Lifters? Help!
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
From: Alabama
Lifters? Help! Hey guys, new here.
here’s the run down. 2011 Camaro, ls3, tr6060.
I’ve got some internal engine upgrades as follows
Cam- 233/25x .636"/.636" 113LSA, 3 Bolt Pattern
valve train/springs-BTR Platinum .660" Dual Spring kit with Steel Retainers, Valve Seals, Spring Locators and Keepers
pushrods- BTR 7.400" Long 5/16" Chromoly Pushrods
trunion kit
soooo relatively big cam, upgraded heavier springs. only thing I neglected was to upgrade the lifters. And after about 20-25k miles I’ve finally reaped what I had sown. and now I’m looking at upgrading the lifters now that I’ve got to replace them. I’m spinning 6500 rpm but I’m not entirely sure if I want to keep the trays. Plastic keeping my lifters makes me feel funny. so I was thinking tie bars lifters. Kinda over kill. Johnson 2116lsr are good, but 900 dollars and impossible to find in stock. the ST2116lsr are also expensive but more common (barely)?? Why? And what’s the difference in the “short travel” 2116lsr than the standard? What do I need to know about that? I already figure I’m gonna need different pushrods. So then I looked into the model 5290s. will they handle the .660 springs okay? and I’ve heard some bad things about their QC. Are y’all experiencing that often? Or is that just a few loud voices. there’s also other brands I’ve forgotten to mention. Howard’s. Comp cams. Isky. I know the Lunati and cam motion are rebrands. Trick flow? the summit brand?
my head is absolutely spinning with all the different options, price points, and opinions of danger and glory. I just don’t know what’s true, good, or bad. What would y’all run? advice?
thank y’all for the help, and sorry for the long post and questions.
dingo
here’s the run down. 2011 Camaro, ls3, tr6060.
I’ve got some internal engine upgrades as follows
Cam- 233/25x .636"/.636" 113LSA, 3 Bolt Pattern
valve train/springs-BTR Platinum .660" Dual Spring kit with Steel Retainers, Valve Seals, Spring Locators and Keepers
pushrods- BTR 7.400" Long 5/16" Chromoly Pushrods
trunion kit
soooo relatively big cam, upgraded heavier springs. only thing I neglected was to upgrade the lifters. And after about 20-25k miles I’ve finally reaped what I had sown. and now I’m looking at upgrading the lifters now that I’ve got to replace them. I’m spinning 6500 rpm but I’m not entirely sure if I want to keep the trays. Plastic keeping my lifters makes me feel funny. so I was thinking tie bars lifters. Kinda over kill. Johnson 2116lsr are good, but 900 dollars and impossible to find in stock. the ST2116lsr are also expensive but more common (barely)?? Why? And what’s the difference in the “short travel” 2116lsr than the standard? What do I need to know about that? I already figure I’m gonna need different pushrods. So then I looked into the model 5290s. will they handle the .660 springs okay? and I’ve heard some bad things about their QC. Are y’all experiencing that often? Or is that just a few loud voices. there’s also other brands I’ve forgotten to mention. Howard’s. Comp cams. Isky. I know the Lunati and cam motion are rebrands. Trick flow? the summit brand?
my head is absolutely spinning with all the different options, price points, and opinions of danger and glory. I just don’t know what’s true, good, or bad. What would y’all run? advice?
thank y’all for the help, and sorry for the long post and questions.
dingo
The short travel lifters need more precise pushrod length and if something goes wrong they are more likely to cause damage than a regular travel lifter with more cushion. I'd suggest you buy what's available in your price range.
Last edited by wannafbody; Jun 17, 2025 at 09:06 PM.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
From: Alabama
the morel 5290 seem like a good option for me, but have you heard anything about their quality control? Some people claim that you get bad lifters in a set more than average compared to other lifters. should I be concerned?
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,290
Likes: 3,615
From: Central Cal.
wannafbody makes a good point.. Short travel lifters are not nearly as forgiving with wrong pushrod lengths as "normal" lifters are. just get a good quality lifter and you'll be fine for your setup.
I build a decent amount of LS engines. Most of my clients are big power, big cam, big money builds, in which I always go with a Johnson link bar, either the 2116, or the 2126 sets. They deliver a trouble free valvetrain that’s quiet and reliable. The short travel stuff is designed for max valve lift at rpm with a big valve spring package, unlike a typical LS7 style lifter that has .200” of plunger travel, these have about .058” total. They are sturdy and take a lot of abuse. They require a lot of setup work to get the pushrod lengths correct, because of the limited travel plunger. I’m about to ship an engine out that I just completed with the 2126LSR lifters and I had 12 different length pushrods. If you don’t have the means and patience to correctly measure each pushrod, I’d stay away from the limited travel link bar lifters.
Now if I’m building a 500hp deal that’s a good daily driver, I’ve used BTR LS7 drop-in lifters with GM trays, and they have never failed me, at about $200ish a set.
Now if I’m building a 500hp deal that’s a good daily driver, I’ve used BTR LS7 drop-in lifters with GM trays, and they have never failed me, at about $200ish a set.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
From: Alabama
i'm running around the 450WHP mark with the current set up. with plans for a high ram in the near future and a centrifugal super charger in the far future to push me into the higher 500s. would I run into any issues? also are the btr ls7 lifters different from the delphi ls7 lifter. if i were to run them, OEM trays of course. if the BTR ls7 lifters were the correct lifter for me i would happy considering the price point compared to some other set ups i've been looking at.
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i'm running around the 450WHP mark with the current set up. with plans for a high ram in the near future and a centrifugal super charger in the far future to push me into the higher 500s. would I run into any issues? also are the btr ls7 lifters different from the delphi ls7 lifter. if i were to run them, OEM trays of course. if the BTR ls7 lifters were the correct lifter for me i would happy considering the price point compared to some other set ups i've been looking at.
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Verdad Gallardo The Tooley lifters are quality. I’ve used them.
Johnson 2110Rs are a great choice for running with GM trays. I'll admit I was skeptical paying around $800 for a set ($50 EACH!) of lifters. Tony Mamo talked me into it, and I'm glad I listened. Let's face it, an LS motor makes some valve train noise, along with injectors pulsing away, especially an LS7. My new setup from Mamo Motorsports with Johnson 2110Rs is actually quieter with a .650"+ lift cam than it was before with a .600" lift cam with LS7 lifters. I highly recommend calling Tony Mamo and get his cam, spring, and lifter recommendations. I'm very happy with what he set me up with. Tony has the best customer service I've ever had anywhere. He has sometimes called me back at 9:30-10:00 at night. It's not often you get to talk to the owner of any company. With Tony, you'll get that benefit.....
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 111
Likes: 35
From: Las Vegas, NV
Katech has their Johnson 2110-K lifters which are ground to their specs which address the slight drop in oil pressure from the 2110-R Johnson lifters. I'm running the 2110-R lifters (actually a pretty quiet valvetrain) but would have went with the 2110-K lifters if I had known about them. I've seen several posts about ~ 8-10 psi drop in hot oil pressure which the 2110-K lifters are targeted to address. I don't have any issues with the 2110-R lifters and have ~30 psi hot (220*) oil pressure at idle running a high pressure oil pump with the COPO spring. Under 200* the oil pressure at idle is 35+ psi and is 75+ psi cold.
Spending an extra $600 on lifters sounds like a lot, but the labor involved in replacing them (and maybe the cam too) whether you do it yourself or not doesn't make the $600 seem like such a stretch
Katech 2110-K Lifters
Spending an extra $600 on lifters sounds like a lot, but the labor involved in replacing them (and maybe the cam too) whether you do it yourself or not doesn't make the $600 seem like such a stretch
Katech 2110-K Lifters
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 113
Likes: 59
From: Akron, OH
Katech has their Johnson 2110-K lifters which are ground to their specs which address the slight drop in oil pressure from the 2110-R Johnson lifters. I'm running the 2110-R lifters (actually a pretty quiet valvetrain) but would have went with the 2110-K lifters if I had known about them. I've seen several posts about ~ 8-10 psi drop in hot oil pressure which the 2110-K lifters are targeted to address. I don't have any issues with the 2110-R lifters and have ~30 psi hot (220*) oil pressure at idle running a high pressure oil pump with the COPO spring. Under 200* the oil pressure at idle is 35+ psi and is 75+ psi cold.
Spending an extra $600 on lifters sounds like a lot, but the labor involved in replacing them (and maybe the cam too) whether you do it yourself or not doesn't make the $600 seem like such a stretch
Katech 2110-K Lifters
Spending an extra $600 on lifters sounds like a lot, but the labor involved in replacing them (and maybe the cam too) whether you do it yourself or not doesn't make the $600 seem like such a stretch
Katech 2110-K Lifters
I know this thread is a few months old, but I just bought some 2116-K lifters from Katech and I am dropping my L92 block off at the machine shop this weekend. Did you need to clearance the block any for the Katech lifters, or they just fit better in the OE bores? Should I bring the lifters with the block for them to fit?
Im 99% certain the lifter bodies O.D.'s are ground on a production centerless grinder. I ran one of these for about 2 years a long time ago. Had a temperature controlled coolant. They can easily hold + - .0001" (100 millionths). I'd be shocked if the lifters didn't fit/go in any V8 block.
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,889
Likes: 1,137
From: Grand Rapids, Michigan
I have the exact same cam in my Camaro, and it's around 500 to the wheels. I like it. Sounds good, drives good. 4100 lbs. and it has run 11.70's with my crappy shifting.