camshafts
- Thread starter jb280180
- Start date
- Messages
- 29,212
What sort of budget and what stage of cams are you looking at?
Drop in cams are usually the cheapest to install as you need minimal supporting modifications to the engine to support them as the lift on them is usually quite mild.
If you are looking at stage 2 cams, then you need to start upgrading the valve springs and retainers and probably timing chain and chain tensioner. The springs are reasonably cheap to buy, and sometimes you can get away without changing the retainers depending on the cams, but still it is about 4 hours labour to do the springs with the head still on. Depending on the person doing it though they may want to take the engine out to get the head off to do the work, especially if you are changing retainers. This obviously takes longer and costs more.
Drop in cams are usually the cheapest to install as you need minimal supporting modifications to the engine to support them as the lift on them is usually quite mild.
If you are looking at stage 2 cams, then you need to start upgrading the valve springs and retainers and probably timing chain and chain tensioner. The springs are reasonably cheap to buy, and sometimes you can get away without changing the retainers depending on the cams, but still it is about 4 hours labour to do the springs with the head still on. Depending on the person doing it though they may want to take the engine out to get the head off to do the work, especially if you are changing retainers. This obviously takes longer and costs more.
- Messages
- 29,212
You'll be looking for second hand at that price, and that £500 won't include the labour to fit them. So you are into checking the forums and asking around at reputable tuning places if they know of any sets coming up or for sale. You need to know where the cams came from really as you don't want them from an engine that has gone pop.
The best mix of gains and cost for you would likely be second hand DC5/FD2 cams at that price.
Rough new prices, Drag Cartels are £640 before shipping and import duties, forget anything Toda or Spoon or Japanese for that matter as they are expensive due to the exchange rate, forget Skunk2 as despite them claiming to be DIC they aren't and need springs and tensioner, Buddy Club Spec 1 are £650 and so on it goes.
TDi-North drop in cams are the best results I've personally seen for stage 1s though, but they are £1,500 supplied, fitted and mapped (assuming you already have Kpro/K100).
The best mix of gains and cost for you would likely be second hand DC5/FD2 cams at that price.
Rough new prices, Drag Cartels are £640 before shipping and import duties, forget anything Toda or Spoon or Japanese for that matter as they are expensive due to the exchange rate, forget Skunk2 as despite them claiming to be DIC they aren't and need springs and tensioner, Buddy Club Spec 1 are £650 and so on it goes.
TDi-North drop in cams are the best results I've personally seen for stage 1s though, but they are £1,500 supplied, fitted and mapped (assuming you already have Kpro/K100).
