Solid or Roller Cam what would you use.

[Yatzee]

Roller all the way - who wants to go through the BS of uncertain cam break in these days. Sounds like your laying out a bit of cash on this build so I think you should go the distance with roller cam, lifters and rockers. Leave nothing to chance, especially your hard earned dough.

 

[Hemirunner]

I failed a Comp 829 at 158 passes. Valves are lashed every 25 passes. 7100 rpm 275/800 seat pressure

Doug

I'm 330 seat but only 700 open so either less lift or different valve spring rate. Lobe profile has a large effect as well, but I'm sure you already know all of this. I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I do know some guys who do spintron testing, LOL. I am retiring these 829's as I don't want to push my luck but not so much as a spread roller fork.

 

[IQ52]

Let's all pull up our big boy panties and install the solid rollers.

 

[HT413]

Ok, can I ask a question? How about a hydraulic roller? If it's a stroker I'm guessing it won't be revved to the moon so perhaps a hydraulic roller might provide the balance of roller performance with a bit more streetability than a solid? Really, this is just a question more than a suggestion.

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Let's all pull up our big boy panties and install the solid rollers.

sorry, my wife won't let me wear my big boy panties outside...

 

[383man]

My solution to running a roller cam in my street-strip disaster is:

1) Jones customer roller cam, $500

2) Isky Red Zone EZ-Roll bushed roller lifters, $1325

3) Manley titanium retainers and locks, $475

4) Isky RAD-9999 tool room valve springs. There is one grade of spring that is higher and we will try it if needed. $500

5) Trend 7/16" tapered push rods, $450 including two spares.

6) Cam button to set thrust, $50

6) 3-bolt timing gear set, $175

7) Melonite coated steel cam gear and hardened shaft from Hughes.

I think that is most of the recipe. Big power, endurance and cost all play together here. It's the slippery slope at it's finest.

That said lots of us have rocked the good old Herbert or Comp roller lifters and K-950 springs and got away with it by performing regular maintenance to find failed or failing parts. This time around we are going to try putting the money in front of our free time and see if we can get away with valve lash checks at oil change intervals instead of every time we lean on the car.

I forgot to say another reason I went solid flat tappet is price ! My budget is very tight right now. I am using the comp EDM lifters with the small laser hole in the bottom which seem to work great. As I said I have never wiped a cam lobe and I have used flat tappet cams since the 70's. Ron

 

[IQ52]

Streetability, solid roller or hydraulic roller, we are going to use the same adjustable components. If the lash is going to loosen on the solid, the preload is going to be lost on the hydraulic. Time and again I've seen better valve train stability with solids. For me only, if I was afraid to adjust the solid lash, I would stick with a stock engine, work in the vegetable garden and drive the carpool kids to school. But I'll tell ya, the boys had more fun riding to school in the 1973 4X4 Dodge Challenger we built than riding in mom's mini van.

 

[dvw]

If the hydraulic loosens a say .010" you'll still have some preload. Therfore the needle bearinds aren't getting impacted. With a solid the needle bearings get slammed every opening/closing cycle. Talk to some people who put serious miles on a solid roller on the street. For every happy customer I'll bet the are 4 that have seen a failure. Can it be done, sure. Plenty of lash h checks and rebuilds at less than 5K miles. I've seen soft profiles and lower spring pressures suggested. I personally would run either a hyd roller or a solid flat tappet. If you think breaking a solid flat tapper is an obsticle you have no business running a solid roller on the street.
Doug

 

[lewtot184]

i believe the key to keeping a any of these aggressive rollers alive on the street is regular maintenance. most people won't pull maintenance on the tappets or springs.

 

[747mopar]

Here's another question.... how often should a mech lift cam be adjusted? I'm running a mech lift and have adjusted (checked) them 3 times in 6,000 miles but never found much need as of yet. At a bare minimum I'll do it every winter?

 

[lewtot184]

Here's another question.... how often should a mech lift cam be adjusted? I'm running a mech lift and have adjusted (checked) them 3 times in 6,000 miles but never found much need as of yet. At a bare minimum I'll do it every winter?

i check once a year whether it needs it or not,...lol. truth is most "frequent adjustments" are do to the nut behind the wrench.

 

[IQ52]

I've found that the small variations I see in checking the lash come from variations in engine temperature or my feel on gauge. Sometimes the roller tip in a different position changes the lash .002". I can go back and recheck the lash ten minutes later and get a different value. If I get .010" difference after running the engine for a 1000 miles I need to trash the cheap components and buy good parts.

 

[383man]

i believe the key to keeping a any of these aggressive rollers alive on the street is regular maintenance. most people won't pull maintenance on the tappets or springs.

That is true and I did not want to do all the maintenance of checking my roller lifters every few thousand miles which I would do for peace of mind. With the solid flat tappet I run I just check and adjust if needed the lash once a year and most of the time they are still right on. If I had a race only car I surely would use a solid roller. Ron

 

[lewtot184]

rollers have to be rebuilt periodically. if not,...well you get the idea.

 

[Jeremiah]

I typically check my valve lash at oil change intervals on my street/strip cars. That said you need to get really familiar with any performance engine. If it doesn't sound right it's time to pull the rocker covers. Bushed lifters seem to start around $800 and it's cheap insurance.

Out of curiosity what is the rule of thumb on power gained from a roller cam. It always seemed like there too many variables to really nail down any one aspect of the gains from one.

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

i've always leaned hard toward the roller cam side just for the fact that's what i always used in race motors. for street I've changed my tune a bit. i run a solid roller in my hemi, plan to keep it that way. but every 2 years i pull the lifters and send them back to comp for a rebuild. driving it on the street i know that's about all they are good for. and every time they go back they are wasted. that is with 250# on the seat and 650# over the nose. the 512 im building for my RR, i know there was no way in hell i wanted two roller cammed street engines. so i opted for another solid flat tappet. i ran one in the 440 and it was virtually trouble free. Lash it once a year and forget about it. My roller is the same way, but i know the lifters are always a ticking time bomb. especially when you get in a traffic jam and have to idle for a ridiculous amount of time. For something that's gonna be driven alot on the street, solid flat tappet.

 

[451Mopar]

Solid roller cam with mild "street" ramp rates will be easy on springs and maintenance.

How many miles per year are you going to realistically drive the car? If you are only going to put 2,000-3,000 miles per year on the car, the roller should last many years.
My 451 stroker used a mild Utradyne street roller cam, and after about 30,000 miles it was still in good shape, but the bronze oil pump drive gear had a bit of wear on it.
I broke an intake valve on that engine, and it may be because I did not change the valve springs? The Comp roller lifters were still good too.
I think it was the mild ramp rates and spring pressures are the main thing as I have seen some high rate of lift solids that are just as agressive or more than the mild roller I was using.

 

[BigHemi]

Solid roller. Like said before, the specific lobes you use will dictate how hard on parts it is. Stick w/ a mild street lobe and it'll be easy on parts. Buy the best quality lifters you can afford.

 

[493 Mike]

I didn't see anyone on this thread mention that Isky and Comp both offer solid roller lifters with solid bushings in place of needle bearings in the roller. That would eliminate the "needle bearing threat" from the argument against solid rollers.
Mike

 

[67coronetman]

I just want to say thanks to all of you for your input i know that a roller would give me a bit more in areas but i feel a Solid Cam would better fit my all around needs since my car is more street and less strip use now comes the choice of what Duration & lift and @ .050 i have a good idea of what i want but i am still searching thru all of my choices..

 

[Hemirunner]

I didn't see anyone on this thread mention that Isky and Comp both offer solid roller lifters with solid bushings in place of needle bearings in the roller. That would eliminate the "needle bearing threat" from the argument against solid rollers.
Mike

I have seen these handle big spring pressures in drag cars and on the dyno but I don't have and long term, real world results as to their durability long term. Anyone have any data?