Torque Cam and Heat
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Banned
Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Gainesville, Fl
Torque Cam and Heat
Trying to learn so bare with me...By virtue of being a torque cam, ie. SE 255, ect., is the cam going to cause the engine to run hotter. Which then must be "tuned" out. Even with a good tune, will the motor always run hotter than a good tune on a stock motor ( with the usual a/c and exhaust changes) all other things being equal.
Thread Starter
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Banned
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 134
Likes: 2
From: Gainesville, Fl
The reason I ask is because i'm trying to decide whether or not to put a cam in. Living in Florida I'm always concerned about anything that adds extra heat. I'm not dissatisfied with my bikes performance, but after reading how much everyone loves the improvement, I of course am considering it. With a PV and Fuel Moto tune, exhaust and a/c, it seems to run great. Would like more torque, just don't want to trade reliability for it.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 273
Likes: 7
From: East TN
The reason I ask is because i'm trying to decide whether or not to put a cam in. Living in Florida I'm always concerned about anything that adds extra heat. I'm not dissatisfied with my bikes performance, but after reading how much everyone loves the improvement, I of course am considering it. With a PV and Fuel Moto tune, exhaust and a/c, it seems to run great. Would like more torque, just don't want to trade reliability for it.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,615
Likes: 50
From: Baton Rouge, LA
Trying to learn so bare with me...By virtue of being a torque cam, ie. SE 255, ect., is the cam going to cause the engine to run hotter. Which then must be "tuned" out. Even with a good tune, will the motor always run hotter than a good tune on a stock motor ( with the usual a/c and exhaust changes) all other things being equal.
I have no problems with heat at all now, but I've taken some steps toward keeping engine temps at a sane level. Before installing Wards FCS fans last June my ET (FCHT, measured by the ECM with the Power Vision) rarely hit the EITMS threshold (290° ET) in summer traffic, and 230° was its peak oil temp. With the fans ET never exceeded 250° last summer, even in traffic, and oil temp has stayed ≤225°. Typical ET in summer (90-95° weather) has been 225-240° when moving, with OT staying at 205° or lower. The oil cooler helps, too, of course.
These numbers are also about what they were when the stock cams were installed, and I've always run 14.5-14.6:1 AFR in the cruise range. My tests show that cruise AFR set between 13.0-14.6 makes little difference in OT or ET, but affects gas mileage quite a bit.
The truth is that 255 cams do increase CCP more than most performance cams, all other factors being equal, and that would theoretically increase heat--more power, more heat--but this is the means to achieve the torque increase many of us want. More mixture is crammed into the cylinder, so more heat would be a side effect--but I just don't think the difference is significant over stock. I have a local friend with a 2009 Ultra Stage II and his OT stays <230°, but I don't have a way to check his ET.
I also agree with others on these cam threads that the 103 is a good candidate for a variety of cam choices, more than those of us with 96" engines have. The 204, Andrews 48H, Wood 222, as well as the runaway favorite 255, will give good results. Much of the choice depends on where you want to realize the power.
Last edited by iclick; Jan 11, 2013 at 05:54 PM.
If the heat gets to much you may be interested in a product that we make called a crotch cooler they work very well..I rode around South Florida for 34 years.I know how hot it gets..
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From: bklyn,ny
If you have at least 25 degrees of overlap and a good tune,you good to go............
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From: Bedford UK
Trying to learn so bare with me...By virtue of being a torque cam, ie. SE 255, ect., is the cam going to cause the engine to run hotter. Which then must be "tuned" out. Even with a good tune, will the motor always run hotter than a good tune on a stock motor ( with the usual a/c and exhaust changes) all other things being equal.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Daytona, Fla.
BKLYNBOB is closest to the correct answer. A decent cam will have a reasonably quick ramp for fast opening & closing. It will also have a fair amount of overlap. Those two features with a proper tune will result in a better gas fill & a better scavenge in the exhaust. Any excess heat produced by added power should be dumped out the exhaust. A cam usually made my Evo bikes cooler, & I haven't noticed any extra heat in the Twin Cam with the Andrews cams.