My next mod.....
I am not doubting anything, but can someone list the 55k cars that have aftermarket cams and shown increases? All I have seen is driveability issues. If you like a rough idle, then do it.
Last thing, MAKE SURE you have someone to tune it that you trust. To me, the tune is key on these cars.
I still disagree with CM30s. Always have. I love my Davies pump.
There's one item that I'm on the fence about....titanium retainer rings. Most say to do it just because my tech will be right there, I need more then that to proceed. It's only a few hundred bucks but I need to fully understand the purpose of anything before it gets installed on my car. If any of you guys could fill me in on the pros/cons vs stock retainers it would be appreciated.
Just to note - I understand that they will allow for higher RPM's without valve float, but how and why? Thanks again guys and I honestly believe 10.4-10.5's will be here at traps near a 135 mph will soon be here.
I may also install a torque converter to help get me into the cams power band a little quicker. Could anyone suggest a well known shop that makes them for our cars other than Eurocharge.
Ok So I’ve had like 10 ways to try and explain this but every time I read it back it makes no sense,lol. SO.. Basically let’s start with Some A&P of what valve float is. The spring is connected to the valve via the retainer and keeper, the cam push the valve down and the spring closes it. Float is when the tension of the spring is not high enough to close the valve at a given rpm. So basically the spring has not had enough time to close the valve before the cam is starting to re open it. Now were the retainers come into this, the titanium retains weigh less than the stock steel ones so this reduces the weight on the spring allowing it to "spring" back faster to close the valve. Just so you know "float" is MONDO BAD. When the valve is open at the wrong time your piston will hit the valve, this will knock the keeper of the tip and then the valve will fall into the engine, this will all happen in a split seconded and more than likely kill at a minimum of 75% of your engine.
I am not doubting anything, but can someone list the 55k cars that have aftermarket cams and shown increases? All I have seen is driveability issues. If you like a rough idle, then do it.
Last thing, MAKE SURE you have someone to tune it that you trust. To me, the tune is key on these cars.
I still disagree with CM30s. Always have. I love my Davies pump.
How many 55's have you seen with VRP cams? There just doesn't seem to be a lot out there right now which is understandable. Is rough idle the only one that concerns you? Any input would be aprreciated.
Do you still have your Davies pump? I always felt the CM30's did their job well on my car but the only thing I have to compare it with is a Meziere. The CM30's worked much better on my system than the Meziere.
Ok So I’ve had like 10 ways to try and explain this but every time I read it back it makes no sense,lol. SO.. Basically let’s start with Some A&P of what valve float is. The spring is connected to the valve via the retainer and keeper, the cam push the valve down and the spring closes it. Float is when the tension of the spring is not high enough to close the valve at a given rpm. So basically the spring has not had enough time to close the valve before the cam is starting to re open it. Now were the retainers come into this, the titanium retains weigh less than the stock steel ones so this reduces the weight on the spring allowing it to "spring" back faster to close the valve. Just so you know "float" is MONDO BAD. When the valve is open at the wrong time your piston will hit the valve, this will knock the keeper of the tip and then the valve will fall into the engine, this will all happen in a split seconded and more than likely kill at a minimum of 75% of your engine.
People talk about valve float and that's what scares me. The question I've been asked is - have any cars on our platforms ever seen valve float, would MB really only use retainers good up to 200-300 RPM past the factory redline? If I did the work like yourself doing this would be a no brainer.
More aggressive spings would be the bomb if stock ones couldn't handle it. What did the other cam guys do? There is your answer right there.
Oh, Alan. My headers should be done soon (maybe a month) and my ZT-2 and dashdaq will be here shortly. I'm gonna just use the OBD-II port for now and get used to the dashdaq and then when I put everything on I'll put in the wide band, IAT and Boost sensor. I'm gonna put the IAT and boost sensor into the intake after the IC on the drivers side, next to the TB. Seems like a good place and Rob agreed. Thanks for all your help man! I think I'll be ready to go around July. Just in time for high temps lol
Good luck with the cams. I'm still holding off on a 185 until it proves itself.
We horsepower junkies, especially the future ones, owe Alan a big thank you for all he's done. There are a few others out there put I wanted to give Alan props in his thread. Thanks again man!
Last edited by Luke_M; Apr 24, 2010 at 08:08 PM.
More aggressive spings would be the bomb if stock ones couldn't handle it. What did the other cam guys do? There is your answer right there.
I've spoken with a few guys that have cams, not necessarily Pat's but still the same concept. Some say it's a must (of course the ones that have it) and other believe it's not needed. If install was a little less work I wouldn't even be having this conversation but with the extra hours of install it all really starts to add up.
I'll probably end up doing it.
I spoke with Rob and he mentioned that you ordered a few things, he's a great guy. Get to know your setup because it will do a ton of things for ya, heck, I'm still learning....(Really, it could do that!!!!....
). Will you be adding the EGT sensor as well?Stay tuned because I'll have that solution for your cooling needs...lol.
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No EGT port. I can't remember why exactly lol I believe Rob or Chris didn't think it was so important so I passed. I believe it was Chris actually. As time goes on I'm sure I'll more including the warning light. I just want to get used to the first setup for now.
Have you thought about a light port job on the heads while you had them off? I know it's more $$ but maybe save up a bit longer and then pull the trigger.
Oh, I'll be hounding you about the cooling and 185 lol When you told me you spun 3rd gear I didn't forget that lol I got a big $#!T eating grin when I heard that, believe me! I've got a GSX-R1000 I "have" to roll with ha ha

No EGT port. I can't remember why exactly lol I believe Rob or Chris didn't think it was so important so I passed. I believe it was Chris actually. As time goes on I'm sure I'll more including the warning light. I just want to get used to the first setup for now.
Have you thought about a light port job on the heads while you had them off? I know it's more $$ but maybe save up a bit longer and then pull the trigger.
Oh, I'll be hounding you about the cooling and 185 lol When you told me you spun 3rd gear I didn't forget that lol I got a big $#!T eating grin when I heard that, believe me! I've got a GSX-R1000 I "have" to roll with ha ha
I thinks it's a good idea to watch EGT's. It will give you a good indication of what's happening with your motor. We know the melting point for aluminum is around 1600 degrees and it's just a nice added piece of mind. I believe I got mine with my package but not a 100% sure.
Yeah, breaking the tires loose at high speeds on cool nights is a common problem with our modded cars. I would almost be willing to give a tiny bit of torque up for some better traction. Hopefully the cams will get me there.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
The day went great, everyones car stayed together and made tons of power. My SL55 laid down 431.9HP and 474.4TQ completely stock, and with an off the shelf 93 octane tune she made 461.3hp and 509.0TQ. We didnt get into tuning my car due to my upcoming install of pulley and larger heat exchanger. New dyno pulls coming Monday after install. Best of luck to you bassn. (pulls on mustang dyno)
I wont speak for Beau but i will say this much..
I was witness to something not of this world, that car is possessed!! The four horseman of the apocalypse have just found their new ride.
The day went great, everyones car stayed together and made tons of power. My SL55 laid down 431.9HP and 474.4TQ completely stock, and with an off the shelf 93 octane tune she made 461.3hp and 509.0TQ. We didnt get into tuning my car due to my upcoming install of pulley and larger heat exchanger. New dyno pulls coming Monday after install. Best of luck to you bassn. (pulls on mustang dyno)
I wont speak for Beau but i will say this much..
I was witness to something not of this world, that car is possessed!! The four horseman of the apocalypse have just found their new ride.
. Here in the Bay Area it seems almost impossible to get a gathering together when mods are involved.It seems like you stock SL55 performed like a champ!!!! 460 rwhp is insane for a tune only 55
. Your beast is almost as powerful as my dyno last dyno numbers....
. My last numbers with 91 was 505 with close to 600 rwtq. Get that thing to the track and see what she does.Yes, the same exact cam you felt will be the one going in my car. I'll need all the help I could get to keep up with the insane hp coming out of Florida. Aaron's car will definitely be a feared force on our platform.
The guys at Japtrix are class A people and def. car nuts. I felt welcomed from the minute i walked in and Roger the proprietor is a hands down 110% willing to bend over backwards for his customers.
Beau, i don't know where to start.. he spent hours on the phone trying to get my install completed today but alas there were no belts to be found for my upgrade..but it was a blessing in a way as i was going to do the 180 pulley but decided the 168 would do the trick without worrying about additional cooling besides the heat exchanger...
One word to describe all the guys involved....Class!
P.S. feel free to move down to SF we would love to have ya!!
Last edited by kustom2k1; Apr 25, 2010 at 01:09 AM.
Sure, cams will make more power. I don't doubt that. My concern is that the head on these cars will not accept the size of lobes that would show power. If you are going to take the head apart and rebuild it, why not port it to give you the room to put in real cams?
By not doing that, I just don't think you will see much difference in power but will see a rougher motor.
Anyone who has an open head should be able to demonstrate this for you. I never knew PTE was ready to release this stuff but ask him and that crew. they are straight up guys.
LOL, the fastest cars I have seen were with full exhaust and custom tune with a 175mm (internal) 180 marketing banter.
I know of many VRP cammed cars, but know of only 1 that i liked and it was Sal's
My take is totally different. I like to mix at high rates and have the system be able to cool it back out. The heart of our problems are the spikes, NOT the recovery patterns. The CM30 simply does nothing to the spike, especially once you start pushing major boost. I like the davies pump because it will shoot water accross the street. It has a larger outlet because it needs it.
My focal points were maximize volume, ability to transfer heat, and flow. In my mind, this gave me the best bet at keeping the IC coolest.
Yes I still have the pump and add on HE, if you wanna experiment.
My take is totally different. I like to mix at high rates and have the system be able to cool it back out. The heart of our problems are the spikes, NOT the recovery patterns. The CM30 simply does nothing to the spike, especially once you start pushing major boost. I like the davies pump because it will shoot water accross the street. It has a larger outlet because it needs it.
My focal points were maximize volume, ability to transfer heat, and flow. In my mind, this gave me the best bet at keeping the IC coolest.
Yes I still have the pump and add on HE, if you wanna experiment.
Sure, cams will make more power. I don't doubt that. My concern is that the head on these cars will not accept the size of lobes that would show power. If you are going to take the head apart and rebuild it, why not port it to give you the room to put in real cams?
By not doing that, I just don't think you will see much difference in power but will see a rougher motor.
Anyone who has an open head should be able to demonstrate this for you. I never knew PTE was ready to release this stuff but ask him and that crew. they are straight up guys.
LOL, the fastest cars I have seen were with full exhaust and custom tune with a 175mm (internal) 180 marketing banter.
I know of many VRP cammed cars, but know of only 1 that i liked and it was Sal's
The IC is the big concern up top. If you aren't controlling air temp, what does it matter if you control flow?
Last thing, all this talk of working on the head is cool but don't forget the best gains are in the bottom. Forged pistons, lighter crank, etc. do nothing but add to the car. No driveability issues and a more seamless power transfer




Kleemann say 10-20 hp depending on the base setup you have ... the more you are flowing the more the cams help....
Its true you cannot go agressive here and the PTE solution has it maxed out... flowing the heads is also worth a fair bit of power according to Kleemann.
For me Kleemann cams and ported heads are about the most you can do ... not taking away from the PTE arrangement but it does seem they need custom tuning to get the best out of them.
I am waiting on some Cam dyno charts from Kleemann and Ill post it up.
Ah also - they said the cams add power throughout the curve - at no point is power lower. Again a few mods have made me as happy as the cams - I would say almost on par with the pulley upgrade...
Last edited by stevebez; Apr 26, 2010 at 09:36 AM.
Haha!! This is getting off topic, so I will stop.
I will say this. Seeing some of the old school guys bring out their vast knowledge is so awesome to see. PTE has been around as has stevebez and you'd be amazed at how involved some of the old school guys were to the development of the "stages" we all enjoy today. I'll start to add Jeremy in there, since it looks like he is as close to a consistent CUSTOM tuner as we have.
Enjoy ALAN!! PM me your address and I'll send the pump. Just do a write up before I turn it into a sprayer for my Jeep



