Big Cams

FoxBodyfirstplz · October 23rd, 2010, 12:45 PM

Hey guys I was reading around this forum and others about camshafts, basically trying to get a little self-education before hopefully buying a fox in the spring. I noticed people kept referring to "big" cams as not being "streetable", and being difficult to drive with. I like big cams. That lopey idle is one of my favorite elements of any bad@ss car, and I am just wondering what all these people mean by a bigger cam being difficult to use on a daily driver. I understand that loping is due to overlap of the intake and exhaust cycles, and that more overlap helps high rpm power and low overlap helps torque. Does this have anything to do with it? What makes certain cams difficult to use? What is best for the street? And also, is overlap good for a drag car? Thanks for all the help

StangBanger302 · October 23rd, 2010, 01:51 PM

cam in stock 5.0 just a quick search...

FoxBodyfirstplz · October 23rd, 2010, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by FoxBodyfirstplz

Hey guys I was reading around this forum and others about camshafts, basically trying to get a little self-education before hopefully buying a fox in the spring. I noticed people kept referring to "big" cams as not being "streetable", and being difficult to drive with. I am just wondering what all these people mean by a bigger cam being difficult to use on a daily driver. I understand that loping is due to overlap of the intake and exhaust cycles, and that more overlap helps high rpm power and low overlap helps torque. Does this have anything to do with it? What makes certain cams difficult to use? What is best for the street? And also, is overlap good for a drag car? Thanks for all the help

Thanks for the tip and the link dude but it didn't really answer my question....it told me about why cams are not a good first mod but not why the mechanics of a big cam make it harder to use on the street. And I could not find that with the search function, which is why I asked here. Thanks for the reply though

StangBanger302 · October 23rd, 2010, 11:31 PM

Depends on what you mean by "BIG" cam.

FoxBodyfirstplz · October 23rd, 2010, 11:42 PM

Big like high lift/duration, like a .520 lift cam with a ton of overlap

YouTube - Fox body Mustang GT 351w 520 Comp cam trick flow

e3sean · October 24th, 2010, 04:39 AM

sound or "lope" should be a bi product of having the right cam for your combination.. if you want to slow the car down and loose horsepower just for sound then you are missing the point.

the words big or small should be used in conjunction with the combination of parts it is going with.

if i were to put my penis in a fat black girl she would proly call it small but if i took it to a tiny asian girl she would proly say it was........ small but for arguement sake well say big........ but then you bring it to my wife its just right for me cause i am uausally just doing it myself ayway but you get where i am going..

build the car then buy the cam last. cams are not cheap in the big picture..

FoxBodyfirstplz · October 24th, 2010, 10:57 AM

Ok once again thanks for the reply, and nice analogy lol. But still I understand that the cam is the" brain" of the engine, what I don't undrerstand (and what I was asking about) is why people who do have a built car argue that a cam is too "big" to be "streetable" when discussing cam choice. I also understand that a high-lift cam in an automatic has to pull hard against the engine resulting in having to hold the brake pedal down harder than normal, but in a 5-speed why is it difficult to drive a built car (I might buy one pre-built but I need to understand why it will be more difficult for me to drive)

e3sean · October 24th, 2010, 11:58 AM

when people use the term too big to be streetable that means that the car reacts so poorly at low rpm and idles horrendus that it is very uncomfortable to drive daily. also sometimes with larger lift cams they dont produce enough vacuume to run a break booster and manual breaks just dont work as well.

but a good cam grinder can make a lopey cam that is still streetable.

fogged306 · October 25th, 2010, 01:29 AM

With a 5 speed you can also get bucking at low RPM's while in gear with some cams.

86er · October 25th, 2010, 03:06 AM

Originally Posted by FoxBodyfirstplz

Big like high lift/duration, like a .520 lift cam with a ton of overlap
YouTube - Fox body Mustang GT 351w 520 Comp cam trick flow

.520 lift isnt really that big of a cam

JBIGBOOTSY · October 25th, 2010, 10:42 AM

I would think a big cam is any cam that pushes the minimum tolerance for PTV clearance.

gothrod87 · October 25th, 2010, 05:30 PM

for example...this is CAMZILLLA-ford racing z-303(its crazy)

YouTube - Cams

95tbirdv8 · October 25th, 2010, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by e3sean

sound or "lope" should be a bi product of having the right cam for your combination.. if you want to slow the car down and loose horsepower just for sound then you are missing the point.

the words big or small should be used in conjunction with the combination of parts it is going with.

if i were to put my penis in a fat black girl she would proly call it small but if i took it to a tiny asian girl she would proly say it was........ small but for arguement sake well say big........ but then you bring it to my wife its just right for me cause i am uausally just doing it myself ayway but you get where i am going..

build the car then buy the cam last. cams are not cheap in the big picture..

That was some funny stuff. If you just want the lope, unplug a vacuum hose

86_Notch · October 25th, 2010, 05:55 PM

614 - 621 lift 286 - 292 duration

YouTube - 20100102001647.mpg

69fastback · October 25th, 2010, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by gothrod87

for example...this is CAMZILLLA-ford racing z-303(its crazy) YouTube - Cams

LOL....Are you referring to a Z303 as "camzilla," as in it's a big cam? The only thing that makes an alphabet cam big, is that it's larger than most other paper weights.

1LOUDGT · October 25th, 2010, 07:13 PM

NAh don't educate lol. Let him be a fan cars that sound as slow as they are.

1slo5.0 · October 25th, 2010, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by FoxBodyfirstplz

Hey guys I was reading around this forum and others about camshafts, basically trying to get a little self-education before hopefully buying a fox in the spring. I noticed people kept referring to "big" cams as not being "streetable", and being difficult to drive with. I like big cams. That lopey idle is one of my favorite elements of any bad@ss car, and I am just wondering what all these people mean by a bigger cam being difficult to use on a daily driver. I understand that loping is due to overlap of the intake and exhaust cycles, and that more overlap helps high rpm power and low overlap helps torque. Does this have anything to do with it? What makes certain cams difficult to use? What is best for the street? And also, is overlap good for a drag car? Thanks for all the help

A bigger cam does not necessarily mean it is going to be less streetable. The less streetable part comes into play when people start throwing mismatched parts at an engine. A good combination will be streetable.

Originally Posted by FoxBodyfirstplz

Big like high lift/duration, like a .520 lift cam with a ton of overlap
YouTube - Fox body Mustang GT 351w 520 Comp cam trick flow

That cam is a baby, its not big by any standards.

Originally Posted by gothrod87

for example...this is CAMZILLLA-ford racing z-303(its crazy) YouTube - Cams

That cam is a baby too....

69fastback · October 25th, 2010, 09:25 PM

My cam is a little over .600 lift, and while it's not a "baby cam," there are people running WAY bigger cams than that.

86_Notch · October 26th, 2010, 07:38 AM

3/4 cam FTMFW !!!!!!!

JBIGBOOTSY · October 26th, 2010, 10:08 AM

My cams lobes are gonna be so big, it wont make it past the first cam bearing when I try and install it.

October 23rd, 2010, 12:45 PM	#1
FoxBodyfirstplz Regular 1992 Mustang LX Hatch Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: North/Central NJ Posts: 210 iTrader: 0 reviews	Big Cams Hey guys I was reading around this forum and others about camshafts, basically trying to get a little self-education before hopefully buying a fox in the spring. I noticed people kept referring to "big" cams as not being "streetable", and being difficult to drive with. I like big cams. That lopey idle is one of my favorite elements of any bad@ss car, and I am just wondering what all these people mean by a bigger cam being difficult to use on a daily driver. I understand that loping is due to overlap of the intake and exhaust cycles, and that more overlap helps high rpm power and low overlap helps torque. Does this have anything to do with it? What makes certain cams difficult to use? What is best for the street? And also, is overlap good for a drag car? Thanks for all the help

October 23rd, 2010, 01:51 PM	#2
StangBanger302 Hardcore Enthusiast 1992 Mustang LX 13.0 @ 105 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New York Posts: 2,230 iTrader: 0 reviews	cam in stock 5.0 just a quick search... __________________ As I lay rubber down the street I pray for traction I can keep But if I spin, and begin to slide Please dear God, protect my ride

October 23rd, 2010, 11:31 PM	#4
StangBanger302 Hardcore Enthusiast 1992 Mustang LX 13.0 @ 105 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New York Posts: 2,230 iTrader: 0 reviews	Depends on what you mean by "BIG" cam. __________________ As I lay rubber down the street I pray for traction I can keep But if I spin, and begin to slide Please dear God, protect my ride

October 24th, 2010, 04:39 AM	#6
e3sean I Post Entirely Way Too Much 1988 lx 9.68@142 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: goldsboro NC Posts: 5,609 iTrader: 0 reviews	sound or "lope" should be a bi product of having the right cam for your combination.. if you want to slow the car down and loose horsepower just for sound then you are missing the point. the words big or small should be used in conjunction with the combination of parts it is going with. if i were to put my penis in a fat black girl she would proly call it small but if i took it to a tiny asian girl she would proly say it was........ small but for arguement sake well say big........ but then you bring it to my wife its just right for me cause i am uausally just doing it myself ayway but you get where i am going.. build the car then buy the cam last. cams are not cheap in the big picture.. __________________

October 24th, 2010, 11:58 AM	#8
e3sean I Post Entirely Way Too Much 1988 lx 9.68@142 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: goldsboro NC Posts: 5,609 iTrader: 0 reviews	when people use the term too big to be streetable that means that the car reacts so poorly at low rpm and idles horrendus that it is very uncomfortable to drive daily. also sometimes with larger lift cams they dont produce enough vacuume to run a break booster and manual breaks just dont work as well. but a good cam grinder can make a lopey cam that is still streetable. __________________

October 24th, 2010, 10:57 AM	#7
FoxBodyfirstplz Regular 1992 Mustang LX Hatch Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: North/Central NJ Posts: 210 iTrader: 0 reviews	Ok once again thanks for the reply, and nice analogy lol. But still I understand that the cam is the" brain" of the engine, what I don't undrerstand (and what I was asking about) is why people who do have a built car argue that a cam is too "big" to be "streetable" when discussing cam choice. I also understand that a high-lift cam in an automatic has to pull hard against the engine resulting in having to hold the brake pedal down harder than normal, but in a 5-speed why is it difficult to drive a built car (I might buy one pre-built but I need to understand why it will be more difficult for me to drive)

October 25th, 2010, 01:29 AM	#9
fogged306 MM Fanatic 89 GT Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: NY Posts: 4,875 iTrader: 2 reviews	With a 5 speed you can also get bucking at low RPM's while in gear with some cams.

October 25th, 2010, 10:42 AM	#11
JBIGBOOTSY MM Fanatic 1990 LX hatch Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hobart Indiana Posts: 4,391 iTrader: 0 reviews	I would think a big cam is any cam that pushes the minimum tolerance for PTV clearance. __________________ Bolt-on Abraham Lincoln Log motor. With extra wiring.

October 25th, 2010, 07:13 PM	#16
1LOUDGT Enthusiast 2006 GT 11.99@114 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Orlando, FL. Posts: 802 iTrader: 0 reviews	NAh don't educate lol. Let him be a fan cars that sound as slow as they are. __________________ 2006 GT (Fastest) 2004 COBRA (Faster) 1990 LX 5.0 (Fast)

October 25th, 2010, 09:25 PM	#18
69fastback Premium Member 1969 Mustang Mach 1 6.824@101.61 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oklahoma jackass, get to driving Posts: 5,565 iTrader: 0 reviews	My cam is a little over .600 lift, and while it's not a "baby cam," there are people running WAY bigger cams than that. __________________ ./___ _ ____ ___ \. ( ]]] _ _ O _ _ [[[ ) \_ o _ _____ _ o _/ \|___\| ......... \|___\| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyYU3...e_gdata_player

October 26th, 2010, 07:38 AM	#19
86_Notch Hardcore Enthusiast 1986 lx notch 9.98 @ 135 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,522 iTrader: 0 reviews	3/4 cam FTMFW !!!!!!! __________________ " Spending money I don't have.... on things I don't need .... to impress people I don't know " .

October 26th, 2010, 10:08 AM	#20
JBIGBOOTSY MM Fanatic 1990 LX hatch Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hobart Indiana Posts: 4,391 iTrader: 0 reviews	My cams lobes are gonna be so big, it wont make it past the first cam bearing when I try and install it. __________________ Bolt-on Abraham Lincoln Log motor. With extra wiring.

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