Dynospot Cams

Dynospot Racing offers a full-selection of performance custom cams for VW, BMW, and Porsche. If we don’t have your application, we’d be more than happy to work with our expert cam grinder to develop something for you. Dynospot Racing has developed each cam through dyno and race testing. Our cams are not just sold and marketed with “big” duration numbers. They are made to work and produce “real” power. Dynospot Racing specializes in regrind cams. However, we can provide cams on new factory billets per your request. Dyno charts can be found at the bottom of this page.

Advertised Duration Values

People love to hear advertised cam duration values. Supposedly, these numbers represent how many degrees of a circle (total 360) that the camshaft is acting on or depressing the valve. Unfortunately, these numbers don’t really tell us a whole lot. This is because there is no set standard for where advertised duration is measured. Remember that all cams have 360 degrees of duration at 0.000” of lift! So, at 0.004” of lift, a cam may have 268 degrees of duration but at 0.002” of lift the same cam may have let’s say 280 degrees of duration. At 0.010” this cam may now have only 242 degrees of duration. As you can see, advertised duration means almost nothing because there is no standard! To complicate the matter, not much air can flow through a valve until it is depressed at least 0.050”. Thus, a cam that has an advertised 260 degrees of duration at 0.004” may ultimately be less aggressive than another cam that is being advertised at 270 at 0.004”. Advertised duration values tend to sell cams. Aftermarket camshaft companies love to use these numbers to market their cams. Many cam companies commonly name their cams higher than the cams “true” duration.

Regrind versus Aftermarket Grinds on New Billet Cams

It is a well-known fact that regrind cams have one huge advantage over aftermarket grinds performed on new billets. It’s price. Regrind camshafts run anywhere between 50-70% less than new billet cams. That’s a given. But, do regrinds have any other advantages. The answer is yes. Regrinds are cut off factory cams that have factory set indexing. That’s obvious and what we want. But, new cams are sometimes not! Ever hear about the need to index aftermarket cams? This procedure is performed because the aftermarket company has incorrectly cut the cam lobe centers in relation to the gear.

What other benefits do regrinds on factory cams have over new billet cams? Well, again they are cut on factory billets! And, they have guaranteed factory hardness. Let’s sum up these points:

Regrinds are easily cut on factory lobe centers eliminating the need for indexing which the majority of shops do not perform. Indexing is a fairly difficult job and requires an expert mechanic most likely with machining skills. Some cams cannot be easily indexed.
Regrinds, being cut on stock cams, guarantee factory hardness.
Best of all, regrind camshafts run 50-70% cheaper than cams cut on new billets.

In all fairness, there can be disadvantages to regrinds. For one, regrinds are typically created by reducing the base circle of the camshaft. The heal area is usually reduced to create more lift. Thus, total lift is limited to the amount of material that can be sacrificed on the heal. If too much material is removed off of the cam heal, the lifters may forced to over extend in order to reach the cam. This can lead to premature wear of the lifter. For cams that use shimmed valve clearances, this is usually not a problem. Thus, regrind cams need to be correctly designed. There is no mistake about this.

How Camshafts Make Power

Most enthusiasts know that cams make power by keeping the valve open longer as it rotates 360 degrees. In theory, the longer the valve is open the more time that air can move through the motor. The more air that can be flowed, the more power that can be produced because more gas can then be burned. But, there is much more to it then just that. The camshaft controls all of the valve timing events in relation to the engine. When you look at a cam, you need to see more than just duration numbers. You need to look at the cam timing events (Intake Opening – Intake Closing – Exhaust Opening – Exhaust Closing).

I won’t get into it in this article, but the events in order of importance are:

Intake Closing
Intake Opening
Exhaust Closing
Exhaust Opening

When you purchase an aftermarket camshaft, it is important to see the cam timing event numbers not just the duration values. Compare those values to the stock cam.

Cam Philosophy

There is no such thing as a cam that is perfect for every car. Cams are often looked at as the means to link the bottom-end to the top-end (head) of the engine. But, there are some general concepts to follow.

A well developed cam can make more bottom end torque and high end horsepower but after a certain point cams will not make high-end power and low-end torque at the same time. You get one or the other, not both. Thus, pick a cam that provides gains in the area that you need. For racing, look for higher duration cams, for the street, pick the more mild performance cam .
Low-end torque provides good momentum into the next gear. When you loose low-end torque, a car accelerates slower which can raise quarter mile times .

Dyno Chart

Jim's car is a 1998 GTI VR6 with a G-chip in it but other than that it is 100% stock. It is a very strong car. The average 'chipped' VR6 generates 152-157 front wheel horsepower on the dynojet. Lynn's car has the exact same G-chip, 256 cams and a Racer Design muffler at the time of the dyno run. We now have installed a TT 2.5" cat-back exhaust and expect to see 175-178 front wheel horsepower! Stay tuned for more charts.

Cams offered by Dynospot Racing:

VW GTI-VR6 (All)