Quick and Easy: Camshaft Specs Explained – GT Speed

CAMSHAFT-AND-VALVE-ANIMATION

Quick and Easy: Camshaft Specs Explained.

Surely you have wondered what all those numbers that accompany camshaft talk, or you might know their meaning but you can’t explain it easily. Actually, a lot of engineering goes into a camshaft, from the cam profile that determines the behavior of the engine, to lift, duration, and even lobe separation.


But, what do these mean?

Lift refers to how much the valve separates from its seat in the cylinder head, there are two measurements for Lift: Lobe lift and Valve lift. the former says how much the camshaft moves the pushrod, the latter says how much the valve actually moves.

The Rocker Arm ratio determines how much Lobe lift differs from Valve lift, since it multiplies the Lobe lift by a fixed constant.

Lobe separation angle is the angle between the intake cam and the exhaust cam, this interval varies, but it tends to be larger in economy oriented engines.

The video below gives a more in depth definition of each measurement and specification. We see all these camshaft specs explained.

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