Hotcams?

[DJT]

Does installing a hotcam make the engine more noisy?

I recently installed a intake cam in my z400 quad and the engine seems to make more noise. It is only noticable a idle though, and the engine seems to run fine.

Thanks D.J.

[MrD]

I hope this is a dumb question, but did you check or adjust the clearance after installing the cam?

[xxxsandman]

I have both the Intake and Exhaust Cams installed in my bike. They are a quite a bit more noise then the factory cams, especially at idle.

One reason for this might be the more aggresive cam profile, another might be the fact I set them up "looser" then the factory cams were.

My factory cams were shimed "tight" near the min. spec. I set the Hot Cams up in the middle of spec "looser" so that might have something to do with the more noise. I'm going to re-check my valve clearance after 500 miles, just to make sure nothing changed since I did it on the bench.

As far as being made of cheap metal, I hope not. They look like quality pieces, but I'm no expert on metal. They do look a lot different then the factory cams. They are shiny "billet" looking, while the factory cams are a cast dull color.

[DJT]

Yes I did check my clearances. I'm thinking it might be the cam chain.

[HotCams]

DJT,

The Hot Cams camshaft profile is considerably more aggressive than that of the original camshafts and this in itself makes for a noisier valve train. As long as the valve clearances are set correctly you won't have a problem.

To answer the question of materials and wear, these cams are made of a high grade tool steel. They are of a billet design and treated to make the highest quality camshaft you can buy. They are not rewelds so there won't be a compatibility problem with the followers as there are with cams that have been welded and reground or any trueness questions from the extreme amount of heat that goes into a cam when it's welded.

These cams have been in testing for over three years now and our monitor bikes have not had a failure or even experience ANY wear as of yet. As with any high performance part it does cause increased wear and tear, and we expect to have a failure at some time. We just haven't had one yet. It's easy to predict metal fatigue and wear rates but, until it happens there is no SURE way of knowing. That's why we have monitor units.

Tony