Solid lifters and adjustable pushrods questions

[Meatball]

Few questions if you can help
How often or how many miles would solid lifters and ajustable pushrods need adjusting on a 4.6 RV8?
Is there any benefit in running this set up on a road car?
Would there be much of a power increase?

Cheers

[Boosted LS1]

No big power increase and to my mind solids are a waste of time given the hassle to adjust them. I like hydraulics, fit and forget for a very long time.

[GreenV8S]

Meatball said:

Is there any benefit in running this set up on a road car?
Would there be much of a power increase?

The only reason to go to mechanical lifters is to enable the engine to run at higher revs, which is only feasible if the engine is mechanically strong enough to cope with the revs and you have a cam and induction designed to exploit the extra rev range. A standard engine isn't strong enough to rev significantly beyond the rev range that the hydraulic lifters will cope with, so there's really no point.

[Meatball]

GreenV8S said:

Meatball said:

Is there any benefit in running this set up on a road car?
Would there be much of a power increase?

The only reason to go to mechanical lifters is to enable the engine to run at higher revs, which is only feasible if the engine is mechanically strong enough to cope with the revs and you have a cam and induction designed to exploit the extra rev range. A standard engine isn't strong enough to rev significantly beyond the rev range that the hydraulic lifters will cope with, so there's really no point.

Pete it was a hypothetical question as i dont know much about this set up. The car is modified with stealth cam, stage 3/4 heads, modified plenum, trumpets, inlet manifold, AFM etc. I dont know if you recall we had a chat regarding the car on the TVRCC website some time back. Im currently making 298 @ 6000 with the solid lifter set up which im happy with.

[trackcar]

I thought there was some issue with acceleration rates and hydraulic followers, ie if you go to mechanical you can run a much higher initial valve acceleration rate and benefit from the increased valve flow on breathing-limited RV8 ports? I have a mechnical grind cam in the V8S after discusing my requirements with Rob at V8D, I can't remember the exact reason for going the mechincal cam route but i'm inclined to trust Rob's decision he's an RV8 cam expert.

[rev-erend]

I've been running solid lifters (kenne bell) Adj roller rockers and yes - they are a pain to adjust..

I do mine every 6K miles and it takes a fair amount of time - probably 2 hrs - as all the plugs have to be removed and the plenum chamber lid (for access to the L/H rocker cover.. nice design

It does allow an agressive race style cam and also allows a much higher lift (> 0.5 inch) than would be possible with a hydraulic tappet.

Edited by rev-erend on Tuesday 11th March 16:00

[350Matt]

I have to say if I was to go to a mechanical cam I wouldn't use adjustable pushrods, the ones I've seen look ready to snap in half not to mention the extra weight / flexibility.

Matt

[rev-erend]

350Matt said:

I wouldn't use adjustable pushrods
Matt

I've always thought they looked cumbersome, add weight and look a pig to set to the correct gap.

Yella terror do some nice roller rockers or you could use crane.

V8 Tuner has the yella terra ..

£420 - so not cheap
http://www.v8tuner.co.uk/product.php?id=533

or adjustables at £135


http://www.v8tuner.co.uk/product.php?id=422

Edited by rev-erend on Wednesday 12th March 16:44

Edited by rev-erend on Wednesday 12th March 16:44

[Pasco]

rev-erend said:

I've been running solid lifters (kenne bell) Adj roller rockers and yes - they are a pain to adjust..

I do mine every 6K miles and it takes a fair amount of time - probably 2 hrs - as all the plugs have to be removed and the plenum chamber lid (for access to the L/H rocker cover.. nice design

It does allow an agressive race style cam and also allows a much higher lift (> 0.5 inch) than would be possible with a hydraulic tappet.

Edited by rev-erend on Tuesday 11th March 16:00

Did they need much adjustment after 6k Alan ?

[rev-erend]

Yes - there always seem to be a few needing adjustment .. sounds like a bag of bolts if you leve it too long.

It's a real chore

[ELAN+2]

Kind of relavant; In the early days of the Tomcat challenge(Rover 220 Turbo coupes) the cars used hydraulic tappets(std spec), all of the challenge engines were changed to solid lifter spec as by the end of the race certain cars had a clear power advantage over the others, this was put down to different oil types , some oils loosing thier viscosity at high temperatures towards the end of the race and loosing valve lift and there fore power.

I bought a few of the discarded hydraulic engines from Rover Sport for peanuts

[Pasco]

rev-erend said:

Yes - there always seem to be a few needing adjustment .. sounds like a bag of bolts if you leve it too long.

It's a real chore

Cheers mate

[Pasco]

ELAN+2 said:

Kind of relavant; In the early days of the Tomcat challenge(Rover 220 Turbo coupes) the cars used hydraulic tappets(std spec), all of the challenge engines were changed to solid lifter spec as by the end of the race certain cars had a clear power advantage over the others, this was put down to different oil types , some oils loosing thier viscosity at high temperatures towards the end of the race and loosing valve lift and there fore power.

I bought a few of the discarded hydraulic engines from Rover Sport for peanuts

No Oil coolers

[Meatball]

Sounds like hassle to me

Cheers chaps

[rev-erend]

Yes they are.. if you don't need they then it's best not to use them.

If you still want a wild cam - use the H404 from V8 developments.. that sounds to be as wild as they get and still uses hydraulic tappets.

[v8ian]

I use a mechanical cam on my RV8, I dont think I would go back to a Hydraulic grind again, Bit of a silly cam too, Its a Tom Wilkenshaw, TWR European Touring Car cam, but I have it on Fully programmable injection, [Emerald] and my 3.9 made 285hp on Dave Walkers rollers when I had it set up.

Rev-erend you are using Kenne Bell RRs, got any spares?? I need 2 adjusters and locknuts and 4 pushrods, bit of a longshot, but you are the first person who I have heard of useing KB stuff in a long time,
One thing I have made up is a tappet adjuster using a old SPQR tappet setting tool, modified to take an allen key makes the setting and locking up of the adjusters so easy.
Many thanks
Ian

Edited by v8ian on Thursday 20th March 10:47

[rev-erend]

I don't have any spares but I did buy one off John Eales who has a few spare on a shelf somewhere.. if you have no luck there try realsteel as they had some too..

Just converting to Emerald as we speak .. but as soon as it runs the engines being pulled out as I've had something special made

[rev-erend]

Just checked - you have a mk11 cortina running TB's ..

Very nice.

Used to have a Savage (swaymar tuned) V6 when I was 18..(quite a few years ago now )

[Pasco]

rev-erend said:

Just converting to Emerald as we speak .. but as soon as it runs the engines being pulled out as I've had something special made

Oi don't put us on the Horse and not let us ride it Rev

TELL US NOW !!!

[ELAN+2]

Pasco said:

ELAN+2 said:

Kind of relavant; In the early days of the Tomcat challenge(Rover 220 Turbo coupes) the cars used hydraulic tappets(std spec), all of the challenge engines were changed to solid lifter spec as by the end of the race certain cars had a clear power advantage over the others, this was put down to different oil types , some oils loosing thier viscosity at high temperatures towards the end of the race and loosing valve lift and there fore power.

I bought a few of the discarded hydraulic engines from Rover Sport for peanuts

No Oil coolers

only the standard effort about the size of a fag packet tucked around the back of the block!!