jj big shoe Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I e-mailed Schneider Racing about their cams. They have some listed for the 300ZX and I asked what they would recommend for my application. They wrote back: "Regrind only on your cams $100.00 each + shipping". No other info, and that blurb took two weeks to get. So, is it possible to regrind a set of stock VG cams to get better performance? If so, what do you think the gains would be? Would it be worth the $200? At less than half the cost of a set from JWT, I figured it's worth looking in to. And for those of you who know what you're looking at, here's their spec sheet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
govols74n Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 good question, it will be nice to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Yes, regrinding an existing cam has been a lower dollar and highly effective approach for years. It works great as long as you're not wanting to add much duration or change lobe centers by more than a couple/few degrees. You also have the benefit of using known good and seasoned cams! No fears of hidden manufacturing flaws... The only time I get leary is with surface hardened cams - like those used with roller lifters. With those, you need to make sure you select a very good shop that will harden the new surface properly. How much gain you get depends on how much you alter it, and how well the new grind complements your intake, exhaust, ports, combustion chamber design, and ignition timing. Unfortunately, I don't personally know how well these engines will respond. But I suspect very well based on how well the same basic components work in the ZX! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I suspect you're looking at one of the two "smaller" grinds for offroading? Or are you planning to turn it into a high RPM screamer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Just so you know...SOHC 300ZX VG30E cams are the exact same as Pathy VG30E cams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth1 Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 I was considering Schneider too, but they need your cams. They don't have spares or a core charge deal. I couldn't be without my truck for that long. I'm going to order the NISMO cams probably tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 (edited) I'm not looking for low ET's in the quarter mile, just something that would make the Pathy a bit more streetable, with more useable mid-range power. If you can't tell already I know as much about modifying cams as I do about women, and that ain't much. I've got headers and 2 1/2" pipe w/ a FM 50 on a motor with 200K miles. I'm looking for more "umph". I'm not expecting it to be a beast, just more fun to drive. What would you suggest? BTW, it's not my daily driver, so I'm able go a little stoopid on the idle lope and mileage. Edited February 23, 2006 by jj big shoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Gotcha. There is a tremendous amount of science and specialized knowledge in cam profile design. Enough to fill volumes and volumes of books. The cam profile is arguably the most influential factor in defining the personality of an engine. And all other components should be designed with it in mind. To take it to extremes, compare a 2006 Formula 1 engine to a Chevy 305 V8. Both are V8's. The F1 engine has an extremely high lift, extremely long duration cam profile, and everything is designed around that. These engines will be making over 800 hp with less than 200 cubic inches. BUT, they won't idle below about 4000 rpm, and are absolutely gutless below 10,000 rpm. You have to rev them to at least 13,000 rpm to get any real power. Then you have the stock Chevy... makes great torque at 1500 rpm, but runs out of breath by 4 or 5000 rpm. So, some basic generalities: - Adding duration means the valves will rempain open longer. This moves the peak torque further up the rpm curve and lets the engine breathe better at high rpm - giving more peak horsepower. The downside is that it gives up low rpm torque and makes the powerband peaky. Think 600 cc Japanese motorcycle. - Adding lift doesn't affect drivability or power band characteristics nearly as much, but does lead to more valvetrain stresses and possible mechanical interference. - Anything more than minimal to moderate changes usually leads to frustration, as the rest of the induction and exhaust system MUST be capable of supporting the wilder cam. And odds are, they wouldn't be from the factory if it had been optimally designed. I'd guess 90% of cam swaps end up disappointing the buyer as they got greedy and purchased too much cam.... So I recommend being moderately conservative in a typical off road truck. Having an engine that produces 450 hp at 8000 rpm is kinda useless if it is a completely gutless slug at anything under 3000 rpm - unless you're racing in the desert, or building a purpose built mud or sand machine, of course! For rock crawling, you want a very short duration cam so it can grunt and pull right off idle. So, for daily driving on the highway, I would go with the 262 or 270 degree cam. The 270 would be a hoot with headers and the like, but would start feeling soft in the low rpm range. So for offroading, I would be debating between the 256 or 262.... 256 if mostly dry trails and lower rpm work, the 262 if I found myself needing to rev a lot to get enough power because my usual trails are gumbo muddy or really steep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 As I now reside in Florida I'm prolly going to mostly be in the mud and sand. Not much rock crawling down here, so it looks like the 262 grind is what I'm after. I have a 5-speed so it shouldn't be a big problem if the cams move the torque curve toward the higher end. Well, once I'm done with the 2,000+ other things I need to get done I'm sending 'em out for the regrind. Thanks for the info, MWS. BTW, any idea as to the amount of power gain to expect with a set of 262 cams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z_Pilot Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Great thread. FYI, I am ordering Scneider's #17071 tomorrow. I'll post my impressions when I get them installed. Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I'm not looking for low ET's in the quarter mile, just something that would make the Pathy a bit more streetable, with more useable mid-range power. If you can't tell already I know as much about modifying cams as I do about women, and that ain't much.I've got headers and 2 1/2" pipe w/ a FM 50 on a motor with 200K miles. I'm looking for more "umph". I'm not expecting it to be a beast, just more fun to drive. What would you suggest? BTW, it's not my daily driver, so I'm able go a little stoopid on the idle lope and mileage. Maybe try some of L&Ps adjustable cam gears first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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