How much is too much

[bwaii64]

I've flip-plopped on this so many times my neck hurts. Then I thought of a picture of a cam profile being shrunk. All the proportions remain the same. Then it hit me - lift is absolute. You can shrink the base circle so the lift remains the same and "fatten" the bottom of the lobe so the duration is the same. What has to give is the ramp from base to tip.

And maybe that's why many don't like them. May they strain the other components.

So both sides were right.

[Dick Steinkamp]

Originally Posted by bwaii64

I've flip-plopped on this so many times my neck hurts. Then I thought of a picture of a cam profile being shrunk. All the proportions remain the same. Then it hit me - lift is absolute. You can shrink the base circle so the lift remains the same and "fatten" the bottom of the lobe so the duration is the same. What has to give is the ramp from base to tip.

And maybe that's why many don't like them. May they strain the other components.

So both sides were right.

If that's your theory, dig a little for support of that theory. It it is true, there must be at least a couple of cam grinders who will not grind stock cams back to stock specs because it will "strain the other components" (or for any other negative impact on the engine or its performance).

A theory or opinion is interesting and worth developing...but doesn't go too far to convince.