All things considered (preformance, durability, warrenty, purchase price etc.) which is the best camshaft manufacturer?

I am not particularly interested in the different grinds. I just want to know when comparring similar cams from different companies (comp, crane, lunati, edelbrock...) which would be the best choice.

Please give something to support your recomendations.

Thanx, JJ

 

Crane Cams and Comp Cam are the 2 bigger manufactures I hear of most often. Crane tends to use more lift in there street performance and truck grinds, Lifts are typically over 0.500 inch. Some sources I have read (David Vizard for example) suggest that lifts over 0.5 inch need bronze valve guides, and even then are pushing the limits of long valve train life. Extra lift does give you more power throughout the rpm range. Comp cams don't use as much lift. Some of their street and truck grinds are basically Ford OEM grinds with more lift and they want you to install the cam 4 degrees advanced to give more low end torque. For example the comp 268H street performance grind has exactly the same seat to seat duration as Fords 391 truck cam, just has more lift and cam advance.
Which is better? I don't know.
I bought some Comp cam valve springs and a Crane cam calibration spring to check the spring checker at our local machine shop. With the spring checker correctly calibrated, the comp springs barely met the minimum Ford OEM spec for non-high performance use (not GT or CJ), yet the 268H grind is meant as a performance street cam.
I returned the comp springs and bought Crane springs and retainers. The Crane springs were at the middle to high end of the OEM spec for performance GT and CJ requirements - this is what I wanted in the first place. Plus the Crane retainers used stock valve spring installed height and they offered +/- 0.050 keepers to adjust valve spring installed height rather than +0.05 only like Comp offered. Also Comp used non-standard 10 degree retainer and keeper, where as Crane used OEM 7 degree keepers, so you could use stock (low cost) keepers with Cranes retainer.
In the end I liked Crane better and the springs will still have good seat pressure even as they lose a little of their pressure over time.
I have not used Edelbrock cams. A friend uses Isky cam on his chevy short track race car and likes it.
Just my experiences. Hope this is of some help.

 

Its up to you and what you want to try. When I am shopping for a cam Im not in the least bit concerned with the mfgr. I only look at the cam grinds offered.

 

Your gona get lots of opinions but mine is that crane cams are good and reputable but they have alway put forth more R&D into chevy's, Comp cams makes excelent cams, and have put a lot of R&D into there grinds and patters for ford, and they will gladly custom gring one to your specs. DW

 

Lets not leave out Lunati. I agree with Mark on looking for grind you what rather than manufacurer. With me though the grinds I like usually come from Lunati.

They don't have as broad of a selection as with Isky and do put more effort into chevy R&D, but at the same time there Ford grinds aren't complete lemons either. I have heard a lot of good opinions about Lunati from shops and fellow hot-rod headed people at the local strip.

just my 2 cents

 

For our applications, www.camresearchcorp.com is the best camshaft out there, all they do is FORD. They also break the camshaft in at their manufacturing site in CO.

Custom grinds are their fortay.