SW5/Minispares equivalent, pros & cons?

[chrisryder]

I popped into minispares today and asked about cam choices. i was asking what cam they'd recommend for a driveable 1275, and the consensus was that a 266 kent would be fine, and that if i was feeling brave i could get away with a 276. i'd pretty much decided on the 266 when he threw a spanner in the works and said 'have you thought about the SW5 or the minispares 'evolution' one?'. They're much cheaper it seems.

Has anyone got any experience, good or bad, of either the SW5 or evolution equivalent?

This is intened for a 1275 midget engine, but also, i could put one in the 1147cc midget engine that'll have a 12G940 head, i guess it'll be fine in both?

[Longdog]

Hi, I have just built a 1380 MED engine and went for the 266 which on first drive only last night is very impressive in terms of torque even at running in taking it easy pace. I used to have an SW5 but could not get rid of it fast enough as it makes the engine VERY tappetty. The reason for this is that the cam profile has very steep opening and closing ramps which do make a responsive engine but give a considerable rattle to go with it. Swiftune do hint at increased valve train noise in their advertising in fairness.
At the end of the day cam choice is subjective but there is no substitute for sewing machine running IMO.

[Longdog]

Oh and before anybody says an MG Metro cam is the same as a 266 it is not, the 266 is optimised from this basic design which is very good. Valve opening and closing timings do not give the whole picture of cam performance.

[chrisryder]

thanks longdog. tappetiness is something close to my heart aswell, and i dont fancy going for roller rockers or rubber timing belts to get rid of it!

[bmcecosse]

Certainly don't get roller or high lift rockers - and the rubber belt is just asking for trubble....... I would use a 276 cam in a good 1275. And certainly not the first time I have heard stories about the SW5...... beware if you buy a cam for a small bore engine with the intention of fitting a 940 head......if it has high lift it will be difficult to sink the valves sufficiently without causing masking. No such worries on a 1275 of course.

[GeorgeHurst]

Sorry to potentially hijack this thread but Longdog hinted at the MG Metro cam and reminded me of a question I have about it.

I am building a 1275 Ital engine, with big valve, ported 940 head, HIF44, LCB etc - I have a MG Metro cam at the moment, but am looking to build a torquey engine as acceleration is more my thing than top speed - any thoughts as to how the 266 / 276 compares to the Metro with this in mind?

[bmcecosse]

The MG cam will be ideal then - designed by Rover to give good torque - without high engine-busting revs !

[GeorgeHurst]

Super dooper! Cheers

[Longdog]

For what it's worth George I am very pleased with the 266 as I have had a chance to put some more miles on the new engine. For me the 276 enters the torque band higher up so was a non starter. Ask yourself which rev band you spend most of your time in. 266 comes into power band at about 1200 rpm so gives nice low down grunt and is timed in at 106 degrees.Nice smooth idle too, which is not so much the case with the 276, probably irritating when sat in traffic. Standard metro cam timing is 110 degrees but can be advanced by 3 (107) to give better torque.
Hope this is of use, Andy.