Thread: Best 3.9 camshaft

Six months and 7000Km passed after I rebuilt my 3.9EFI Disco 1 at which time I installed a new Cam/lifter and chain kit. Despite being properly ran in, lubed up and the use of good oil It was tappy and rough after about 2000km. Before I had to replace it for the second time, it was unbearable to drive, especially on start up. The staff highly recommended it to me as a great 4wd and torque cam. This is what it looked like after just 7000K's.

Three lifters and lobes were badly worn with every lobe showing some wear. After a lot of research and conversations to people who actually know what they are doing I choose a new camshaft and fitted it. It is fantastic and better in just about every way. The new one is a Crower 53229 Camshaft. There is no excessive valve noise like the old one, that clatter clatter you hear next to a concrete crash barrier. There is no lifter tick at idle and the whole engine seems to run so much smoother. As for performance, it seems to have shifted the torque curve down another 300rpm. The old Cam struggled to maintain 5th gear at 100Km/h on any sort of incline, it had no grunt until about 2700Rpm or 115Km/h. The new one tows like a train, even after putting 32" tyres on it still more sprite on the highway. Maybe it has a slightly less of a punchy midrange (3500-4500) especially on gas, but hey I drive a Disco up hills, not a TR8 around a track. After talking to the experts, I now have a good idea on what constitutes a good cam.

Firstly there is cost, at $180 and $80 the old cam and lifters are obviously cheaply made. The Crower cam and lifters shipped from the U.S was about $630. The good U.K brands are over $1000

Secondly there is the actual engineering that goes into them. The old Cam has a valve lift of 0.45" on intake and outlet with a duration of 264 degrees intake and outlet too. Compared to the Crower camshaft this seems just so approximate. There is a different lift/duration for intake and outlet, and they recommend a different camshaft for a 4.6 (340CI) as they do a 3.9 (300CI). Check the images to see the varying intake/outlet values that the crower camshaft has.
I can't help the feeling that old cam supplier just pulled the numbers out of the air, ground it, stuck it in a motor that made a few more hp and then try to sell it.

Thirdly, everyone seems to think that these cheap cams aren't case hardened well enough. When I removed the original OEM 345,000Km old cam, it was in better nick than this was after just 7,000Km. The Crower on the other hand seemed to have some sort of darker case hardening, but who knows.

Below I have compiled a list of camshafts manufacturers that have the basic generic and identical intake and outlet characteristics. This is only my opinion, and any input is welcome.

Crower
Kent Cams
Crow cams
Piper Cams (very helpful staff)
Real steel cams

My original post contained the Australian producers name, but admit made me remove it.