does anyone think i can get "more" power out of a smaller cam
i was looking at the 274XE
specs are 230/236 duration at .050(and will i get my breaks back)
lift is .490 on both

i will also be using rhodes lifters i really want my breaks back.....

my cam now is 246/254 duration at .050 and lift is .495intake and .510 exhuast
with no breaks
any opinions?
this cam make huge power in the midrange and up
my heads are trickflow 195s with 62cc chambers
i think im making around 10.5 to 10.7:1 compression
i have 4.56 gears with a 3k stall converter
i want to be low to mid 13s on street tires
even if possible high 12s(that wont happen too much of a newb to do that :p)

I thank I would leave what you have right now,What rpm do you shift at?You can convert to manual brakes with your current cam.I havn't heard anything good about Rhoads lifters all I hear is that they are very noisey at idle.

I haven't heard to many good things about Comp Cams Xtreme Energy series cams. I've be told by guys that have used them and also read that they are noisy and that Comp Cams has higher then usual warranty isues with them. I was going to use one until I heard this. I went with a Lunati instead.

I think tallman1970 is right. You might be better off switching to manual breaks.

It's a great cam. Lopey idle, vibrates the whole car, and puts smiles on everybody's faces. AND, the power brakes still work. :) It's powerful. Forget the Rhoads lifters. They just bleed down at lower oil pressures to cut lift/duration at lower rpms, hence the clattering noise they make. Use Comp's lifters.

The cam failures weren't just Comp Cams, it was an industry-wide issue. Two ugly industry forces grew from the late '90's and really blew up in 2004 to cause all the failures. The OE's had stopped using flat tappet cams, so many of the good domestic producers just quit making the tappets. They weren't profitable. That drove new production, and all the learning curve that goes with it, offshore. In 2004 the situation came to a head because the EPA mandated that catalytic converters be warranted for at least 120k miles. The two compounds that allowed us to break in flat tappets, and any other sliding metal parts in the engine, were zinc and manganese. Those two oil additives were severely reduced after the 2004 rule change to save the catalytic converters. That forced to OE's to go full roller, and pay careful attention to the metallurgy for their sliding parts.

Enter the "Flat Tappet Disaster of 2005". Cheap foreign tappets, plus new oil, minus the anti-scuffing agency of zinc and manganese... and KABOOM! New flat tappet cams were failing shorty after break-in, and sometimes during. Comp now sells a special break-in lube that fixes that issue, and they have specially contracted with domestic producers to make higher-quality flat tappets available. Just use the additive in your oil for the break-in period.

As for power, I got 13.3xx@100-102mph, 1.83x 60' all day with this fairly mild combo for ten years straight:

1) A (crappy) Holley 4010 square bore double-pumper
2) Performer RPM
3) Rebuilt stock L48 heads, 1.94/1.50, magnum rockers; 0.030-over L48 bottom-end, with regular TRW 4-relief forgings, new rod bolts and everything else stock.
4) Comp Cams 270H
5) Performance Distributors HEI
6) Precision Industries TH700R4 w/ 3200 stall lock-up converter (best thing I ever did to this car!)
7) Eaton posi and 4.10's in the stock 12-bolt
8) 275/40R17 BFG Drag Radials

I've since upgraded to a Demon 750 vacuum secondaries, K and N open element with filter top and the XE274. It idles stable but REALLY lopey at 700 rpm and lights up the Drag Radials at will. I just knocked the rear gear down to 3.73 to see if I could save some traction. That didn't works so it looks like it's time for a fresh set of Drag Radials. :)

You've got WAY better heads than I do, more compression, and about the same effective gearing in first (if you're using a TH350 or TH400) that I've got with the TH700R4. So yeah, it's a great cam, and I'd be shocked if you couldn't get 12's out a combo as good as yours using the XE274.

i only ran a 14.3 with my 3.42 gears and a lean pinging
doenst ping except for midrange which is either octane(91 here.....) or timing

i mean yea...14.3 is pretty quick but i want at least a 13 second car on street tires....
i also shift around 6000-6400
but without shifting myself it shifts at 5500 and then 5600 or so

Unless you've got your whole drivetrain set up for 7400 rpm shift points and consistent higher-rpm use. You've got a great set of heads.

Are these your heads?:
http://www.trickflow.com/partdetail.asp?part=TFS-30400002&autoview=sku

They don't need that much cam for 12's. You can easily go 20 degrees smaller @0.050" on the durations and still hit your mark. Any of these cams: Comp 270H (unless you're crossing the line at over 6500rpm), 280H or XE274 plus a good set of 26"-27" tall drag radials will get you 12's. Taking care of timing, jets, tune-up of course. :)

It's my understanding that the lack of zinc (ZDDP) in the oil is a completely different issue. It's the aggressive lobe profiles on the Xtreme Energy series flat tappet cams that's causing problems.

Last month when I was getting ready to order my cam I was going to buy a Comp Cams XE262 hydraulic flat tappet cam. I had members on this site as well as other sites I belong to and both the machines shops I deal with (one does my machine work, the other does all of their balance work) highly recommend that I pick a different Comp Cams series or a different brand altogether. They both have replaced XE cams. Even some of the tech support guys at Summit told me I'd be better off with a different Comp Cams cam or a different brand.

Just passing on what I was told. Maybe some of our resident professional engine builders and/or machinists will chime in and pass on their opinions. I know there were a few here that told me to stay away from them.

I'm not anti Comp Cams at all. I'm using their Magnum Roller Tip Rocker Arms PT# 1417-16. If I ever step up to a hydraulic roller cam, I'll definitely look at Comp Cams for the cam and matching components. :bowtie:

It's my understanding that the lack of zinc (ZDDP) in the oil is a completely different issue. It's the aggressive lobe profiles on the Xtreme Energy series flat tappet cams that's causing problems.

The most reputable engine builder in my area exclusively uses Comp Cams unless the customer requests otherwise. They lost a lot of cams about the same time as everyone else did......seemed like all of this happened in a similar time frame....industry wide. They recognized the issue immediately and began other processes in their machine work as well as using/recommending extra ZDDP additives. Their cam failures diminished by a huge number. Yes they still have the occasional customer losing a lobe. 99% of those are customers who broke-in the cam themselves.....and failed to use oils containing higher amounts of ZDDP or supplements against recommendations from the builder. The engine builder still uses Comp Cams in their engines. As much as you'd love to point most fingers at Comp, you have to realize that there are more Comp Cam (shafts) used than anything else....of course their failures would seem higher.

I run an XE274H and I can honestly say that it produces GOBS of power through the mid-range. Anytime I pull up to the gas station or idle through a parking lot.....people look, point, and smile. "Sounds good" is what I hear a lot. I don't drag race my car any more, but it was well into the 12's when I did.

I'm glad yours works for you. I heard to many negative things about them for my comfort. As I said, I'm using their rocker arms. :bowtie:

I'm not a machinist anymore, so I can't say what folks have been seeing. For what it's worth, I've been running my XE274 since '99. No issues... except for the strained tire budget. :)

You're right about their aggressive profiles. I could see issues if the customer uses a block with sloppy lifter bores or cheap lifters. If a lifter gets cocked in a loose bore with those lobes, it'll eat the lobe for sure. The XE cams are definitely harder on the springs. I'm about ready for a fresh set of beehives to freshen up my 4500+ rpm performance. My old Comp 270H was much easier on the springs. I'm sure it won't surprise you, but I like your original choice of an XE262 for your combo. That'd be a sweet, TORQUEY driver for sure!

Just looked at the 'best sellers' list on Comps catalog page.. shows the SBC XE268 and XE294 as top sellers #1 and #3, respectively. I'd imagine that wouldn't be the case if the cams sucked that badly. IMHO of course.

Like I said I'm glad your cam worked out good for you. I hope it continues too!

I used Comp Cams Camquest6 program and it picked the XE262 cam. I was all set to order one until I started hearing all the negative things I was hearing.

Here is a funny one for you. I also have the Comp Cams Desk Top Dyno 5. It's a cheap program, no doubt. However when I manually enter Crane and/or Lunati cam spec's into the program, they make more HP and Torque then similar Comp Cams cams do in their own program. no less.. I just go a kick out of that lol! :bowtie:

I really am glad yours works the way you want it to. Time to go to bed, I feel like.. :roadkill:

Especially if the Desktop Dyno says so LOL. Gotta love that. :)

Remember to post us a vid when you're done so we can see/hear your combo in action!

Especially if the Desktop Dyno says so LOL. Gotta love that. :)

Remember to post us a vid when you're done so we can see/hear your combo in action!
It's like a whole 2 HP and 3 FT. LBS. of torque LOL. It's a neat little program to play with though. I also down loaded their Camquest6 program, it was free, so why not right.

I don't even know how to post pic's, let alone video! :eek:

My wife has posted pic's before for me. I don't think she know how to post video's though. I'll ask her. :bowtie:

Like I said I'm glad your cam worked out good for you. I hope it continues too!

I used Comp Cams Camquest6 program and it picked the XE262 cam. I was all set to order one until I started hearing all the negative things I was hearing.

Here is a funny one for you. I also have the Comp Cams Desk Top Dyno 5. It's a cheap program, no doubt. However when I manually enter Crane and/or Lunati cam spec's into the program, they make more HP and Torque then similar Comp Cams cams do in their own program. no less.. I just go a kick out of that lol! :bowtie:

I really am glad yours works the way you want it to. Time to go to bed, I feel like.. :roadkill:
I hate my ex262

I hate my ex262What don't you like about it?

so a smaller cam should work
i dont ever go past 6700

thanks for all the input
i think ill do this xe274 when i get money
seems like a pretty good cam