The difference between Comp Cams Race cam and an XE Street cam - With The Professor Bill Little

Professor Bill Little, demonstrates the difference between a Comp XE (Xtreme Energy)series street camshaft, and a Comp Race camshaft using the Audie Technology Cam Pro Plus.
The XE series of camshaft are known for their quick ramps and nice lopey idle.
Also shown is a Nitrided stock eliminator camshaft.
This video demonstrates the difference in the lobe profiles and ramp acceleration. Bill also touches on some of the differences between camshaft manufacturers like ISKY, Howard’s and Comp.
A must watch for anyone building an engine or trying to choose a camshaft.
#sbc #chevy #compcam#horsepower #chevrolet

[@jeromewieland55]

Thank you!!! It's good to see this first hand and be able to follow along and see the ramp profiles right in front of you. Awesome video!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for your comment Jerome. AG

[@mayhemmotorsports7002]

Thanks guys, could listen to Bill for days!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Mayhem, you will get a chance, more video to come with Bill. AG

[@andymaynard6474]

Great content and useful information. I had an old dirt track racing buddy that was full of that same kind of cam and lobe profile info. Really enjoyed the video!! Thanks guys.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks very much for the comment Andy. AG

[@docjay4285]

This was great! Real Content! I had no idea how complex this cam selection process is!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for your comment Doc. AG

[@ejgrant5191]

I had my friend "Cam Doctor" a Comp XER series roller and he commented that the acceleration rate was almost as radical as the cam he was using in a Austrailan 400cu/in Pro Stock motor he was building @ the time. He made me buy Isky "Tool Room" springs along with "Tool Steel" retainers and a T&D Shaft Rocker set-up....That build went WAY OVER BUDGET! Made great HP.....I tend to use the "softer" older Ultradyne roller profiles that Bullet has in the inventory.....Some of that Utradyne stuff was really awesome and still gets the job done....I don't need "Max Area"....I need RELIABILITY in my builds.

[@jmflournoy386]

good on ya-radical lobes are limited by side loading, how much can you stand, street and road race, towing need to keep side loading down You can go to larger base circle and larger roller wheel and longer lifter bores to lower side loading $$$ Inverse flank rollers help big time for some $$$ but worth it. They push more up and less sideways-. We used to sell a lot of Harold Berkshire profiles back in the day. Comp used the same profiles for chevy ford dodge, then lunati commissioned separate profiles for each tappet size and different street and race profiles

[@kenjohnson3412]

More! I want more!!!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Ken, more to come. AG

[@davidcallahan5157]

Bill thanks for sharing your knowledge cool set up.

[@racerd9669]

I was at the 2002 Engine Master Challenge , held at Comp Cams and while I was waiting to put my engine on the Dyno. They were running the Spintron, it was set to mimic laps at Talladega , and it was screaming away all day. So I was talking to the operator and I suggested to him that Comp. should put together a complete Spintron package deal, so you would not have the problems with mixing parts. And till this no cam company has not done it, Comp has an awesome Lobe spec catalog. Funny thing is any real true racing engine uses flat tappets. You will not find one engine at Indy that has a roller cam. But of course all of them engines are overhead cam. By the way I won in 2002 at Comp. Thanks I would say this is some of the best info on cams you will see on the net,

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for your comments Racer. That is pretty impressive that you won the Engine Master Challenge. AG

[@racerd9669]

@@goldsgarage8236 Well thank you, that is why I am impressed about your approach on engine building. My speciality was cylinder head design, that lead into complete engine machine shop and building. You do a very good job.

[@gordocarbo]

Isky has had a spintron since the 60s. They were the innovator far as I know unless the big 3 had them .

[@edsmachine93]

Good information Bill and Allan. Thank sharing. Have a great day.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Ed. More to come. AG

[@1HotRodHudson]

I’ve always read one needs to match Cam, Heads & Intake likewise I’ve read that flow numbers aren’t the only thing to look at. So without tools like these how can an individual determine what heads to use with an existing cam & intake? The current engine I’m working with is my 89 Corvette with L98 TPI engine that I’ve had close to 25 years. Thank you for your videos, they are very helpful & I certainly appreciate your presentation skills, keep up the great work!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for your input and comment HotRod. AG

[@gordocarbo]

Done many TPI builds had an 89 and 88 also. Do you have to pass smog? afr 180 works very well on the L98...dont overcam it like you would a carb;d app Low to mid teens @050 is good. Upgrade intake to better runners/base, porting etc youll love it PCM for less has tons of tunes on file for this engine, free retune.

[@drifterengines243]

Great video guys lots of good information

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for your comments Drifter. More to come. AG

[@davidholcomb9961]

Awesome stuff! Amazing how technology makes so much more power!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks David, technology and know how to use it. Thanks Bill. AG

[@kbros65]

Very cool information! Thank you!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Kbros. More to come with Bill. AG

[@samferguson6839]

By what I have heard Mike Jones Racing Cams in North Carolina has some of the old Reed Cam profiles. Reed Cams were big in circle track grinds.

[@straighttimestirrups]

I went to high school with Mike Jones and he’s a good friend. He’s an absolute genius when it comes to camshaft designs. He and David Vizard are good friends as well and gets many mentions in his videos.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Good info, thanks guys. AG

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

That was fantastic Howard's Kim's does have a catalog you can download for free and they do have a huge selection of cams they have Em that have a lot of the similar specs as far as lift and duration but they change the low separation angle and the profile of the lobe you can look it up and read about it in the your catalog is pretty pretty big

[@maldo72]

super cool information

[@goldsgarage8236]

Glad you think so! AG

[@6426yy]

I put a Comp 4x4 Xtreme cam in my first big block. Set the lifters 3 times trying to get them quiet. That’s when i learned about Hydraulic Intensity.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks 642. I have had similar experiences. Some of these cams are just noisy. AG

[@Kissmyass247]

Great Info Bill. I remember racing with you at St. Thomas Dragway. I'm a friend of Ray Court. I believe you built the engine for his 67 Chevelle.

[@billlittle4285]

Good times back then, Ray and I still keep in touch, he was a great racer also, nice to here from you!!

[@leonardfoster6252]

It's interesting AG... I used Z-28 springs on the LT 350-350 HP. cam. I also used Racer Brown roller valve springs on that cam and removed the inner spring...

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Leonard. Those so called stock "legal cheater" grinds with the square lobes like Bill was demonstrating were hard on springs, however for a stock LT350-350 cam the Z-28 springs should work fine. AG

[@danapike3152]

Wow Bill is the David Vizard of Canada

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Dana. Right on. We have a great video of a tour of Bill's shop in the pipeline. i will be publishing it soon. Watch for it. AG

[@bktk8]

Awesome info

[@goldsgarage8236]

thanks @bktb8. We will do more wit Bill. AG

[@6426yy]

Could you have Bill post a short video comparing the LSA triangle for 1.5 and 1.6 rockers? Thanks for sharing

[@goldsgarage8236]

Hey Bill, are you watching? Maybe we can do this next time I am at your shop. AG

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

The triangle will appear that the cam has more lift and duration with 1.6 rockers with a lightly faster off the seat if the rockers are good ones

[@95Sn95]

Something that's a peeve of mine is when someone is talking the benefits of a roller cam and they show a Roller lobe next to a FT lobe and say see how much more duration the roller has you can plainly see it... I've told them No that's not the case the lobe shape is because of geometry of the function the contact area with a FT lifter theres a wide base thus a narrow lobe with a roller lifter you have a narrow base so you need a wide lobe, kinda obvious....and if you did run a FT lifter on a roller it would dig in and break something. And if it could ride over it you would have sooo much duration it would end up with a valve in the piston and would crash, and it wouldn't run if it did clear but professionals still say it.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for the comment. AG

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

Also something I've been doing on flat tap at cams comp cam's cells a lifter bore Grover which puts a 425 1000 it's really micro groove in there and it allows it to drip more oil on the cam at all times it'll save your cam then you can get a profile that works like a roller but you don't have to pay for the roller cost in a flat tap it's kind of a way to save money

[@billlittle4285]

I've bought one along time ago works great even on solid rollers, thanks for the comment

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

As far as isky cams because they have smoother profiles you can use a smaller cam and get more RPM out of it.. That's why when you look at 1 cam and you're trying to compare to another camera and it looks like it's the same as far as the numbers if it's a different low profile and a smoother lobe it's gonna be a better cam but you won't know it unless you know what you're looking at

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for your comment Hank. AG

[@billlittle4285]

Small block Chevys don't like a bunch of seat timing, big blocks... Yes

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

@@billlittle4285 explain a bunch please

[@jameshall4906]

Bill mentions a favorite 383 cam lobe , that makes power and is Quite. What is the lobe Part number or the cam grind number ? Thanks Allen for another very interesting video.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Hey Bill, can you weigh in on this question for me please? AG

[@billlittle4285]

I will get the lobe numbers and put them on the next video or will get them sooner for you

[@jameshall4906]

Thank You SIR@@billlittle4285

[@billlittle4285]

I haven't forgot , just very busy,I will give them to Alan, 1 cam for street and 1 street and strip

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

Erson now pbm has some great grinds also. They always seem to kick ace if you pick exactly realistically what you need for your combination. That is the key. No mystery. What are you realistically going to use your motor for and match your heads compression, intake,gears vehicle weight etc. YOU all get it.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Hank, good information. AG

[@allentapay3950]

Good stuff.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Allen AG

[@____MC____]

I been searching for a the specs for a stock ecotec 5.3 engine and its non existant. Youd think someone cam doctored one at some point. Cool to see there's much more to a lobe profile than lift and duration.

[@goldsgarage8236]

thanks you @____MC. AG

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

They have like 3 or 4 profiles for every camp and then they have it in a roller 3 or 4 profiles and they have bullets harden bulyet Arden billets all kinds of stuff I was studying it the other night

[@jmflournoy386]

Thanks Bill How do you tell if the cam is ground advanced without referencing the keyway? Notice how flat the lobes are- flat flank roller does not have the acceleration off the seat of a flat tappet minimum piston clearance is not usually at top dead center, depends on intake open and exhaust close points, rocker ratio, and cam profile, LCA etc

[@goldsgarage8236]

Hey Bill, are you watching this? Ag

[@yarrdayarrdayarrda]

Nothing's more heartbreaking than wiping out a camshaft.

[@robertellison4691]

I ruined a couple of hydraulic Comp Cams in my Mopar 360. I went back to the Melling manufactured Mopar Performance Purple Shaft and no more problems.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Yarda, heartbreaking and budget breaking for sure. AG

[@kennywhiddon1497]

@@robertellison4691 Comp Cams are hot garbage.

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

I've used comp cams and I like them but they do go flat but Howard seems to use premium cores when they grind.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for all your comments and information Hank. AG

[@Marty-F]

I use to work at Comp. There are actually only two cam core suppliers that supply everyone. Even GM, Ford, Chrysler. Comp also grinds many other brands such as BTR, Texas Speed, Lunati, and many others.

[@piercer2]

Mr Gold, thx for content. My 10.2:1 aluminum headed, sbf (331) w/ 600cfm annular carb, 1-5/8 headers, standard stuff, running comp xe266hr12 (544-555 lift) 266/274 advertised, did I go to wide on LSA?

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Piercer, I don't see the LSA in your question? AG

[@piercer2]

@@goldsgarage8236 sorry. It’s 112

[@billlittle4285]

Yes , a 110 advanced to 104 would have been better, that cam will make good top end up!

[@jesseduke694]

Well guys, i think i have more questions now than i ever did before? Good video though.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Jesse, hopefully we will answer your questions over time. AG

[@croomsracingengines9265]

Where was the cam pro purchased

[@goldsgarage8236]

Bill Little, can you please respond to this? AG

[@davidreed6070]

Ive known crower to have fast lobes and make power.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for the comment David. AG

[@docsmallblock6584]

Question for the car guys out here, i figure if you're watching this video you're definitely a car guy! Or Mr. Gold himself, so here's my question, actually a couple of questions; #1 if your timing is too low(retarted) would that possibly make you run rich? As in black spark plugs? #2 Just built a motor (350 Chevy) and got some rockers not getting oil???????? I blew out every pushrod as i was installing them, however I did not vlow out the new roller rockers, never even thought about that until now that some are not getting oil. The cam is a flat tappet deal (XE 274) but getting a lot of "clacking" sound and some rockers not getting oil, anyone??? Pushrods are spinning as they should be. Thanks y'all!

[@goldsgarage8236]

Sorry your engine is giving you stress Doc. First i would check your valve lash (with the engine shut off) in rotation to see if you have excessive clearance in any of them. If you find some that are sloppy, you can put a dial indicator on the push rod to see if the cam lift is up to spec. If you cant do that, I would suggest removing the intake manifold and then each lifter one at a time. If a lifter is worn, the cam will be also and it has to come out. If the cam is worn, the engine will have to be disassembled and cleaned. The wear particles from your cam and lifters will have contaminated your oil. Good luck. AG

[@docsmallblock6584]

​@@goldsgarage8236Thanks for your reply. I ran the engine for about 20 minutes then changed the oil and filter, still running break in oil. Lord I hope I didn't smoke a new cam, I'd literally cry! Seems to me if something were in the hole of the rockers that almost 70psi of oil pressure should have blew it out wouldn't ya think? Guess I'll be pulling the intake back off and checking lifter's, fingers crossed! I was told a long time ago though that if your pushrods are spinning that you didn't smoke the cam?

[@brandonpriest3604]

On my most recent sbc 350 build. I went with a comp , .470 lift exhaust. 470 intake. Ported the old smog heads, it really woke it up. However i expected a little more. Now im considering installing a set of vortech 062 heads. With the correct comp springs for higher lift. Shaved guides ect. But im confused about the lift , is the dual plane lift ok for these Vortec heads. They flow about 175 cfm. Factory gm vortec heads. 062 casting? Thanks for any input.....

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

Go with a 230 to 240 duration at 50.on 108 lobe separation with the vortex heads and all the other flowing stuff and it will rip. Read the cam book. Study it in comparison to your needs

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for helping me out Hank. AG

[@brandonpriest3604]

Thanks for the input Men...

[@piercer2]

@@hankclingingsmith8707hank I got a 331 sbf, 10.2:1 190cc aluminum heads flow 250@ .500 lift, 2.02/1.60 valves, dual plane mid rise intake, 600 carb on 1” wood spacer, 1-5/8 headers, currently have comp xe266hr12 cam, 216/224 @ 50, warm cranking compression is 163@ 5100’ elevation, adjusted to sea level it’s 192 psi . Would my combo benefit from the narrower LSA with more duration? Springs are good to 575 lift max, 4000lb manual bronco thx

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

@@piercer2 I think it depends on what you do with it. Nice combo now. More duration in small motor means you may loose low speed torque on the street. But in a drag race low speed is not an issue. If it was mine and street driving I would leave it, unless you can afford to experiment. ??

[@keithparton8465]

just Rit..👍

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks for your comment Keith. AG

[@straighttimestirrups]

A little constructive criticism. Video content wise I will make one suggestion for you. When Bill is making a point/comment do not interrupt him. Let him complete his comment then either ask for clarification, reinforce his comment or interject your perspective on the subject. As a viewer nothing irritates me more than when someone is making a point I want to learn about and they get taken off on a tangent by the other person in the video interjecting themselves at the absolute worst time. Guests on the show are there so we can hear their perspectives from them, not through the host of the show.

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Straight. Thanks for taking the time to provide your comments. I take it as constructive and I will work on getting better. AG

[@larryburns4605]

Hard pass on Comp Cam's products, I use Bullet/ultradyne

[@goldsgarage8236]

Thanks Larry. AG

[@larryburns4605]

The quality out of Comp just not what it was at 1 time never had any issues with Bullet/ ultradyne had many problems with comp had many hyd roller lifter and cam problems on simple builds even had a set of roller rockers that had roller tip problems. Wish they get it under control they have good lobes .

[@frankdiana5488]

It's like you're both stoned...get with it and get to the point! Damn Canucks

[@jamesvw769]

Only gonna tell you once.. RELAX..

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

All this gibberish I'm trying to speak this and it's not speaking what I'm saying

[@goldsgarage8236]

No problem Hank, I think we got the meaning of what you are saying. Thanks for watching my channel and commenting. AG

[@KompressorPete]

Wow - You are awsome - thx for sharing!! Regarding flowbench testing could you maybe go a little into How to get hold of or make a calibrated flow plate ? I am an amateur building my own test gear setup on a low budget….. 🙂🫶🙏

[@goldsgarage8236]

Hey Bill Little, can you weigh in on this question please? AG