Why Do I Want An Aftermarket Cam
The internal combustion engine has been under developement for well over 100 years, and will be for decades to come.
The examples that we see come to the market as a car, truck, boat, motorcycle, or any other application, are the designs of one group of people, and to some extent will be a compromise.
Taking thier product and tayloring to better suit your needs is the prodominant reason to look to an aftermarket camshaft.
I have deliberately avoided the term 'performance' cam, as it seems synonimous with, more power, more revs, worse drivability, and less fuel economy.
It is equally posible that the 'performance' you want is better fuel economy or more bottom-end power, and top-end power may be irrelevant.
There are many reasons why a factory cam may not be ideal for you. It may be an older vehicle that could benifit from a more modern design, with a wider operating rpm range. Or it could be that the vehicle that has served you well and you enjoy driving it, but could just do with a bit more power as a more economical solution than changing vehicles.
Sometimes manufacturers are in competition with a rival to make the most power. This can lead to vehicles that make all thier power at the top-end. Makes for some good numbers for the marketing team, but in reality a stronger mid-range will feel faster. When you pull out to pass are you doing 6000 rpm, or 3000 or less? The small block Chevy 350HP cam is a good example of this. Yes it made good power in it's day, but the power is all at higher revs and by todays standard it is an old lazy design. Today a cam can produce that same top end power with a far better mid-range, making for a vehicle that is nicer to drive and is faster.
The most popular style of cam we do for V8 cars has a resonable lump to the idle, because V8s sound great and the world should know you have one even if you are parked at the lights, has very strong mid-range because that is where you are usually trying to accellerate the vehicle, but does not run to high rpm. The two main resons people stay away from high rpm is that an engine taylored to the higher rpm will have less bottom end power, which makes for a car that is not as nice to drive and doesn't accellerate as well from low speed, and higher rpm engines need better quality and therefore more expensive internal parts.
Engine transplants, or retro-fits, will often benifit from a camshaft change. An engine designed for a passenger car is unlikely to be cammed idealy for your street rod, boat, or offroad vehicle.
Turbo charging and super charging also radically change the camshaft requirements of an engine, and the exact specs of the turbo or super charger as well as the type of power you want will change what cam design is required.
More modern vehicles can also benefit. When a devoloper has met thier design criteria they are unlikely to continue spending money making it better, or they may develope the 'top of the line' model and then detune it and sell it as a more basic model. This often leaves room for later improvement.
Or maybe you do want the race cam. Lots of power, lots of revs, and the BIG idle sound.
What ever your needs, Kennelly can tailor a package to suit. Contact us today to see how we can help you achieve what you want. Contact >