I was just curious what advantages a solid roller setup has over a hydraulic roller setup? I've noticed that a lot of bigger cube motors and stock cube max-effort motors run solid rollers and then I realized that I don't know what the difference is. It's obviously better for something. What is it?

 

big lift, big springs, high RPM, very aggressive lobe profiles, etc, etc

 

how often do youhave to adjust ther rockers meaning is that solid cam a weekend street cam for like cruising to the races

 

I went around 7k between lash settings with a fairly mild solid cam. If you go for the ultimate agressive lobes or ride the red consistantly, I wouldn't go more than a couple thou. between changes. The Big advantage is stability @ higher rpm. There isn't a spring in the lifter to 'give', so the valves follow the cam lobes at all times. That's why they put out more pwr. But, at the expense of adjustment, and more spring wear. Everything is a trade-off, but this one's worth it IMO...

 

I used to have to replace lifters every 5000 miles running a solid roller on the street in the late 80's early 90's. I would hope that lifters have improved since then

 

That's for the info. I should probably stick with a hydraulic setup and just go with a max effort H/C package. I was just curious so I will know what to do in a few years when I get the turbo. I'm coming after you Harlan!...ok not really..

 

Technology has very much so improved. I put 80k on one of my first solid setups a few yrs ago.

You could always use an XE-R lobe hydro cam and solid lifters. It's easier on springs and will yield more top-end pwr and all around precision. I've gone that route before. It's a mid-road for ya to think about...

 

I agree !

 

So what exactly consititues a 'Solid Roller' versus hydraulic?

 

The lifters. The lobes of the cam are also more aggressive as the solid lifters will follow the cam profile w/o bouncing all over the place.

 

Please be carefull with this one. You will need to run a very tight 0.008"-0.010" lash to do this. The standard 0.020"-0.026" lash will tick like crazy and will be hard on parts. But, as long as the lash is tight it will work well.

Chris

 

Yeah, definitely left that one out...sorry bud...

If you were interested in going for that mid-road, many on this board could guide you with setting the lash. Mine actually liked .012-.015" (usually closer to .015"), but that just goes to show you no two setups are alike...

Don't let all this fractional number talk scare you. It was like a slap in the face to me a few yrs ago when I took my first solid route. All it takes is a set of feeler gauges-it's real simple. You may want to invest in a nice set of mechanic's gloves as well, as to be accurate, the motor should be hot-ish warm. No big deal though...

 

So with solid roller lifter and a solid roller cam you're in the club? Only because of the lifters not being hydraulic you have to adjust the valve lash all the time? How often like every oil change?

 

Basically...Camshafts aren't hydraulic, just the lifters...

I checked my last setup every other oil change (6k or so) depending on how much the car was bashed. I know it'd need it by say something around 7k to keep from beating up parts. If you're a redliner (ie: you race a lot), I'd check or set it every oil change, or every 100 1/4 passes to be safe. It's a quick job once you get passed the coil packs and valve covers. I'd recommend maybe a coil pack relocation kit that'd cut the time down a bit. I didn't buy one, but I don't mind the extra few it takes-it's a reminder for me to inspect some things on my way in...
You just rotate the engine until the valve is 100% closed, stick in the feeler that is recommended for your app. (believe it or not, my last two varied), and tighten the poly-lock until you feel a slight tension on the feeler gauge. Wiggle the rocker a tad to be sure that the slight tension is still there. If not, tighten a tad more-until you get tension on the feeler. Repeat that minute step with all the valves, and button everything back up. Piece'o'cake...The job gets quicker every time you do it.

 

Does the car idle/drive better with a huge cam with the solid lifters? Or is it just to preserve the valve train? I'd think it would be more harsh.