be able to run mid 11's on drag radials.

[sssrdub]

So if I have an S15 t28 would Brian Crower 264 cams be a good upgrade?

[DrifterProdigy85]

i think 264 would be too large because you would have a starting powerband of 4000rpm where the T28 starts at 3500rpm. A 256/264 combo will give a broad and peaky powerband.

[DrifterProdigy85]

Dai Yoshihara has an S14, that used to run a S15 T28 and he used Tomei 256 Cams for drifting. 256 will give good low end torque with awesome midrange.

[Slipstream]

It's time for the build up of my top end. I am doing a somewhat budget build and found that the BC cams, springs, and valves are all decently priced. Just wondering if anyone has used them and what were the results. The head will be p&p, the block is running Wiseco pistons, eagle rods, and has been decked and the crank has been balanced. So I'll need a high rev set up.

[Hijacker]

Brian Crower has a good rep with the L series guys. A friend of mine who used to build up old Z cars used a few of his cams and really liked them. But as of now, I have yet to see someone with an SR use his cams. I will say that the cams I have seen come out of Crower have been good quality (as far as older motors go).

[sssrdub]

i think 264 would be too large because you would have a starting powerband of 4000rpm where the T28 starts at 3500rpm. A 256/264 combo will give a broad and peaky powerband.

Im going to call up Brian crower and order a 256 intake and 264 exhaust cam. his valve springs and retainers.... Ill let you all know how it goes

[DrifterProdigy85]

Im going Brian Crower or HKS when the time comes to upgrade my cams. Ive seen a few dynos on the SR with BC cams and they have dynoed high so far.

[DrifterProdigy85]

Ive been following the Camshaft Shootout too. Just waiting for the tests to begin.

[norcals14]

ya i can't wait especially now that they'll have the cam dr too... unfortunately though i really don't think i can wait... i'll be getting hks 264 step 2's by the end of the month...

[karmakaze]

i have a gt2871r .86 and HKS step1 256in 264out (i have peak performance valve springs to install as well). i noticed that they now have 264in that will work with VTC. so I am thinking about upgrading to 264/264 or maybe 264/272.

would it be worth the extra money? also note, i am about to have a 2.2L s14 sr20det.

[DrifterProdigy85]

Im going 264/272 or straight 272 with my 2871R .86. The turbo has alot of high rpm potential that most people dont end up tapping into. If you think about it. The .86 powerband on most dynoesheets i see is 5k-8krpm. 272 cams would be perfect.

[New2SR20]

im runing 264's from crower..i never owned a stock SR so i wouldnt know what to compare 2..

[DrifterProdigy85]

Crower 264 are close to JWT S4 i believe. I just bought a head to build so ive decided on HKS Solid Lifters and HKS 272 Step 3 cams.

[Tuning Factory]

Ive Been selling Briacn crowers pretty well, they RIP!!! im using them in my personal car, great cams and theyre extremely cheap, theyre not that muchy different specs wise from HKS or others, but they make ALOT of power for some reason! for the price you cant beat them. and i just happened to have them in stock

[DrifterProdigy85]

How well do they work compared to Solid Cams? Im going Solid Lifters but cant decide between the HKS 272 Step 3 Cams (Solid Type 272 duration 12.5mm lift) or the BC 272 Duration 12.5mm lift hydraulic cams.

[blackieblack]

Ive Been selling Briacn crowers pretty well, they RIP!!! im using them in my personal car, great cams and theyre extremely cheap, theyre not that muchy different specs wise from HKS or others, but they make ALOT of power for some reason! for the price you cant beat them. and i just happened to have them in stock

so which cams need the use of adjustable cam gears?

[blackieblack]

this thread needs to get back on track.G-damnit!!!

[DrifterProdigy85]

I dont think any name brand cams need adjustable cam gears. Sure there will be some gains with them but not worth the money in dyno time for it.

[karmakaze]

Im going 264/272 or straight 272 with my 2871R .86. The turbo has alot of high rpm potential that most people dont end up tapping into. If you think about it. The .86 powerband on most dynoesheets i see is 5k-8krpm. 272 cams would be perfect.

i now have a gt2876r .86 and hks step 2 264/272

[DrifterProdigy85]

Have you dynoed with the 264/272 setup?

[gsxrjjordan]

I mostly hang out on Z ilvia, but figured I'd lurk over here for the night. Most of the info here is good: I know the US-made stuff isn't bad (I'm a JWT and BC fan), but I've chosen to build my head with Tomei hardware, more for resale/rep than performance difference, although whenever a professional drift team needs a crate motor, they call Tomei...

Anyhow, Tomei makes a couple different sets of springs, Type A is just a thicker spring, developed to work with their "street" cams (Poncams), and Type B is a double spring rate set with Ti retainers (retails for $1k, just for springs and retainers!) for their Procams. I've got Type A's with stock retainers (they're fine).

As far as cams, 256/264/272 are HKS sizes, that most of the industry has copied. The info about "staggered" sizes above is good stuff, and yes people run staggered sizes to help spool their big turbos sooner - that's about it. Anything above a 2871 .86 should be running a size larger on the exhaust side if you ever plan to street/autox/drift the car. Running full 272s is NOT fun, and none of the professional drivers do it. 256's are a huge improvement from stock, dont get suckered into buying cams that are too big for your application - and as stated above, you buy cams AFTER you've decided which turbo to run and what kind of power to make. Also, Tomei cams don't use quite as high a lift on their cams as HKS Step 2/JWT C series/BC, so keep that in mind (more lift with the same duration is more aggressive).

About cam gears - Tomei makes gears, as so a couple other companies, but to be honest, there's not a whole lot of power to be made by using adj. cam gears on SR20s I've found. The people that are running adjustable gears have already maxed out their current tunes (like 400whp off a GT2871 .64 with 256/256 cams), and are searching for that last 15hp or so. Waste of money at the stage that most people (including myself) are at.

Make sure whenever you're building a head to have a machine shop that knows what they're doing check everything, deck the head, and for God's sake, get a good head gasket - Tomei/HKS/Apexi/Power Enterprise, in either 86.5mm or 87mm.

Hopefully people that actually build heads will come into this thread and either add on or respond to my post ~

[karmakaze]

nope, i don't even have it running yet. thinking about selling them and going solid lifter though. since that is the fad right now.

[blackieblack]

im kinda thinking solid lifter meself.

[DrifterProdigy85]

lol. everyone seems to follow some kind of fad nowadays. i dont really think its neccessary if your not gonna rev over 8krpm. i doubt ill go solids untill i get a GT35R to push power that high in the revs.

[blackieblack]

i actually dont really know to many people doing it. its not a cheap thing to do and if anything its being done to be mostly different. after much research it is going to be expensive. and the benefits versus cost doesnt add up. unless you can do al the work yourself. it costs money. it still would be cool. just not necessary. its also not only to rev higher. properly tuned an sr can withstand 8. solid lifters allow more than just higher revs.

[blackieblack]

anyone use ferrea dual valve spring kit? never heard of them till i saw their product. dual valve springs tit. retainers and valve guides.