Solid Roller vs. Hydraulic Roller Camshafts

Supe

MalibuRacing Junkie
May 21, 2003
15,116
0
36
Charlotte, NC
Per member request, lets use this topic to open up a discussion on:

-Advancements on solid roller and hydraulic roller cams
-Street use, pros and cons of each
-Race use, pros and cons of each
-Limitations of each for race and street use
-Cam selection
 

CpTech

Amateur Racer
Oct 4, 2004
286
0
0
Hatboro, Pa.
I'm in the process of building a quick (low 10's) street 30%/strip 70% car. I'm looking for information related to solid roller vs hydraulic roller cams. I've read information about solid rollers not being streetable, although some articles say that's not the case. I've also read about crane cams new hydraulic rollers that allow high rpm. In my case it will be a gen1 sbc. I'm looking for an honest 7500 rpm shift point that will live on the street. In the past i've always run a solid tappet setup. I've never run a roller cam before so i'm looking for some good information from guys who have.
Any/all info will be greeatly appreciated.
 

prairiehotrodder

Pro Stocker
Dec 17, 2005
1,576
4
38
46
Melfort Saskatchewan Canada
I've run all types of cams. I've found that big solid flat tappet cams tend to eat up lobes quickly. I've run lots of solid rollers on the street and had good luck. My latest lesson is that i will always remove the rocker arms from my motor as it sits for the winter. Valve springs for big rollers aren't cheap and valve float destroys stuff. I'm preparing to buy a solid roller for a BBC right now. I just bought a set of Morel lifters from Chris Straub and will likely buy a cam from him as well. I will be running a solid but he does some amazing stuff with hydraulics as well.
Brian
 

1981Regal

Dragway Regular
Mar 10, 2008
1,274
0
0
Cincinnati, Ohio
Solid rollers are high maintenance pieces and more specifically suitable for the track. I would recommend using hydraulic roller for street or street/track.

Just ask anyone running a solid roller on the street what a headache they can be. Especially when a lifter fails, it's not pretty.
 

LS6 Tommy

MalibuRacing Junkie
May 15, 2004
15,847
1
38
North Jersey
Solid cams (roller or flat tappet) don't have much more maintenance needs than a hydraulic cam. That's an old school wives tale. If they're broken in right, once the lash is stablized it rarely moves much. If you go with a solid roller, Morel lifters and a custom grind cam from Chris Straub are definitely the way to go. Going with Chris for a cam is the way to go, no matter which type of cam you choose. If I didn't already have my cam installed and have the correct length pushrods, I'd have him grind a stick for me.

Tommy
 

CpTech

Amateur Racer
Oct 4, 2004
286
0
0
Hatboro, Pa.
Thanks for the info Tommy. I called Straub yesterday afternoon and Chris answered the phone. We spent at least a 1/2 hour on the phone as I explained my combination and he gave me alot of information. Long story short, he felt a hydraulic roller setup would be best for my combination. He's going to grind a custom cam and yes I'll be using Morel hydraulic roller lifters. He's going to set me up with a complete package that will include the cam, lifters, springs, retainers, push rods, and cam button. He was great to deal with and extremely knowledgeable.
 

Supe

MalibuRacing Junkie
Thread starter
May 21, 2003
15,116
0
36
Charlotte, NC
Just curious, what was the justification for the hydraulic roller?

To Tommy's point, I love solid rollers. I turn my motors fairly hard, and have never had my lash move on me when using a solid roller with a roller rocker/girdle setup, or with my current Jesel shaft setup.
 

CpTech

Amateur Racer
Oct 4, 2004
286
0
0
Hatboro, Pa.
Chris felt there was a slight advantage for street use, and since I won't be spinning crazy rpm's (7500 shift point) he felt that was the way to go. I went with his recommendation. When I asked "everything being equal, what would you do" he said go with a hydraulic roller.

I just emailed him about using a beehive valve spring, vs his spring recommendation in the quote he sent me. I've read alot about them and they seem to have a number or advantages, but I've never used them. Can anybody out there shed some light ?? Any personal situations that might help ??

Thanks
 

Joe87MonteSS

Amateur Racer
Sep 18, 2006
168
0
0
Memphis, TN
I personally like dual springs. A customer came in with a broken beehive and the engine was destroyed because the valve fell. If hehad the dual springs, there would still have been that additional spring in there to help hold things up.

I agree that a solid roller will be just fine with a good girdle set-up. After the first valve adjustment after everything is warmed up, set them and thats it. You can check them like once a year or something if you want.
 

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