Thread: Roller Camshafts worth it or not?

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If you are racing, yes. If you have a street machine or daily driver, my opinion is maybe. If you are one of those people that are trying to squeeze the most hp and torque possible out of an engine, and you don't mind forking over all the extra money, roller lifters are the answer. I could have made at least 25 more hp had I used a comparable hydraulic roller cam, and even more if I would have installed a rev kit so I could get over 6000 rpm without valve float. Add a single plane manifold, and I could be at 500 hp. But for me, I have more than enough power the way it is, and my ego is not such that I need to have 500 hp under the hood. It can be done with a lot less money if you go with a solid roller lifter cam, but then you will have to deal with setting the lash every so often. So people don't mind doing that because the trade off is you won't get valve float. If you are lucky enough to have a late model block that came with roller lifters, then it's a no brainer.