In my continued quest for more low end power I decided to see what a performance cam might accomplish. I understand the basics of how a cam works (this link was really helpful to me - http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft.htm). The way I understand it (and please correct me if I'm wrong), a cam with larger lobes should should provide more power - something we all want (insert Tim Allen grunt here).

To make a long story shorter - I put a new cam in from BigE. It took a little over an hour to install - this included rejetting the carb with a 135 jet and adjusting the valves. Then then it was off to my usual tests of timed runs of 0-100' and 0-200'. Although my times were shorter, I didn't see a great difference in the times. I guess the ideal test would be a dyno, but I don't have access to one of those.

What I did notice, purely by accident, was the fact that with the new cam in place, the buggy was really zipping out of corners much better - scratch that - the buggy is now wicked in the corners. I've ridden on our same flat dirt track for years, and until now the HH had never fishtailed out of the corners unless it was muddy - but now it seems I have a alot more low end power. I wasn't sure how much difference a new cam would make but I'm really impressed.

Not that I want to swap out cams to verify my theory but does anyone have good 'test' they could recommend for testing a cam? The geek in me would really like to have some numbers to quantify the increase in performance. Any ideas?

Do you have any lap times on this track from your old cam? If it's got that kinda low it will show on a short track. I can gain a 1/4 track over my dads kinroad just in a corner. If it's a low end cam you need to try it in low end areas. A track with uneven terain might be good for this. A few diff sized hills maybe as well

From a reliable source, I heard these were the results of the milder cam. We need you test the more radical cam now...

The way I understand it, there are basically two types of performance cams - a 'milder' cam for low end power and a 'radical' cam for more power at higher speeds - do I have that right Pete?

That's what I understand with these two cams that being offered. If cam duration is longer, it is for horse power. Lift also helps, but higher RPMs with big lift makes it harder for valves to keep up.

Thanks for helping keep me straight Pete.

Any suggestions on how to test the cam? I like Chuck's idea of testing it in low-end situations like a hill climb. I do have the numbers from a short (pond dam) hill climb from a while back. That might be a good test. Thoughts?

Cams are a very complicated item. They determine the shape of the power band. Things to look at are lift, duration, and lobe separation. The best test is a dyno but of course not many folks have one of them handy. Next best is the way you are doing. Use a stop watch on a marked course. The WORST dyno is the seat of the pants dyno. It's wrong as much as it's right.

For the average Joe, a mild cam upgrade is probably good. If you are a WFO kinda rider then bigger may be better. Too much cam and you may give up low end power for top end power. Whether or not that's good is dependent upon what RPM range you normally operate in. A lot of that is determined by your clutch set up, from what I'm learning. (CVTs are a new animal to me.)

Yes tuning the cvt is a big part on how the buggy responds whether its stock or with the new cam.

If your testing on a hill make sure it's not a rough or complicated one. I know you dont want to hear it but you really need to test both cams to see the real diff. Probly a few types of test as well.

Did you get any dynamometer data where peak horse power and torque are with these cams? If they shifted the peaks from stock, the CVT may have to be reconfigured to take advantage of the peak RPM.