Is a Cam really worth it

dieselduck said:
So @ what point HP wise or size turbo/injector is a cam worthwhile???
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Don't mind Mr. Hughes... He got jokes! lol


You're there Buddy! You would see improvments with your set up. They'd lite even quicker. Go for it!
 
Big Swole said:
Don't mind Mr. Hughes... He got jokes! lol


You're there Buddy! You would see improvments with your set up. They'd lite even quicker. Go for it!
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I can't see it being worth the $ for me @ this point, it lights right now with the EFI tunes. David, i'm maxed out CP3 wise, remember I'm just running a Arson kit. Wish you were closer, I'd let you drive it now. Well as long as you didn't break it! LOL
 
the reality is however it is stock cammed it will make it better with a cam.. Les gained 100 or so hp at 2000rpm over his stock cam. in the end thow you have to justify the cost vs benifiets.. quicker spoolup, better mpg, better towing.. in the end its your money.. it makes it easier to justify if you can do the work yourself.
 
Biggest thing i notice is lower boost. Why lower? Think of it this way: cam opens things up with one thing in mind. That is air in and air out. The stock cams purpose is to control emmisions. Without having to fight and struggle to get air in it requires less pressure behind it. Less force needed to get the air in and out means more force available to the wheels. Thats where i want my power, not bottled up in the motor!
 
If you think its good it would only be better! Spool faster, cleaner, cooler, and put you ontop of the turbo even faster. Its all wins with the new cam designs. Look at the cam comparison in Hamiltons section and see how much power the truck picked up on a dyno going to the 188 cam. What can you say when people are starting to say they are making to much torque?
 
I've had a Maxspool 174/215 regrind in an almost stock 04.5 with TNT/R back in '09. That cam improved every aspect of daily driving yet felt more focused on top end power. Once I put the II SB66 on the truck it was even more noticeable. The truck ripped from 1800-4000. There was little to no smoke reduction from that cam though.

Now I have a Diesel Pro's Killer B regrind in my 03 in my sig. I feel this cam may give up a little on top end compared to the Maxspool but low end and mid range is signifigantly improved over stock or the maxspool. I also attribute being able to daily drive these 130's with just a light haze when accelerating to the KB. It seems to be a great all around cam.

My next cam will be a Hammy 188/220. I'm just not a big fan of having to run zinc to keep the cam alive. It's like a methadone clinic and a junkie. Maybe I shouldn't start the addiction to begin with. But his reliability track record seems to be getting better with time.

Too much TQ is laughable but I almost understand. My old setup was the same as my sig with the exception of the turbo. When I had the GT3788R on this truck it was almost annoying to drive due to low end touchiness. From idle to 2000 it seemed like the turbo was ahead of my skinny pedal no matter how softly I tried to accelerate.
 
I had had issues with Schied street cams. Here is a picture of my first one that had ~40k mi on it. The numbers 3, 7, and 12 lobe all had almost identical wear. Scheid was very good about getting me a replacement. I was told that the reason for the wear was due to me using synthetic 5w-40......:umno:. So the replacement street cam went in with new tappets, lots of lube, plenty of zinc additive, and good ol' 15w-40. Here I am ~35k mi and the replacement now is showing the exact type of wear. I have 110lb valve springs but have not done much past 4000rpm.

I just finished a KDP repair on my 95 with 269k and I inspected the cam while it was out and it looked great! All three of my Dodge's are on the same 4k mi oil change interval only using Rotella T or CAT DEO.

I do want to say that this is not intended to bash product but rather to share my experience.
 

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Mighty Goat said:
I've had a Maxspool 174/215 regrind in an almost stock 04.5 with TNT/R back in '09. That cam improved every aspect of daily driving yet felt more focused on top end power. Once I put the II SB66 on the truck it was even more noticeable. The truck ripped from 1800-4000. There was little to no smoke reduction from that cam though.

Now I have a Diesel Pro's Killer B regrind in my 03 in my sig. I feel this cam may give up a little on top end compared to the Maxspool but low end and mid range is signifigantly improved over stock or the maxspool. I also attribute being able to daily drive these 130's with just a light haze when accelerating to the KB. It seems to be a great all around cam.

My next cam will be a Hammy 188/220. I'm just not a big fan of having to run zinc to keep the cam alive. It's like a methadone clinic and a junkie. Maybe I shouldn't start the addiction to begin with. But his reliability track record seems to be getting better with time.

Too much TQ is laughable but I almost understand. My old setup was the same as my sig with the exception of the turbo. When I had the GT3788R on this truck it was almost annoying to drive due to low end touchiness. From idle to 2000 it seemed like the turbo was ahead of my skinny pedal no matter how softly I tried to accelerate.
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I hear ya on The turbo being too fast. I went back to a 12cm housing on the hx35 vs. the 16 on the super hx 40 and wow sometimes I gotta be careful not to speed! I like my helix 2 camshaft, it really woke up my super 40 (7000ft elevation made it slow as hell) and made this thing pure awesomeness at 500ish hp. Next cam will be a 188 for sure!


Sent from my iPhone during class
 
Mighty Goat said:
My next cam will be a Hammy 188/220. I'm just not a big fan of having to run zinc to keep the cam alive. It's like a methadone clinic and a junkie. Maybe I shouldn't start the addiction to begin with. But his reliability track record seems to be getting better with time.
.
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Is the "need for zinc" additives coming from Zach or just what most are doing for peace of mind?




Jim Fulmer said:
Every stock cam I have seen is just fine, there is a bigger issue folks.

Jim
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Care to elaborate more?

Im with the op on this discussion. I want to try a cam but want one that will last like a stock one. Is there anything that can be done prior to install to increase the life? Mooresville NC is just down the road and thanks to NASCAR I have every imaginable engine/performance services available.

tapatalking from droidx
 
Zach recommends the zinc, and a shorter interval on oil changes. The soot in the oil is the bad man there.
 
We have tried 4 different cams in our 2wd PS truck. It is now back to stock cam and made its fastest passes with it. 9.85@ 142. Aron Nicks 6.7 truck had a stock cam and went 10.70@ 131. So I think I'll stick with stockers unless someone wants to send one and prove me wrong.
 
Blacksdieselhp said:
We have tried 4 different cams in our 2wd PS truck. It is now back to stock cam and made its fastest passes with it. 9.85@ 142. Aron Nicks 6.7 truck had a stock cam and went 10.70@ 131. So I think I'll stick with stockers unless someone wants to send one and prove me wrong.
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That is crazy and really makes me wanna stay with a stocker even though I have a cam waiting to go in.
 
There are small gains made in different areas with some of the aftermarket cams. But unless you got the engine out for some reason, i dont see it being a worthwhile investment. Unless you have deep pockets and plan on doing everything you can.
 
I think there's more to gain in a 6.7. My Egt's while driving 70mph dropped 150 deg and wot almost 300. Spool up on bottom and mid range is night and day difference. But I agree if I were to have to pay someone to put it in I wouldn't have done it.
 
homewrecker said:
Is the "need for zinc" additives coming from Zach or just what most are doing for peace of mind?
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all cam builders/grinders that ive ever delt/sold with in the gas world require a zinc additive on flat tappet cams for atleast the breakin or longer, some want an oil smaple with the failed product to see the levels of zinc, or if it was used
 
I might catch crap for this but i didnt use any zinc when i put my helix cam in. Still runs great with about 12k on the cam. Although it does worry me from time to time...
 
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