21 replies to this topic

[liirge]

Yup! they may not have changed the timing etc, but you cant get the old SW-10 now, only the SW10-07..and they seem to make out that it is improved over the old one, so i dont know if that is just material or milling etc etc

[samsfern]

dont know, they wouldnt tell me the figures

[TimmyG]

looking at the figs the 286 seems the better cam, (but I know the figs can only tell you so much)

The SW10 probably has more dwell at full lift, which, as long as you have enough lift to flow what the head is capable of at that point, (i'm sure Swiftune have done their sums on this) then it is the equal of outright lift on it's own. Also the more rounded profile of the cam nose will reduce the wear on the valve gear and this, combined with the reduced overlap the SW10 has over the 286, which improves emissions, idle and low end torque (drivability), should all make it a better cam for the road, where the engine will spend much more time idling and using the lower rev band than in a competition car.
A high lift cam like the 286 is put under a lot of stress at idle speeds especially with high lift rockers/strong valve springs. It won’t last very long in a road engine. Though I can’t vouch for what oil was used before I owned my car (and it matters a lot with cams) I only did a couple of thousand miles in it before I stripped the engine and found the points of the cam lobes literally flattened off after 25k. (It was still making 97 brake on the rollers tho!) They were probably knackered after 15k. It had also worn out it’s 2nd set of valve guides.
Personally I think I’m going to replace it with the SW10.
Hope this helps!

[DoubleHB176]

I may be of some help here.......

I have some experience with loony 'small bore' engines with both these cams, and here are the differences as per the rolling road.

The Kent cam produced more overall power, peaking at around 5500 rpm. However, the Swiftune cam produced only 5 or 6 horsepower less, but had a much flatter curve (both torque and horsepower) giving power throughout the range. This is the one I would recommend you use.

Hope it helps !

[fwdracer]

How much of a leap is a 286 over an MG Metro Cam in terms of performance (Bhp in 1275+ bore engine)? I like the drivability of the MG Cam and am thinking of getting the lift the rest of the engine will dictate (45DCOE and Hi-flow head) via 1.5 ratio rockers.

 

Would the 286 be a better bet?

[PIIIOWW]

Deleted

Edited by PIIIOWW, 13 April 2025 - 10:19 AM.

[PIIIOWW]

A high lift cam like the 286 is put under a lot of stress at idle speeds especially with high lift rockers/strong valve springs.

Slightly off-topic but struggling to understand this. Why would the engine speed have an influence on the cam wear? The follower will run over the profile of the cam regardless of the engine speed. I'd have thought higher engine speeds would have resulted in higher wear just because there are more rotations per time period.

Edited by PIIIOWW, 13 April 2025 - 10:26 AM.