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Rhoads lifters were the bees knees back in the day for the pro tourer style street engines, I would have thought it was the perfect solution on hyd rollers allowing the benefit of bigger cams on our LS engines while bleeding off 10 degrees (some Rhoads can bleed off 20 with adjustable valvetrain) from idle up to 3000rpm.
In theory, that's a perfect set up for big cams on the street, is there something wrong with their design/durability? It has the advantages of VVT without the cam lobe design restrictions
A very mechanically inclined friend, our local hotrod guru tried the Rhoads lifters way back in the day in a small block Chevy. At that point the quality control on Rhoads lifters was terrible because the lifters didn't bleed at even close to the same rate. They didn't pump up at the same rate either. It made a lot of noise. He fiddle with it for a while tried different weight oils etc. He wasn't happy, car ran poorly and eventually swapped them out. This was along time ago. After his ordeal no one else tried them that I knew.
Maybe Rhoads and or Howard's figured out how to get them to work properly.
Last edited by 99 Black Bird T/A; Oct 16, 2018 at 08:30 AM.
Yeah, it's stories like that which make it hard for guys like us to want to experiment. Love the concept - but unwilling to crash valves onto the seat and hurt my motor if it goes wrong just to find out they're not best sellers for a reason lolz
Bring on the camless engines, then we can have our cake and eat it too
Rhoades modified lifters were big in the 4-cylinder scene for a while. We used to run giant cams in our 2.4L engines with Rhoades lifters to keep them in check while cruising. They prevented surging while cruising with cams that had 230+ duration @ .050" and gave a little more idle vacuum. The tradeoff was usually a few peak horsepower.
Howard's is pretty much my go-to cam company now. They have valvetrain parts for LS engines that are usually in stock at Summit and cover a WIDE range of needs.
I'm not sure I'd ever try the lifters because they are a situational thing, but I'm inclined to believe they at least work mostly as intended.
Yes, I'm keen to find out how they have worked out too. I'd definitely cam my next build accordingly if they work. For street I'd want around 224 @ 050, but in events I want 230-237.... those lifters could enable me to get both in the rpms I need them. I will contact Howards Cams and ask them if they have any testimonials and real world data.
Another issue is they use the same lifter for SBC as for LS. But LS engines use typically 5w30 oil and the sbc guys use 10w40 to 20w50 - I'm guessing that affects the bleed down rate
LS is all hydraulic roller lifter, where SBC has traditionally been hydraulic flat tappet, only gong to roller lifters in the last years of SBC production.
Yes, I'm keen to find out how they have worked out too. I'd definitely cam my next build accordingly if they work. For street I'd want around 224 @ 050, but in events I want 230-237.... those lifters could enable me to get both in the rpms I need them. I will contact Howards Cams and ask them if they have any testimonials and real world data.
Another issue is they use the same lifter for SBC as for LS. But LS engines use typically 5w30 oil and the sbc guys use 10w40 to 20w50 - I'm guessing that affects the bleed down rate
In for any additional info. Sucks we have to pull heads to change lifters tho.
But LS engines use typically 5w30 oil and the sbc guys use 10w40 to 20w50 - I'm guessing that affects the bleed down rate
I would never categorize oil weight usage by engine type alone. Keep in mind the SBC die-hards are usually old farts that believe 20w-50 will provide more protection than 5w-30. Just kidding,
I personally have both a SBC and a LS3, I use the proper oil for the bearing clearance of the engine and it's intended usage.
Originally Posted by G Atsma
LS is all hydraulic roller lifter, where SBC has traditionally been hydraulic flat tappet, only gong to roller lifters in the last years of SBC production.
FYI - SBC production changed from flat tappet to roller lifter during the 1987 model year, 31 years ago.
I would never categorize oil weight usage by engine type alone. Keep in mind the SBC die-hards are usually old farts that believe 20w-50 will provide more protection than 5w-30. Just kidding,
I personally have both a SBC and a LS3, I use the proper oil for the bearing clearance of the engine and it's intended usage.
We said the same thing. I was just being more polite
Another issue is they use the same lifter for SBC as for LS. But LS engines use typically 5w30 oil and the sbc guys use 10w40 to 20w50 - I'm guessing that affects the bleed down rate
Hydraulic roller SBCs all used 5w-30 from the factory. The lifter bore and size has remained the same over the years. If you went to a dealership and asked for new lifters for your 1988, 1993, and 2002 Camaros, you would receive LS7 lifters for all three.
Originally Posted by G Atsma
And the last SBC went into a car in 1998, trucks a couple years later. So OK, the last 11 years of SBC production, out of 43. Point taken.
They remained in production vehicles through 2002. However, some of the trucks still had flat tappet engines until the mid-90s.
Hydraulic roller SBCs all used 5w-30 from the factory. The lifter bore and size has remained the same over the years. If you went to a dealership and asked for new lifters for your 1988, 1993, and 2002 Camaros, you would receive LS7 lifters for all three.
Thank you for posting that. So many people think ls7 lifters are some huge upgrade, and they are really just stock replacement
Used to be a fair amount of Rhoades lifters in Boats, you could have a motor that would idle well for low
speed trolling and when you came up on power take advantage of a bigger cam.
Haven't heard much about them in years otherwise..
Seems like a cool idea that just faded for lack of continuous improvement..
Talk about a no-cost improvement! I bet that came about when some poor slob wore a groove in the side of his lifter and discovered things got better lubricated. Hey, it could happen! lol
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Variable Duration Hydraulic Roller Lifters 
This product is a great idea if it has no downside other than ticking noises 
