18 replies to this topic

[brad-the-bear]

hi, just wondering if anybody can shed some light on how the MD 286 cam drives and feels like? also what the idle is like. 

 

thanks in advance, bear. 

Edited by brad-the-bear, 29 May 2013 - 07:19 PM.

[Cooperman]

Idle is, as might be expected, lumpy. It has little useable power below about 3000 rpm, but pulls strongly from about 5700 rpm up to 7000 rpm. Set tickover to around 1100 to 1200 rpm. You also need a really well gas-flowed head.
For it to be any use you need an engine capable of sustaining 7000 rpm and you should expect to do fairly frequent re-builds as the high revs will wear the engine relatively quickly.
A lower FDR will also be needed and, ideally a close ratio gearbox in order to keep the engine 'on the cam'.

[KernowCooper]

Been covered to death here on the Forum, search will reveal all just depends on what you want to use the car for and how often you want to pull the engine apart for a rebuild.

 

have a look at the other posts Brad

[holmesy]

not an ideal town cam but ive been using it everyday and im happy but it does pull extremely strong around the 4000 mark on mine but its not setup properly yet, economy- after 3000 its drinks it like water but this weekend I was on the east anglian mini job and managed to do 40 miles on 2.7 litres keeping in 4th just coasting and using the big toe to keep it moving I was amazed and so was everyone else at the petrol station

use- very fast road or semi race or rally

a truely good cam for some serious power if you have the internals and head matched for it like cooperman has put

[brad-the-bear]

Cheers guys, I've got a flowed big valve head with 1" 1/2 twins. Hopefully a works exhaust system too soon. Stuck weather to have a 276 or 286.

[Gulfclubby]

The 276 is a nice cam. Pulls well from a very useable 3000rpm and tops out at around 5000rpm in torque and 6000rpm in power. It's suitable for town driving, but the idle will be lumpy below 900-1000 rpm, obviously depending on other factors, too.

 

The choice ultimately probably depends on how you will be using the car.

I have personally only ever taken the engine past 6000rpm for more than a few seconds on the track, so a powerband that only really starts there would be pretty useless to me.

[Cooperman]

I must stress again, that to get a 286 to work you must be using well over 6500 rpm. True, it can pull from around 4000 rpm, but a 266 or 276 will pull better at 4000 rpm. A 286 really only 'gets going' above about 5500 rpm, so if you don't want to be using over 6000 a lot of the time then it's not the cam for you.

[brad-the-bear]

I want it for rallying really. But would be used around town wvery now and then. Also would be using on the motorway sometimes.
I have a 276 but people have said its a boring cam.

[Gulfclubby]

Have you driven the 276 you have?

If yes, do you think it's boring yourself, or are you just bothered by its bad reputation by "the people"?

If no, why not give it a try, if you have it already?

[brad-the-bear]

No haven't driven the 276 or the 286. The 276 that I have has the old type oil pump drive with the spider drive that looks like a triangle. And I've been told it's very hard to find an adaptor so it can be used with a pump. This then opened my eyes to getting a diffrent cam. After a quick google people in other forums where saying that the 276 was boring but part of me thinks that they are being bias or just picky.

[brad-the-bear]

286 is sounding abit hairy for me now

[Jordie]

ive had a 286, you really do need to rev it, it will be loud, high revving etc.

 

Ive had a 276 in a 1293cc engine and that drove very nice, didnt have the punch of the 286 so to speak but certainly was matched for pull upto 5000rpm.

 

Im using a KC800 in my 1293cc, stage 3 head with double valve springs and it drives really nice. I need it tuning on a rolling road, hopefully get that done in June.

[Cooperman]

A lot of cam choice seems to be based on 'saloon bar bulls**t' rather than technical selection for application.
There is absolutely no gain, but a lot of potential loss if, say, a 286 is fitted to an engine which is not capable of sustaining over 6500 rpm and where the owner is nor prepared to regularly re-build it.
It's not a question of what is 'boring', but which cam graph best suits the application for the car and rev-capability of the bottom end of the engine.
As so often said, look at the cam graphs where you will find all the answers. You must always have an engine capable of safely sustaining at least 2500 rpm over the point of maximum power on the cam graph and transmission with ratios able to keep it on the cam..

[Orange-Phantom]

Another cam to throw into the mix is the more modern profile Swiftune SW-10 cam.  http://www.swiftune....t-camshaft.aspx

 

Their website also shows an example dyno graph for the cam.

 

It is their version of the Kent 286.  It's machined by Kent,  it is more suited to road use, it has a flatter power profile and it has better on idle emissions and wear characteristics than the 286.

 

The SW-10 is the cam that Peter Vickers recommended and used to build my Engine hence why I am showing bias towards this particular cam.

[rally1380]

Was going to mention Swiftunes offerings....get great reviews.

 

I think essentially what Brad wants (sorry to hi-jack here) to know, is which cam is best to fit in his new engine for road rally use?