im looking at the comp cam x-treme energy 33-234-4 for my truck. it has a 390 , performer intake and holley 600 with hedders. anybody have any feedback on this cam?

 

This looks like a really good cam. Comp is one of the best. Being a dual profile makes me believe that it is engineered specifically for the engine that it is intended for. 1000 to 5200 RPM should be ideal for your FE and it's longevity, as long as you dont mind not having that off idle torque that you would get from a lower RPM R.V. cam.

 

i was thinking of advancing the cam 4 degrees to make up some of the difference off idle

 

Pretty sure advancing would raise the RPM range, retarding would make it better off idle. You should get the cam intended for the RPM range you want. The 1000 to 5200 RPM cam should work great with an automatic, because the torque converter isn't going to let the engine die.

 

its a 3 speed on column.as far as timing - you may be right. I always advanced it for throttle response and took away timing to stop the knock at higher rpms. But with a performance cam i may need to do the opposite.What do you think about the lunati cams or the crower? both with similar specs.

 

Best thing to do is just ask Comp Cams. You tell them how the vehicle is to be used and they will recommend the right cam. They're real good about that. I like the Isky grind for my little six, but on anything else, I'd go with the Comp grind recommended by them.

 

when i got my truck they said it had a cam in to, is there any way to tell..and what exactly does a cam do?

 

Cam contols when the valves open and close, how long they stay open. You can measure, but it's an involved process. Best to post your own thread for procedure.

 

Here's the problem as I see it.....

1. Comp has by appearance - seems to be a company that has experience more cam lobe failures than most and places the blame on the low ZDDP in the oils. Is it a factor yes, but I highly suspect that they are also using Chinese cam billets & are not Parkerizing their cams (Parkerizing is the final step and a crucial step to help break the cam in- a heated acid bath that microscopically etches the metal surface and adds a very thin layer of graphite coating which allows the cam lube to hang onto and penetrate into the cam surface during cam break in). Comp does offer it at an additional price...but still, parkerizing cannot make up for what I suspect are chinese billts, which still have a shorter life span than billet made in the US.

2. The current pres, is the brother of the original founder (IIRR), while a car guy, he is an attorney by trade.

3. Considering the cam has such critical importance to the engines performance and life, to me it makes sense to use a cam grinder who will talk with you directly- even modify the cam grind to fit your needs even better and to address the possibility of cam lobe failure with the new oils. With regards to price...the difference is nil- especially considering its cheap insurance to know exactly who is machining such a critical part for your engine. And remember, advertized lift/duration/lobe separation is just that- advertized and not the specific grind including ramp profile that is used on the cam.

That is why I highly recommend Iskenderian & Crower...both are family owned, been grinding cams for decades, and both will even re-grind your oem cam if possible- saving you even more $.

As you are probably aware, many of the cam mfgs in the past few years either sold, closed their operations to re-open elsewhere (typically with new staff) or .......

In addition to Isky & Crower, I use to very highly recommend....
Sig Erson & Crane...

Both became part of corporate entities, eventually leading to periodic quality issues and closing their doors- I think Crane re-opened, but with a different staff. Typically the staff is very, very young and well- requires a learning curve.

If you do a search on the net, Harvey Crane has posted a little summary of the history of the people who made the cams at Crane, his opinion of what happened and the eventual outcome of several of the staff.

While there are some cam failures cause by start-up/break-in error, cam lobes that are of a street type profile should not be completely worn out in 10,000-30,000 miles- and while just about every cam mfg recommends adding ZDDP (and sells) to the oil, I still highly suspect Parkerizing is not done by some and the billets are of Chinese origin with inferior properties.

Given the criticality of the component- IMHO, I don't like speaking to a catalog parts sale person- they really don't know any more about the cam than what they are reading- companies like Summit, while their bulk purchase agreements are great for price, when it comes to making an engine breathe, there are so many variable including elevation, humidity, fuel blends/available octane, most cam mfgs will vary a "core grind pattern" to match the external impactors in addition to the internal impactors- which today IMHO makes the different between and engine that runs well, to one that just seems to run a little bit better, smoother and gets better mileage than expected.

 

to beechkid, what about lunati? Also , whats the limit a valve spring with a 95 lb seat pressure handle? Is it ok to use them with a cam that calls for a 110 lb if there new?

 

ALWAYS use the springs that the cam manufacturer recommends !! the springs are made of thinner coils so the lift of the valves wont bind and if that happens you bend push rods

 

www.mpgheads.com scott is a 20yr+ engine builder and cuts his own cams. He's also involved in the www.enginemaster.com competitions. Been really happy with his product and still running. He's a big ford guy and check out his website. He got 6th this year in enginemasters this year. Just thought you guys should know theirs more than one or two guys out their.

 

I appreciate it.This has all been very helpful. The reason i asked about the springs is i have installed a brand new set from edelbrock to match their performer plus cam. But obviously ive changed my mind and i would like yto still use them not only for monetary reasons but also for labor involved.I know it would cost me more for bent pushrods and ill change them if absolutely necessary.Their rated at 95 lb seat .

 

BTW, advancing the cam will move the power band to a lower RPM, retarding it will raise the power band. It's an old hot rodder's tip but it's really more of a band-aid, or for experimentation, though if it does what you want it to do, there aren't any lingering effects of leaving it that way.

Since you're apparently going with a new cam, tell the manufacturer what you want to do with it and then you don't have to worry about advancing or retarding it; you can install it straight up and be pretty well assured it'll do what they say it'll do.

Tell them what springs you have, too. Is your new cam going to operate in the same RPM range as the Performer Plus is made for? (Seems like that cam is "made" for 1500-6500 RPM or so.) They'll have a recommended seat pressure (largely based on designed RPM for its flat-tappet profile) but the thing that would cause the most trouble is if your new cam has a lot more lift than the Performer Plus. Coil bind bend$ and break$ a lot of part$$$. You do know it's possible to replace the springs without removing the heads, right?

 

I agree- there are only a few spring mfgs in reality, you might get lucky and with a lille tech support from the new cam grinder, you might be ok with what you have.