Colt cams

[kulluminati777]

Does anyone here have colt cams?? The N/A grind. I wanted to know if anyone had seen any real gains or would you HAVE to have headers to fully utilize them? I was interested in buying a set but if I only I would still see gains without using headers.

[fowljesse]

It's hard to imagine someone going as far as getting Colt cams without getting headers first. You will gain some power, without headers, but, obviously, not as much. However, if you redo your exhaust from the manifolds back, you will gain almost as much HP as headers. There are some good threads in here about it.

[kulluminati777]

Well i dont want to get headers for 2 reasons

No Mx3 headers a california Carb legal and i want to keep my A/C I dont know for sure how it is on the MX3 but my MX6 we HAD to remove the A/C fan for the headers to fit. Now that i think about it we my could have used slim fans

Oh well but the california carb reason is more than enough

[fowljesse]

I understand that. I'm just saying that you may not find someone who has reground cams, and stock exhaust manifolds. From memory; you can gain 7hp by just redoing your exhaust behind the manifolds. The flex pipe is the biggest restriction, and most of the gain from headers is from replacing that with a ball and socket joint.

[MrMazda92]

It's been proven that the stock exhaust manifolds have excellent flow POTENTIAL, although this was tested extensively on FI setups(I do not recall ever seeing one for NA builds), it was conclusive.

Cams will net you gains, but as with everything else it's relative to the rest of your setup. Try looking at it as a linear system, from intake to exhaust... It all starts at your choice of filter, and ends at your muffler outlet.

A quality filter, True 3" intake piping, an overbored TB and carefully ported Intake Manifold(bigger isn't always better), are a start.

Next on your list should be cylinder head work, de-shrouding valves, intake throat pocket re-shaping has been a tried and true method of gaining power, although it's limited by your experience and knowledge of fluid dynamics, as well as the tools at your disposal. Top it off with a polished combustion chamber and exhaust ports.

***Many people think larger valves or ports = more power, and these people are missing so much of the big picture it ties my stomach into knots. Quality > Quantity is a good rule to remember... Efficiency isn't determined by how much air is stuffed into the engine. Good example? Compare a Suzuki Hayabusa engine to a K8 if you want a close-to-home example. Horsepower : Displacement, the Busa is the clear winner.***

Make sure your exhaust is leak free, as this has a greater effect on performance than many realize.
***DO NOT PORTMATCH EXHAUST PORTS TO HEADER PRIMARIES***
After that... A high flow catalytic converter or "test pipe" would net a small gain(try not to gut the stock one, that'll do more harm than good), but others behind your vehicle WILL know damn well you're catless if you run a test pipe. Keep the exhaust as straight as possible, minimizing bends will help keep EG velocity up, which is a must. End it with your choice of muffler... Personally, I'd take a 5 HP hit for a quiet freeway driver any day... 10 HP, and I'd get used to the drone without complaint.

Good luck!

[Josh]

Wow, quit reading things you find on PT and MX6 club.^^

Does anyone here have colt cams?? The N/A grind. I wanted to know if anyone had seen any real gains or would you HAVE to have headers to fully utilize them? I was interested in buying a set but if I only I would still see gains without using headers.

kulluminati777 - To answer your question. YES. What most think about cams on imports is completely ridiculous. I have run custom cams in all of my builds with amazing results. If you want to run the NA grind without headers you will still see a nice gain. I WOULD recommend port matching your exhaust manifold to your exhaust port it will help with the flow of the OE exhaust manifolds. You would only be missing 10 maybe 15 crank HP from not running headers.

Even if the headers are not CARB legal as long as you pass emissions they should not care. And one great thing about Cali is private shops perform emissions checks if you know what I mean...

BTW the cheep ebay headers are that cheep ebay headers. There is not a company that has made a proper set of tuned headers for the K series in many years. Sure they see gains but not as much as they could. These headers are over rated IMO

[MrMazda92]

Josh,
Which part of my post was that directed towards...? The flow potential for stock manifolds?

As for my comment on porting, I was referring to the "step" that exists from exhaust ports(on the head) to the header primaries themselves... Not from the exhaust manifold to the secondary piping...

You know as well as I do, why that step is there. I think I worded that too vaguely

[Josh]

Here is a good thread on PT Kulluminati. talks about how and where you should port your OE manifolds or at least will give you a general idea, if you plan on running cams I would recommend it
http://forums.probetalk.com/showthread.php?t=1700990038

[Josh]

As for my comment on porting, I was referring to the "step" that exists from exhaust ports(on the head) to the header primaries themselves... Not from the exhaust manifold to the secondary piping...

This is only really an issue with aftermarket headers. That is why I plan to make my own at some point OE manifold you are safe

Pulled this from your favorite web site

EXHAUST SIDE
i would just polish the exhaust ports. you need to maintain a 75% to 80% exhaust to intake flow ratio. The exhaust ports on the klze motor flows enough.. Just polish it so that there are no surface dimples so that carbon doesnt stick to the surface as easily. You will get a bit more exhaust velocity from this too. But dont gasket match the exhaust. The headers are bigger than the exhaust ports for a reason. They act as an anti-reversion ridge so that pressure waves are less likely to flow back into the head.

[MrMazda92]

EXACTLY!!!

That is the much better explanation of what I was trying to say about the "step" haha!
Thank you for that

[kulluminati777]

Thanks for the advice everyone!! now that im getting a klze put in im more geared towards performance. I also have my hands on a few sets for a good price on MX6.com and here

[MrMazda92]

If you find a set of tri-flows for a good price, please let me know.