Cams

[mag_pbg]

Im pretty new to tuning cars, so please bear with me. What is a cam, what does it do, and what upgrades can I do to it¿ Thanx guys

[YK86]

The cam opens and closes the valves. The lobes which open and close the valves can be modified by a professional machinist to increase power. Look in the FAQ on who can custom grind a cam for you.

[smufguy]

here is the whole set up of the camshaft and cam gear which i am sure u know it. the lobes on the camshaft controls the lift and close of exhaust and intake valves on all our cylinders. and our enges have one cam shaft that controls both intake and exhaust valve lifts.

MOst of the imports and newer domestics come as SOHC (single over head cam) or DOHC (Dual Over Head Cam). the sporty or high output engines use a DOHC setup. the older domestics and many new ones, have just one and they are in the middle of the engine block and the valves are opened and closed by a secondry system called pushrods.

[smufguy]

if ppl say they are gonna change the cam, its the cam gear that they are gonna replace. the grooves are bigger on a performance one and is a bit lighter. it gives a longer opening on the valves for more gas inlet and combustion of more fuel = more hp. they run around 150-200 bucks on average. but do expect high price ones for older cars.