Choosing Cams for Your Harley

Think about the kind of riding you want to do. 

Do you want high-end performance or low-end torque? (You can’t have both.) 

Do you want smooth running and good fuel economy, or an all-out street racer? What is your trade-off between maximum power and a machine you can ride every day, under all conditions.

When you know what you want from your engine, call FLO Headworks and we'll recommend the cams that will work best with your riding style. At the same time, we'll probably recommend our valve spring kit to get the most from your new cams.

Camshaft selection

We asked "The Master", a world famous cam designer, and his answer was, “Whatever works!” or for short, WEW, his patented one-liner. This sounds like a throwaway remark, but underneath there is a lot of wisdom.

There are many factors to consider when choosing cams, and all of them were presented at The Master’s three-day “crammed cam school,” which I attended. There was enough material to cover three weeks!

But the main thing I learned is that "The Master" really knows his cams.

Every cam manufacturer uses computers to match a cam’s profile with the variables of Harley engine design: head flow characteristics, intake and exhaust porting, ignition systems, gearing, displacement, and so on.

And every manufacturer knows the jargon: valve lift, valve timing, duration degrees, overlap, lobe centers, cam base circle 

diameter, cam lift, rocker arm ratio, calve train weight, valve springs pressure, lifter type, roller diameter, hydraulic lifter leakdown rate, hydraulic intensity, major intensity, minor intensity, ramp acceleration, opening ramp type and velocity, closing ramp type and velocity, jerk, and smoothing.

The question is, how will you, the customer, know how to translate all this double-talk and computer output into the right cam for your needs?

The answer is, you won’t. Instead, concentrate on the kind of riding you want to do. Do you want high-end performance or low-end torque? (You can’t have both.) Do you want smooth running and good fuel economy, or an all-out street racer? What is your trade-off between maximum power and a machine you can ride every day, under all conditions.

When you know what you want from your engine, go to your trusted tuner and tell him. Then instruct him to choose the cam manufacturer that knows Harley engines best, and select the model of cams they make that meet your needs.

From 25 years of hands-on experience tuning and porting Harleys, the Crrane cams I sell are specially designed for use with EPA formulated pump gasoline in California, and other states where air pollution requirements are stringent.

Our cams are designed to make real-world horsepower across a broad power band. And they’re compatible with all Screamin’ Eagle high performance parts available for the Twin Cam 88 and 95 cubic inch engines.

If you’re a Twin Cam owner, be sure to check out our new cam kit, especially for this model. It makes a big improvement in that model’s performance.

For more information call the FLO Headworks Customer Service Hotline at 805-481-6300, fax 805-481- 6341 or e-mail Perry and get a quick reply.

Big Twin cam

Twin Cam 88 cams

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