Cam Questions?

[matts95]

I am curious to know what all the the specs of cams mean. Like what is lift? What about duration? Intake centerline?:confused: I really want to know exactly what everything means. What is the difference between a na cam and a blower cam? I read the rant about stage 1,2,3 and so on and i got me thinking what does all this stuff mean in idiot terminology. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

[Blackout]

Someone correct me if im wrong...but from what I was told the lift is how far the valve opens and duration is the amount the cam will be at the highest piont in realative to measurement. Basically what they are talking about centerline is the advance/retard of the cam in relation to the TDC and lobe position.

[Kevin1989]

There are alot of write ups on how to read a cam card. i had a small crash course on them. i wont try to relay what i learned. but just google it!! lotts of good info!

[na svt]

http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0607phr_camshaft_basics/index.html

[NXcoupe]

I am curious to know what all the the specs of cams mean. Like what is lift? What about duration? Intake centerline?:confused: I really want to know exactly what everything means. What is the difference between a na cam and a blower cam? I read the rant about stage 1,2,3 and so on and i got me thinking what does all this stuff mean in idiot terminology. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

Ok. Ill try to field this for you without a link, although that is great info. Lift is how far the cam opens rhe valve with the number being the max the valve opens in tenths of an inch.
Duration can be misleading, always look at the .050 numbers as they are the most informative and more of a standard for comparison between manufacturers. Duration is a measurement in degrees that indicates how long the valve takes to open to max lift amd then close. Or in .050 terms go from .050 onthe open side to .050 on the closing side. LSA, or lobe sepeation angle is the distance between the intake and exhaust centerlines in degrees. Basically the lower the number, the more overlap youll have and the higher the number, the less overlap youll have. Higher lsa cams typically have better idle and part throttle manners as well as being more boost and nitrous friendly. Lower LSA has more top end, peak power, but looses the milder manners of the higher LSA. Hope that helps