Camshaft Qs

[Chevy305]

Solid lifters vs Hydrolic lifters:

I have heard that Solid gives you more power, but hydrolic is more user friendly. What do you guys think about solid lifter cams? Also can you put one into a block that is meant for a hydrolic cam?

 

[neverendingproject]

All I know is that solid needs to be adjusted a lot, but I see more and more people using them on the street.

 

[theperfectgarage]

You can use either type, the solids often with grinds that make more power. Kind of a pain to adjust, I only use them on pure performance engines. Theres a place for them, it depends on the application and the individual.

 

[hack500]

basically if the engine sees 6500rpm or greater you'd be well advised to run solid lifters. nothing wrong with hydraulic lifters below that.

 

[kwissman]

Solid lifter cams will typically produce a little more torque. This is due to the fact that the lifter will not compress and you can get the valve open faster. The current designs for street solid lifter cams are quite good and will typically need adjusting once a year depening on the mileage driven. Once the cam is broken in you will need to adjust it a few times initially. Check out the voodoo line or the lunati solids that were designed by Harold Brookshire. He is the previous owner and cam designer of Ultradyne. He has good designs that are easy on the valves and make good power.