The camshaft that you select for an engine is going to have a massive impact on how it performs. You can easily neuter the performance of an engine with the wrong camshaft. So, how should you approach picking the cam for your next engine build? We talked with Eric Bolander from Howards Cams to learn what information you need to have ready before you order a camshaft.
You can think about the different parts of an engine and their jobs sort of like different parts of the human body. The crankshaft is the backbone of the engine, the intake manifold acts like the lungs, and the cam is the brain of the operation because it controls when events happen in each cylinder. Now you can see why it’s so important to pick a camshaft that will be able to properly time and control your engine’s combustion events.
It can be easy to get lost in a sea of camshaft options. The information you arm yourself with will act like a compass and help you navigate those waters.
Tip 1: Research And Planning Are Your Friends
It’s a bad idea to try and pick a camshaft without doing any research about the engine you’re building. You’ll hear people say “an engine is one big air pump”, which is very true, but it’s also a complicated air pump. The camshaft you select needs to work with your entire combination. Actually, more than the engine specs need to be considered when selecting a cam.
“Before you make a decision about a build or a camshaft, do your research on the particular quirks and problems you will run into with that engine platform. Find out what parts of the block or heads need special attention. Check those inherent problems and/or issues with your build against your willingness to correct them, before you get started,” Bolander says.
It helps to have an idea of what your engine is capable of when you’re looking at cams.
You’ve got a block, heads, rotating assembly, intake, and a general idea of what your horsepower goal is, now what? It’s time to start coming up with a plan on how to bring it all together and pick a camshaft. You could just take a somewhat-educated guess based on what other people have used, but that isn’t a good course of action. There’s plenty of variables between builds that make simply using what others have, a risky proposition.
The solution is to seek professional help from a company that manufactures camshafts. There’s a lot to take into consideration when trying to figure out what camshaft will work with a combination….
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