valve spring question
valve spring question If i understand this correctly....
A heavier duty valve spring will push the valve down harder and faster providing greater accuracy right. Well i was wondering how a heavy spring effects the cams ability to lift the valve open / compress the heavier spring. Since this would require more energy wouldn't that be harder on the cam bearings and cause them to wear faster and rob power?
A heavier duty valve spring will push the valve down harder and faster providing greater accuracy right. Well i was wondering how a heavy spring effects the cams ability to lift the valve open / compress the heavier spring. Since this would require more energy wouldn't that be harder on the cam bearings and cause them to wear faster and rob power?
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Joined: Feb 2004
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No effect on cam bearings because of opposing forces on the cam. Cam lobes, lifters ,rockers, valves and the springs themselves take a beating though.
An interesting analysis I read concerning the beehive springs that Comp Cams make. They did I high speed analysis of heavy duty conical springs versus the beehive springs. Because the lower seat pressure beehive springs had less harmonics at higher speeds they infact worked more effectively than high seat pressure conical springs.
An interesting analysis I read concerning the beehive springs that Comp Cams make. They did I high speed analysis of heavy duty conical springs versus the beehive springs. Because the lower seat pressure beehive springs had less harmonics at higher speeds they infact worked more effectively than high seat pressure conical springs.
I believe this is just a matter of matching the spring to the cam. I want to say that you’ll be robbing power if you have a really aggressive spring without the aggressive cam to match. Basically you won’t be robbing power if you have the aggressive cam to match the aggressive/stiff spring though. As camshaft duration and lift get more aggressive and the engine spins faster, the valve is accelerated faster. Therefore, the springs need to have more tension to control the valve motion. Since the engine is spinning faster, the extra stiffness in the spring is needed even if it is robbing a few ponies.
