20 replies to this topic

[monster_mini]

hi

i am currently building a 1275 with twin inch'1/4s, stage 3/4 head, with full exhaust.

my question is which cam would you recommend for me?

i have been looking at the swiftune range, possibly sw5-07 but im also quite excited by the sw10:P

i listened to a mini with a kent 286 cam in the other night and quite liked the sound of that too:P

i just dont want to go over kill on the cam and have an undriveable motor, but also wouldnt mind a bit of a grumbly motor either:)

any opinions welcome

thanks

nick

[carts60]

Iv been asking a lot of the same questions of late. It all depends on where you want your power band to be.

Personally, i really like the SW5 because its got oodles of low down power but lacks anything about 5.5k. The SW10 on the other hand only comes on cam at 5k or so you're going to have to be revving it quite hard to get the power you want. Much more of a race/track mini cam.

[samsfern]

the sw10 will be doing things way before 5k.

Ive gone for a piper 649+ race cam for my new 1330, power band is 3-8k, but itll suit MY driving style and what i use the mini for.

The 286 is quite good cam, as is the sw10.

[minidaves]

get one of the ac dodd cams, he has delveloped a range that lets just say have impressive fiqures, I have just got one for my engine that is at the limits for a smooth idle, but gives power from 1500-6000 rpm, so its a sw5 warmed up, and they are £100 exchange.

want the info graphs pm me

dave

[Cooperman]

I always use the Kent range because they are a known quantity in terms of power/torque and rev range.
The range suits all applications from the mild road cam suitable for a bit of improvement in an 850 right up to a full race cam.
The 286 is a great cam. A bit short on bottom end, but with a free-flowing head, carbs and exhaust system it works very well above about 2600 rpm.
For a good road engine the 276 is superb and will allow serious top end power as well.

[monster_mini]

ok cheers guys:) anybody heard good/bad things about piper cams?

thanks

[monster_mini]

also, i need to buy some new cam followers, can anyone recommend any?(preferably not to expensive)

thanks

[Chris_R]

You can get a kit from Kent Cams that includes the camshaft, followers, springs and build lube.

[monster_mini]

does anyone have any experiance or heard anything about a piper bp270 cam?

im stuggling to find much info on how people have found them in mini's:/

thanks

[samsfern]

ive drovce a midget with a bp270, quite similar to the kent 276, the 276 is a very good cam.

[Cooperman]

There are no 'magic' cams which give top end power and good bottom end smoothness. The basic engine has been around for so long that every combination of cam timing has been tried in competition. With the A series you have what you have as a basis for modification.
That said, the best and oldest cam manufacturers like Kent and Piper have the long-term experience and can machine accurately. That's why I always use the Kent products now that BMC Special Tuning no longer exist.
Unless you are going to be racing, you will really not notice any differene between the equivalent Kent, Piper or anyone else's cam on normal road driving. True, you might gain a second or so a lap with one cam compared to another, but really for normal engines it's a question of assembly accuracy such as cam timing, build quality, etc.
A modified Mini is always a compromise. For example, a mini with a mild am, but with low gearing, may well out-accelerate a more highly modified one, but lose out on top speed as it will run out of useable revs (or just 'blow-up').
Decide on what you want the car for, then create a specifiation to best suit that use.

[samsfern]

it also depends on your driving style as well, i dont pootle around or go shopping in the mini, i drive it hard and do trackdays and am going to get into dragracing next year, hence why ive gone for a piper 649+ race cam. I had a 276 in my old mini, and i thought that was a great cam, but obviously now as im really into trackdays and stuff i want something a bit less tame.

[richieg]

What about giving some scenarios and seeing what people think?

Daily driver, usable road car, good low down torque - Kent 266 or 276
Weekend car, higher rever, some track day - 286/296

These are suggestions but it might help give a few scenarios and what people use or think?

[Pigeonto]

does anyone have any experiance or heard anything about a piper bp270 cam?

im stuggling to find much info on how people have found them in mini's:/

thanks

Well thats what I ended up with and it was after reading everything ever written(well almost).Only had engine in 3 weeks, 1380 with 36/31 valves,its a high lift cam so used standard rockers and still fiddling with carburetion,timing etc etc so wont have a definitive conclusion.You're right, Kent seem to have stolen a march on Piper and I couldnt find any comments on the 270.So far though, idle 8-900 no prob. Pulls from low down better than the 31/65 65/31 duration may suggest, but that may depend on whether you have twin small carbs or 1 bigger one and on all the other mods. Very impressed with mid range, 60 up to 90 mph very strong and was still wanting to go well beyond 100( verified on a prat nav) when I backed off-too scary. Saying all that, if I build another I'd go for the next one-285.

[monster_mini]

ok thanks:)

i think i will go with the piper bp270 then as i can pick one up quite cheaply i hope:)

obviously i need to change the cam followers and oil pump as a matter of fact, but i've also been advised to change from my simplex timing chain to a duplex? also what else will i need to buy with the cam to time it up ect?

thanks