I had planned to order Tomei 268° camshafts. However, through a phone conversation with a local tuning shop, I learned that they no longer made them. After checking out Tomei's website, the 272° intake/exhaust camshafts with 10.5mm of lift seemed like suitable replacements. However, I started noticing staggered combinations for aggressive cams.

For example:
Tomei's Spec Engine - 280° intake and 272° exhaust cam
Nismo Spec-1 - 276° intake and 256° exhaust cam
Nismo Spec-2 - 284° intake and 268° exhaust cam

So now my conscience is messing with me. I don't want to just blindly buy these cams without knowing I did a little research, so could someone please point me in the right direction? Does anyone have any literature on this?

 

The 280s are pretty aggressive cams and would require new valvesprings and more than likely the use of VTC gears as well. You would probably be better off with a set of 264 intake cams and 256 exhaust cams, it all really depends on what your goals are and how extreme you plan on going with your car. It also depends on whether you are na or turbo, this would also affect your decision on whether or not to stagger the cams...check out our site for more info: http://z1auto.com/prodmore.asp?model...ine&prodid=521

 

Actually, I'm very happy with the power this car produces right now. I plan on building a low-budget (less than $5,000) normally aspirated motor, maybe with the possiblility of a supercharger in the far future.

I don't plan on revving much beyond 7200 RPM and I don't think my 272° cam choice is that aggressive. Therefore, I didn't see a need for the Nismo VTC pullies. However, I do plan on installing Nismo valve springs and ARP connecting rod bolts for a little piece of mind.

 

you'll need VTC gears for the 272's, otherwise you are leaving alot of power, and idle quality, on the table

 

I wish i had money for a N/A build...i hate seeing these threads...they just make me want to harvest some organs or go into a great deal of debt. (subscribing b/c i'm interested in this stuff)

 

+1 ^

 

Do you know what the VTC angles need to be set over stock for the 272's for maximum power?

 

no one can tell you the answer....you have to tune and play

 

The paperwork that came with the 272's states something about the VTC angles. Unfortunately I can't read japanese so I am not sure exactly what it says about the VTC angles. That is why I was asking...I guesses I will take some educated guess at it...

 

You make a great point and it's such a small investment. After all, it was evident the benefits Z350Lover experienced from them. However, after seeing that Nismo quit including them in the S1/S2 package and my fear that few people will be able to properly tune cam-phasing type VTC, it had made me weary of buying them.

 

Just curious, would the UTEC have enough flexibility to tune the 280's or the 272's or a standalone be ideal for such a setup? Thanks.

 

Your right in not blindly buying a cam----U have 2 choices, 1. Go to someone u trust unconditionally or 2. and my preference---learn about Camshafts. If u pick 2, u had better be prepared for a deep subject, but in the end it will give u an understanding of one of the Major Dynamics of the Internal Combustion Motor. There is no literature except that that is written by the manufacturer of the Cam and u may find that a tad bit Biased.

It still has to be pretty much a self taught subject as I found out at around 14 yrs old when I asked an old Mechanic to explain Cams to me. He didnt have a clue. Cams to this day still facinate and mystify me. U can become so familiar with Lift,Durations,Split Durations,Spring requirments,Valve sizing, degreeing and piston relief requirments, but what works for a Nissan wont work for a Chevy and what works for a Chevy wont work for a Harley.

Fortunatly ( or unfortunatly ) there are not a lot of choices for the Z motor or Asians as a whole for that matter. The Market is somewhat cornered

I really didnt answer a dam thing for u other than how important it is to make the right choice and thats best done by learning about cam profiles and the plus and minuses for ur motor and ur driving preferences---- and a little advice from those that have the experience of playing with different combos----EDIT: With the Z motor, I am not one of those people-----Yet.

 

No the UTEC in its current configuration is not able to control VTC. A standalone such as Motec or the soon to be realeased (if not already realeased) Hydra unit would be better suited for VTC gears.

 

How would the car ilde with the 272's (if it will idle correctly) and would I be able to get it to idle correctly with the UTEC (It only alters fuel & timing)? Also would I need a standalone with the Nismo VTC gears? I would love to get more aggressive cams than the nismo I am currectly running.

I'm planning a mild NA build (272 cams, P&P head, & the basic boltons). I will not be taking the motor past 7200-7300 and I want to see how far I can push the stock short block.

 

then you dont need 272's if that;s your RPM goal

I'd stick to something with less duration

 

Doesnt the FCON vpro offer VTC gear control?

 

Would I really limiting myself by revving to only 7.2-7.3k? Do the 264's make decent power past 7k? Thanks for answering my questions.

 

becomes a function of the quality of your porting job, the quality of your plentum design and your header design..and then of course, the tune