ok so i got a set of crower turbo's and a set of fidanza cam gears...and im wondering if i need to degree these cams when i install them, and if so more importantly how would i go about this? im thinking that it isnt really necessary since timing is computer controlled, so it isnt as critical as it would be in a pushrod V8. but at the same time i dont wanna screw this up because of my ignorance. i do know that if you've had the deck/head milled that it changes cam timing on DOHC engines, and ive had the head milled just slightly (to remove the gasket lines) and the block trued up. any advice would be much appreciated. a quick search came up with a bunch of talk about cam gears, but not a whole lot on degreeing cams, so i figure it might be a good quick topic to discuss. also is there any power gains to be seen by degreeing the cams in a FI DOHC application?

I don't believe so, but I could be wrong. AFAIK all you might want to do is go for a set of adjustable cam gears so that you can set the timing properly, another trick is to double up your headgasket, but you really gotta make sure to get everything torqued 100% or you run the risk of blowing them out. If anyone has any better suggestions please chime in

Some people degree them, others don't. It's all personal preference. If you've had the head milled and you have adjustable cam gears, you can always adjust your gears so they line up to compensate for the material taken off the head. Then you can make the new marks and use those as your reference for future tuning/adjustments.

This is all per say...meaning you already have full knowledge of setting up the timing on your engine.

Edit...moving this to Performance/Engine. This is not an advanced discussion.

wouldnt doubling up on headgaskets be an invitation for blowing one out?

ya you have triple check your torques cus is they are off it will blow

its a good idea to always degree the cam (or cams), but most people do not. When building V8's, its way more common.

To degree it you'll need a degree wheel, a TDC indicator, a dial indicator setup and a test lift (usually .050) Crower has cam cards though, and they use .050 test lift IIRC. The test lift is where they start the measuring, or where it is zeroed at on the lobe...this helped with acxcuracy because its already coming up the lobe. The reason cam specs are different sometimes is because different companies use different test lifts. Just check the cam card, degreeing a cam is fun but time consuming if you demand accuracy. set the base timing and go from there.

A buddy of mine gained 7 HP on his busa by degreeing the cams. That's a lot, IMO.

Originally posted by cougar694u
A buddy of mine gained 7 HP on his busa by degreeing the cams. That's a lot, IMO.

for a 1300cc motor on a ~600lb bike that's HUGE