Lifter Quality: good, better, best, why?
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Teching In
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Lifter Quality: good, better, best, why? I have read a few of threads on lifters. A few of supplier names have been thrown out as the best. A fundamental question I have is what makes one lifter better than another, and I am talking about quality of the product, not the its performance in a specific application? Performance can be system related, but at the component level, what features, process, materials, etc, make a certain lifter (brand, part number, etc) better than another lifter of a different or even the same manufacturer?
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If you compare hydraulic lifters, the better quality ones have tighter internal tolerances, less plunger travel and are made with more durable materials for reliability and longevity in mind.
A lot of people use LS7 lifters with aftermarket camshafts and while they can work they were never designed to withstand high spring pressures and higher RPM's.
A better lifter will be quieter, won't bleed down and start ticking, less prone to valvetrain instability (of course depending on other parts of the combinations) and the high RPM hydraulic street lifters are rated to 7500rpm.
Personally, I would never use an OEM lifter with a performance camshaft and higher spring pressures but a lot of people do and have had some success with it.
I like to play it safe.
Tony Mamo uses Johnsons limited travel lifters and if you check out some of the builds he has been involved with, the power and torque curves almost look like a solid roller camshaft has been installed.
And you also get the benefit of zero maintainence.
A lot of people use LS7 lifters with aftermarket camshafts and while they can work they were never designed to withstand high spring pressures and higher RPM's.
A better lifter will be quieter, won't bleed down and start ticking, less prone to valvetrain instability (of course depending on other parts of the combinations) and the high RPM hydraulic street lifters are rated to 7500rpm.
Personally, I would never use an OEM lifter with a performance camshaft and higher spring pressures but a lot of people do and have had some success with it.
I like to play it safe.
Tony Mamo uses Johnsons limited travel lifters and if you check out some of the builds he has been involved with, the power and torque curves almost look like a solid roller camshaft has been installed.
And you also get the benefit of zero maintainence.
If you compare hydraulic lifters, the better quality ones have tighter internal tolerances, less plunger travel and are made with more durable materials for reliability and longevity in mind.
A lot of people use LS7 lifters with aftermarket camshafts and while they can work they were never designed to withstand high spring pressures and higher RPM's.
A better lifter will be quieter, won't bleed down and start ticking, less prone to valvetrain instability (of course depending on other parts of the combinations) and the high RPM hydraulic street lifters are rated to 7500rpm.
Personally, I would never use an OEM lifter with a performance camshaft and higher spring pressures but a lot of people do and have had some success with it.
I like to play it safe.
Tony Mamo uses Johnsons limited travel lifters and if you check out some of the builds he has been involved with, the power and torque curves almost look like a solid roller camshaft has been installed.
And you also get the benefit of zero maintainence.
A lot of people use LS7 lifters with aftermarket camshafts and while they can work they were never designed to withstand high spring pressures and higher RPM's.
A better lifter will be quieter, won't bleed down and start ticking, less prone to valvetrain instability (of course depending on other parts of the combinations) and the high RPM hydraulic street lifters are rated to 7500rpm.
Personally, I would never use an OEM lifter with a performance camshaft and higher spring pressures but a lot of people do and have had some success with it.
I like to play it safe.
Tony Mamo uses Johnsons limited travel lifters and if you check out some of the builds he has been involved with, the power and torque curves almost look like a solid roller camshaft has been installed.
And you also get the benefit of zero maintainence.
TECH Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
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I had the Isky HPX lifters which are also made by johnson but I never used them as I went solid roller with my previous combo.
If I ever go back to hydraulic roller those are the one I would use.
The Isky version I bet is just as good.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2014
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Thanks, guys. Appreciate the response. After posting the question I realized, duh, material, manufacturing and design quality and processes all play into what it takes to make these. I looked at a couple of lifter manufacturers web pages and Johnson seems to want to spell out why they have a superior design without giving away the farm in doing so. For now, I think that is probably enough to answer my questions on good, better and best to the degree needed. The next part is the value equation that optimizes quality to a specific price point. And for that question, I think I am going to rely on the empirical based discussions that occur here and in other forums to help answer that, experience with the tried and true. My application does not warrant that much more research. Thanks for the information, experiences and suggestions.
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The 2110 is a direct replacement Johnson....better than OEM but not as good as either of the others I just listed
I have Johnson's in stock (the better versions)....but not much left
There is a reason the other part numbers I mentioned are more money
The 2110 is much better than say an OEM LS7 lifter (which is really no better than any other OEM lifter) but it wont perform as well as the other higher priced versions with less total lifter travel betting you more net lift.....more net duration.....closer to a solid roller.
Not bad.....I made a few good points without typing an essay
-Tony
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www.mamomotorsports.com
Tony@MamoMotorsports.com
Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Build it right the first time....its alot cheaper than building it twice!!
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Joined: Sep 2010
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2126 short travel better than 2116 (short or regular travel) which is better than 2110 regular travel (only option)
The 2110 is a direct replacement Johnson....better than OEM but not as good as either of the others I just listed
I have Johnson's in stock (the better versions)....but not much left
There is a reason the other part numbers I mentioned are more money
The 2110 is much better than say an OEM LS7 lifter (which is really no better than any other OEM lifter) but it wont perform as well as the other higher priced versions with less total lifter travel betting you more net lift.....more net duration.....closer to a solid roller.
Not bad.....I made a few good points without typing an essay
-Tony
The 2110 is a direct replacement Johnson....better than OEM but not as good as either of the others I just listed
I have Johnson's in stock (the better versions)....but not much left
There is a reason the other part numbers I mentioned are more money
The 2110 is much better than say an OEM LS7 lifter (which is really no better than any other OEM lifter) but it wont perform as well as the other higher priced versions with less total lifter travel betting you more net lift.....more net duration.....closer to a solid roller.
Not bad.....I made a few good points without typing an essay
-Tony
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