4AGE Camshaft Guide

[ehendrikd]

First, an intro...

Before this morning I knew what cams where and what they did, but not know what the differences were between stock and performance. I have an AE86 with a stock 4AGE 100kw and am starting to look into what cams I can use, and exactly which ones I should get. I started researching, and thought the information I have gathered could be useful for newbies as a tech thread, looking to change cams, but don't know what to look for.

Basics

• http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft.htm

Facts

• More duration
  
  • Pros
    
    • Moves power band into higher revs
    • Typically increases torque in power band
  • Cons
    
    • Decreases torque in lower revs
  
  
  
• Higher lift
  
  • Pros
    
    • Increased airflow
    • Increased torque
  • Cons
    
    • 8mm and higher lift requires higher valve spring rates
      Note: these springs are required as the standard springs will 'bind' with this much lift and higher. Binding is when the spring is compressed to the point where the coils begin to contact each other.
    • 8.5mm and higher requires shimless / shim under bucket conversion
  
  
  
• Duration and overlap define power band location
  
  • Smaller of both = low revs power band
  • Higher of both = high revs power band
  
  
  
• Stock cams
  
  • Big port
    
    • 240 duration, 7.6mm lift
  • Small port MAP
    
    • 232 dutarion, 7.1mm lift
  
  
  
• Any cam change will likely need shims to be reset
  
  
• 272 duration is highest that can be run on factory ECU
  
  
• Vehicle would be concidered 'unstreetable' (normal day-to-day driving) if:
  
  • Duration above approx. 280
  • Power band starting approx. 4500rpm

Brands

• Clive - Australian (Ferntree Gully, Victoria)
  (03) 9758 5977
  
  
• Crow - Australian (Campbellfield, Victoria)
  http://www.crowcams.com.au/search.as...271&MK=30&PC=0
  
  
• HKS - Japanese
  http://www.hksusa.com/products/?id=656
  
  
• Tighe - Australian (Wacol, Queensland)
  http://www.tighecams.com.au
  
  
• TOMEI - Japanese
  
  
• TODA - Japanese
  http://www.todaracing.com/en/product/cam.html
  
  
• TRD - Japanese
  
  
• Wade - Australian (Oakleigh, Victoria)
  http://www.wadecams.com/PoProf/Toyota_4AG_Twincam.htm
  
  
• Waggot - Australian (Alstonville, New South Wales)
  (02) 6628 3795
  [email protected]
  
  
• Web - United States
  http://www.webcamshafts.com/pages/au..._dohc_16v.html

Links

• http://www.billzilla.org/4agmods.htm
  Discusses mods needed for specfic power
  
  
• http://www.club4ag.com/faq_and_tech_...haft_story.htm
  Big write-up on 4AGE cams, of partcular interest are the camshaft comparison lists
  
  
• http://forums.toymods.org.au/index.php?t=msg&th=82805
  Setting up Wade 872A profile cams (267) on a 4AGZE
  
  
• http://forums.toymods.org.au/index.php?t=msg&th=78779
  100kw cam suggestions
  
  
• http://forums.toymods.org.au/index.php?t=msg&th=14518
  Says 288 duration good for widening of power band
  
  
• http://forums.toymods.org.au/index.php?t=msg&th=86375
  Longer duration decreases torque?
  
  
• http://forums.toymods.org.au/index.php?t=msg&th=48097
  More setting up Wade 872A profile cams
  
  
• http://www.toymods.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8399
  Disscussion about binding points of some 4AGE valve springs

DISCLAIMER:
As I mentioned, I am very new to this information, an I expect parts of it will be wrong to begin with, so don't take it completly for gospel just yet. It has been gathered almost entirely from various forum threads.

[oldcorollas]

ummm....

just a couple of basic points.

duration and overlap control the rpm range where power is made.
smaller of both makes power lower in rpm range.
higher of both moves it higher in the rev range. the reason is because of scavenging during the overlap.

lift, how much valve opens, will have an effect on the amount of torque for a given duration and overlap. more lift = more air in (to a point)

contrary to your facts, longer duration decreases the width of the powerband, and moves it higher in rev range. and will typically increase torque in that band. it will decrease torque lower tho, due to the overlap.

above around 270-280 is getting to the point where some will find it uncomfortable to drive on the street.
above 300 is not really useful onthe street.

torque coming in at 5500rpm is not useful on street

choose your cam so that the cams start to drop off at your intended redline, and the lower end will sort itself out... but be sensible as to where you want your rpm range to be. 5000-9000 might sound great on paper, but on the road, having no torque below 5000rpm is a pain in the arse.

[Dimitri]

still. a good thread.

ever heard of a company called "waggot" ? theyre an aussie manfacturer, and cheap.. i know its worth spending proper money on cams, but at half the price of the jap brands..

[4agte]

. 5000-9000 might sound great on paper, but on the road, having no torque below 5000rpm is a pain in the arse.

thats a better power band than an s2000 but your right no fun but once you get it moving makes windy roads alot of fun

[takai]

Another manufacturer to put up there is Clive Cams, does great camshafts at very good prices. Rumour has it that he produced all the TTA camshafts when they were racing actively in Australia.

And seriously, stop-go traffic in a 4500-8500rpm powerband car is hell, seriously hell.

[parrot]

Rumour I heard was Wade's But only a rumour.

[Dimitri]

Another manufacturer to put up there is Clive Cams, does great camshafts at very good prices. Rumour has it that he produced all the TTA camshafts when they were racing actively in Australia.

And seriously, stop-go traffic in a 4500-8500rpm powerband car is hell, seriously hell.

do you have contac details for Clive Cams?

[takai]

do you have contac details for Clive Cams?

Somewhere around i do. Ill have to find it at home, since im at work.

[ehendrikd]

i added clive cams contact details to the list

[takai]

Cool, thanks for that man. I have their details on the back of my timing card somewhere.

[ehendrikd]

hey guys

i have been thinking about what cams i should get, obviously they should be suited for the motorsport i do the most.

i do probly 90% of events in the dirt, will probly eventually do a bit more bitumen, but dirt will still be the regular type of event i will be doing.

now, my standard 100kw 4age feels like this: good torque at low revs, but seems to wash off as it gets > 5000rpm (i dunno if this is what it should be like, but its how it feels to me). my initial plan was to simply move the powerband up a bit, giving it more torque in the high revs that the 4age's love so much, but still be streetable as its my daily. i was going to go for the 872A wade cams, but it occured to me this morning that the low down torque is actually better for dirt events, and i may be wasting time/money going the cams route?

does anyone have any opinons/experiences?

cheers

[ae86trueno]

Im almost certin im only using Wade profile 1056a in my 4AGE, and i have to say its good rally/dirt cam, the power band is good, only down side to this cam is it felt a little lacking in the Higher revs (7500 and up), although it could have been because my engine was a little tired, (only 145 compression). Im hoping the rebuild has fixed that.



(engine as of last night)

FWIW at the last club dirt supersprint last year my sprinter was the fastest non turbo 4wd
and within reach of beating some.

Ben.

[skaney]

Ive said this before and Ill say it again, 272deg cams on standard MAP ECU is asking for trouble.

people say it will run.. but from first hand accounts I have heard the car gains power way to high in the powerband to ever outweight the downside of losing that much low end.


I personally run 256deg cams with a few other slight mods on standard ECU. Power gain is great, I now have a bigport that keeps up with 20V's and 4AGZE's.

[ehendrikd]

oh forgot to mention i will be using aftermarket ecu

[30psi 4agte]

one point not mentioned is:
Where a cam is dialled in will also effect what rpm range max power / torque occur.