28 replies to this topic

[jc_kasabian]

building a new engine for my mini and got it stripped down and new pistons ordered to get rebored next week to a 1330. what cam do people recommend? it will be driven quite a lot but not really a daily, not wanting anything too lumpy but would like some decent power, what do people recommend? also got 1.5 titan roller rockers and getting the head port and polished. any other tips for good power gains? thanks

 

[Anthony30]

Kent 266 would be my choice.  Twin HS4 carbs would look awesome in the engine bay.

[carbon]

+1 for Kent MD266 as fast road cam. I have used this in 1293 with offset bush rockers (about 1.35 lift) and this was a real improvement compared to the A+ rockers with the MD266. I'm using CR of 9.75:1 on Shell 99 octane, with the 1.5 rockers you might be able to use 10:1 on 99 octane.

 

For exhaust I am using medium bore Maniflow freeflow manifold, with a twin box RC40 side exit exhaust system.

 

A pair of well set up twin HS2s with 'vizarded' mods and smoothed inlet manifold can handle intake side nicely, I've not tried HS4s yet. And the dizzy advance profile will need tweaking to get anywhere near best out of the whole package.

[Chadders]

piper 270 might be a good choice

[Cooperman]

A Kent 266 or MG Metro cam will be ideal.

A hotter cam will make it less friendly to drive.

Make sure the entire engine is built accurately and carefully with well matched components and accurate cam timing.

With a 266 and good quality engine build it should be possible to get around 80+ bhp at about 5700 rpm.

[Midas Mk1]

If it's not a daily i'd be wanting something abit hotter than a 266, it's rather tame to be honest. 

 

I'm not knocking it, dont get me wrong its a great all round road cam, but having just come back from a roadtrip, an sw10 (286) has both enough low end torque to cruise, but really opens up through the revs, and fly.

 

Undoubtedly i'm going to get blasted, but beyond to some belief on the forum, a 286 (in a balanced, worked etc engine) is really not hard to drive around town or in traffic. (thats my opinion, having done serious miles on an mg cam, 266, sw10, and small miles on a friends borrowed 276. 

 

I've got a 276 with 1.5's built up ready for my daily Mini, should be a comprimise of the two

Edited by Midas Mk1, 01 September 2015 - 11:13 AM.

[JetBlackEreg]

I'm running a piper 270 cam in my daily car and I don't find it difficult to drive at all. 

[fwdracer]

With 1.5 ratio rockers? Kent 266 or MG Metro. You'll get the drivability (torque) were you need it for a road car and built properly with a good head and induction/exhuast system I'd be a bit more optimistic than Coopermans 80 bhp.

 

As soon as my 1293 is rollered (MG Metro Cam + 1.5 rocker + Stg2+ Head + Weber 45) I'll update thread with a graph.

Edited by fwdracer, 01 September 2015 - 11:34 AM.

[KernowCooper]

I run a 276 in my 1330 and its perfectly drivable, remember a lot of people say that cams lumpy this cams lumpy and its just poor setup of needle and advance curve

[Stiggytoo]

I agree - 276.

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

Swiftune sw5 for me.

[maximas]

I have the swift tune sw5....spot on around town but it can take off a bit as well....likes to just keep going once higher revs are reached...but it's not itching to go at low revs....

[Cooperman]

It all depends on how many revs you are prepared to use to get the best power.

 

A 266 will give max power at 5700 rpm, so you'll be using around 6000 rpm when making it go at its best, so full balancing is not essential.

A 276 peaks at 6100 rpm, so use 6400 rpm as change-up revs when using max power.

A 286 peaks at 6400 rpm so use 6800 rpm when using the engine fully. This will require full balancing plus a centre main bearing strap, etc.

 

If you don't want the high revs and consequent higher engine wear then use a softer cam.

There is no point in 'over-camming' an engine and then never using full power. To keep a 286 properly 'on the cam' it needs a low FDR, like a 3.76 or lower, and a close ratio straight-cut gear set, which is not ideal for normal road use.

[CPC]

I found the swiftune sw10 with standard rockers fine in my old 1380

[Cooperman]

As always it is dependent on the application.

The hotter a cam is the higher up the rev range it will produce best power and torque.

There is just so much bad advice given on cam choice by those who do not fully understand how and why a cam chart needs to be used before the final decision.

There is no point in fitting a cam which gives peak power at, say, 6500 rpm, if your engine won't rev comfortably, safely and frequently at least 400 rpm above that figure.

The BIG question is where do you want the rev band to be, taking into consideration the acceptable engine wear, gearing, desired cruising speed and the overall use of the car. It is surprising how much an engine wears with a 286 cam running a lot of the time at over 6000 rpm. If you fit a 286 and don't run it over 6000 rpm a lot of the time, then you have the wrong cam fitted.

You don't pick a cam because someone says it is good, you fit it to suit your proposed use.