Getting a Geardrive for christmas

[Dave84]

so im getting a geardrive for christmas, and it is set so you can put it in stock, or 4 degrees advance, or 4 degrees retard, how much more power would i get putting it advanced?

[Freshmeat]

Probably not much, really, unless you're using a somewhat wild aftermarket cam with heads that aren't quite the same profile, etc. Advancing/Retarding the cam/crank is mainly only good to help limp random parts together. With the right cam/head selection the cam would be installed straight up and that would be optimal performance across the board.

At least, that's my understanding of it... as botched together as the thoughts may have been.

[turbo2256b]

I wouldnt use a gear drive on my 650 HP 351C motor what would you think its use would be on a 200 HP motor. Bottom line gerar drives causes stress on engine parts. These parts are less stressedd in a chain or belt aplication as the chain or belt absorbes it. The belt drives have proved to increase power a tad the gear drives often reduce it. Of course the main reason most seem to want the gears is for the kool noise factor.

[Dave84]

yes, thats all i want it for, is just the sound, some dont like but i do

[mrltd]

You don't gain any power at all. It just raises or lowers the peaks.

[Mercmarquis]

You don't gain any power at all. It just raises or lowers the peaks.

+1

Retarding shifts the power band higher, advancing moves it down low. I think 4 degrees only makes a 200rpm difference in both cases

[gadget73]

If its a stock cam, leave it be. Retard it if you're going to do anything, the peak hp and torque rpm on the stock engine is so low you wouldn't want to advance it.

[Dave84]

ok thanks for the advise guy's, i apprecheate it

[Grand Marquis GT]

I have the am advanced 4 degrees (Stock HO cam) on my 87, we will see how good it works.

Of course, I also have 1.7 RR's, so It will make driveability awesome hopefully...

[Tiggie]

While we are on the subject here, would it probably be a good idea for me to advance my HO cam for use with E6SE heads? I plan to use the engine in the 1800-3000rpm band 99.7% of the time.

[gadget73]

HO cams do well advanced since it moves the torque and power peak down a bit. Stock cams have the peaks so low that advancing it would just be a waste of time. You'd be making peak torque at like 1,200 rpm or something stupid. Great for a plow truck, but useless for any sort of higher speed performance.

[Blaze86Vic]

Retarding shifts the power band higher, advancing moves it down low. I think 4 degrees only makes a 200rpm difference in both cases

That's backwards. Advancing the cam increased peak power RPM, and retarding the cam decreases peak power RPM.

[Mercmarquis]

No, its right...advancing brings the power down lower and retarding moves it up higher.

[DuceAnAHalf]

about the gear drives, they have to have machining to get them to work. with mine i had to cut the little oil tab off the back of the timing cover. I also had to have one of the idler gear axles machined down because it was too long to allow the cover to sit properly. mine are the quiet ones and i can barely hear them anymore. when i first got them they were much more noticable. Next time im going belt drive

[Mercmarquis]

http://www.camcraftcams.com/camshafttuning.htm

Manually Advancing and Retarding Your Cam

By using special timing sets, you can change the angle of the cam relative to the crankshaft. Spinning the cam forward so that the valve opening events happen sooner is called advancing the cam. Retarding the cam is just the opposite. Most camshaft manufacturers grind in around 4 degrees of advance into their cams so that it is automatic when you install your cam with the zero marks on the timing set. This is very common with street cams but varies with different race cams. Make sure you know what you have.

"Typically, engines respond better with a few degrees advance," Godbold explains. "This is likely due to the importance of the intake closing point on performance. Earlier intake closing leads to increased cylinder pressure and better responsiveness." As a general rule of thumb, advancing the cam will help low-end torque, but if your engine is dying by the flag stand, retarding the cam a few degrees should help extend high-rpm power a bit.