Can Someone Explain This To Me?

01StangGT01 · January 5th, 2012, 10:48 PM

-What is a cam lift? Is it better to have it higher?
-What is a cam degree?
-& whats the difference between stage 1/2/3? I hear you have to keep the rpms up on some of them..

Thanks

Cabikejumper · January 5th, 2012, 10:50 PM

Camshafts Explained

ISKY Racing Cams - Do It Right. Race with the Legend. Camshafts, Connecting Rods, Valve Springs, Lifters

01StangGT01 · January 5th, 2012, 11:12 PM

If the lift is bigger, will the duration always be longer too?

tbirdscwd · January 5th, 2012, 11:30 PM

Not always, but in theory if everything else remained the same, increasing the lift would inherently increase the duration. Cam manufacturers/designers can tailor their cam profiles to ramp up faster or slower to fit their desired duration and opening and closing events of the valves while maintaining desired duration and lift.

01StangGT01 · January 5th, 2012, 11:37 PM

ah ok. is having a bigger lift better? wouldn't more air/fuel go into the cylinder?

tbirdscwd · January 5th, 2012, 11:46 PM

More lift and duration is not always better. You really need to figure out what your goals are with your car and pick a cam (set of cams) that will be a good fit for your future setup. Different types of cams will help achieve more power and torque depending on application. There are cams that will increase low end torque but not do much up top, there are cams that will increase high rpm hp and lose a bit of torque down low. Some cams are specifically ground to be used and benefit certain types of engine configurations such as super/turbochargers or nitrous.

For the average street mustang, the best choice is a cam that increases hp without losing much torque and maintaining good street manners since most people drive these cars pretty frequently. Most companies' "stage 1" or "stage 2" naturally aspirated will do a street driven mustang very well. If it is a daily driver, I'd be leaning more towards a stage 1.

01StangGT01 · January 5th, 2012, 11:48 PM

Thanks!

tbirdscwd · January 5th, 2012, 11:51 PM

no problem

WickedSnake00 · January 6th, 2012, 08:28 AM

Just some things I will throw out there-

Lift is how far the valve goes down. More lift, more open area for air/fuel. It is not related to duration. You can get more duration or more lift independently. In that case the "ramp rate" will change.

Be careful of increased lift, because you can get piston to valve (PTV) contact, and well, it's as bad as it sounds.

Not sure what you mean in terms of "degree." Do you mean to physically "degree" the cams to install them? Do you mean the intake/exhaust centerlines? Do you mean the lobe seperation angle?

Overall, based on your questions, you sound more like a "stage 1" type of cam guy. (Keep in mind stages vary per manufacturer.) Stage 1 cams are nice because they increase the lift and duration slightly, but not significantly. That means you gain power up top, lose a little down low, but you don't have to change valve springs or get your pistons notched to accommodate the increased lift. It also means you have less overlap, which means higher vacuum, or essentially it doesn't "bog" or "lope" at idle as much as bigger cams.

01StangGT01 · January 7th, 2012, 03:40 PM

I'm only 17 and currently in high school so that probably explains why I'm a newb. Thanks for the info!

86er · January 7th, 2012, 05:29 PM

Lift doesnt have as much effect on the PTV as duration does. Its the increased duration that creates the problems. Holding the larger lift open longer is where the PTV problems show up.

Nitmare67 · January 7th, 2012, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by 86er

Lift doesnt have as much effect on the PTV as duration does. Its the increased duration that creates the problems. Holding the larger lift open longer is where the PTV problems show up.

FACT

There is a large misunderstanding around cams and people for some reason tend to think more lift equals more PTV. In reality when the valve is at full lift the pistons miles away. Its opening and closing points that are the biggest problem.

January 5th, 2012, 10:48 PM	#1
01StangGT01 Regular 2001 Mustang GT Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Houston Posts: 104 iTrader: 0 reviews	Can Someone Explain This To Me? -What is a cam lift? Is it better to have it higher? -What is a cam degree? -& whats the difference between stage 1/2/3? I hear you have to keep the rpms up on some of them.. Thanks __________________ CAI, 75mm Throttle Body/Plenum, 3.73 Gears, O/R X Pipe, Magnaflow Catback, Eibach Pro Kit. Nitrous coming soon

January 5th, 2012, 11:12 PM	#3
01StangGT01 Regular 2001 Mustang GT Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Houston Posts: 104 iTrader: 0 reviews	If the lift is bigger, will the duration always be longer too? __________________ CAI, 75mm Throttle Body/Plenum, 3.73 Gears, O/R X Pipe, Magnaflow Catback, Eibach Pro Kit. Nitrous coming soon

January 5th, 2012, 11:30 PM	#4
tbirdscwd MM Fanatic 2004 Mustang GT 12.88 @ 109.45 N/A Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 3,417 iTrader: -1 reviews	Not always, but in theory if everything else remained the same, increasing the lift would inherently increase the duration. Cam manufacturers/designers can tailor their cam profiles to ramp up faster or slower to fit their desired duration and opening and closing events of the valves while maintaining desired duration and lift. __________________ Fun: 2004 Mustang GT DD: 1994 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 Borla "Stinger" Exhaust Vids

January 5th, 2012, 11:37 PM	#5
01StangGT01 Regular 2001 Mustang GT Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Houston Posts: 104 iTrader: 0 reviews	ah ok. is having a bigger lift better? wouldn't more air/fuel go into the cylinder? __________________ CAI, 75mm Throttle Body/Plenum, 3.73 Gears, O/R X Pipe, Magnaflow Catback, Eibach Pro Kit. Nitrous coming soon

January 5th, 2012, 11:46 PM	#6
tbirdscwd MM Fanatic 2004 Mustang GT 12.88 @ 109.45 N/A Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 3,417 iTrader: -1 reviews	More lift and duration is not always better. You really need to figure out what your goals are with your car and pick a cam (set of cams) that will be a good fit for your future setup. Different types of cams will help achieve more power and torque depending on application. There are cams that will increase low end torque but not do much up top, there are cams that will increase high rpm hp and lose a bit of torque down low. Some cams are specifically ground to be used and benefit certain types of engine configurations such as super/turbochargers or nitrous. For the average street mustang, the best choice is a cam that increases hp without losing much torque and maintaining good street manners since most people drive these cars pretty frequently. Most companies' "stage 1" or "stage 2" naturally aspirated will do a street driven mustang very well. If it is a daily driver, I'd be leaning more towards a stage 1. __________________ Fun: 2004 Mustang GT DD: 1994 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 Borla "Stinger" Exhaust Vids

January 5th, 2012, 11:48 PM	#7
01StangGT01 Regular 2001 Mustang GT Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Houston Posts: 104 iTrader: 0 reviews	Thanks! __________________ CAI, 75mm Throttle Body/Plenum, 3.73 Gears, O/R X Pipe, Magnaflow Catback, Eibach Pro Kit. Nitrous coming soon

January 5th, 2012, 11:51 PM	#8
tbirdscwd MM Fanatic 2004 Mustang GT 12.88 @ 109.45 N/A Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Davis, CA Posts: 3,417 iTrader: -1 reviews	no problem __________________ Fun: 2004 Mustang GT DD: 1994 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 Borla "Stinger" Exhaust Vids

January 6th, 2012, 08:28 AM	#9
WickedSnake00 MM's king of Neon's 404 - car not found 17.81@87 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Diesel Engine Capital of the World, Columbus, IN Posts: 7,374 iTrader: 0 reviews	Just some things I will throw out there- Lift is how far the valve goes down. More lift, more open area for air/fuel. It is not related to duration. You can get more duration or more lift independently. In that case the "ramp rate" will change. Be careful of increased lift, because you can get piston to valve (PTV) contact, and well, it's as bad as it sounds. Not sure what you mean in terms of "degree." Do you mean to physically "degree" the cams to install them? Do you mean the intake/exhaust centerlines? Do you mean the lobe seperation angle? Overall, based on your questions, you sound more like a "stage 1" type of cam guy. (Keep in mind stages vary per manufacturer.) Stage 1 cams are nice because they increase the lift and duration slightly, but not significantly. That means you gain power up top, lose a little down low, but you don't have to change valve springs or get your pistons notched to accommodate the increased lift. It also means you have less overlap, which means higher vacuum, or essentially it doesn't "bog" or "lope" at idle as much as bigger cams. __________________ Official Secondhand Snake Build Thread Here Looks Like a Cobra, Sounds Like a Cobra, Tastes Like a Cobra, Not a Cobra. For Sale: P71 Interceptor motor

January 7th, 2012, 03:40 PM	#10
01StangGT01 Regular 2001 Mustang GT Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Houston Posts: 104 iTrader: 0 reviews	I'm only 17 and currently in high school so that probably explains why I'm a newb. Thanks for the info! __________________ CAI, 75mm Throttle Body/Plenum, 3.73 Gears, O/R X Pipe, Magnaflow Catback, Eibach Pro Kit. Nitrous coming soon

January 7th, 2012, 05:29 PM	#11
86er I Post Entirely Way Too Much Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 7,626 iTrader: 0 reviews	Lift doesnt have as much effect on the PTV as duration does. Its the increased duration that creates the problems. Holding the larger lift open longer is where the PTV problems show up. __________________ Just a truck 5.4 3v: 264hp 317ft lbs rock stock The "search" button, its not just for porn piecing together the next project faster than your first sexual experience

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
Ford Mustang Forum Advertisement

Threads Similar to: Can Someone Explain This To Me?
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Explain:	Calogero6685	The Clubhouse	10	January 2nd, 2012 03:42 PM
can someone explain this?	07 STROKER	2005 - 2010	17	July 14th, 2009 02:03 AM
Can someone explain this	fastregalwe2	2005 - 2010	29	June 22nd, 2009 07:27 PM
Explain this to me	yellowstang6r	General Tech	8	June 9th, 2009 04:25 PM
could someone explain...	crappy_head	99-04	23	March 6th, 2009 02:43 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:51 PM.
Contact Us - Modded Mustangs : Ford Mustang Forums - Privacy Statement - Top
Modded Mustangs is ©2005-2008, All Rights Reserved, And is Not Affiliated with Ford Motor Company. Forum is powered by vBulletin ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Ent. Ltd. & SEO by vBSEO 3.3.2 ©2009, Crawlability, Inc.