How Performance Camshafts Increase Horsepower and Engine Efficiency

A car’s camshaft is one of the most essential parts in any internal combustion engine, and it directly affects a car’s performance and efficiency. Original factory camshafts are designed to provide the ideal balance between horsepower, torque, and fuel efficiency, and are often one of the biggest limitations in gaining additional power. This is where performance camshafts come in. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the topic of performance camshafts, and explain how they increase the engine’s horsepower and efficiency, as well as the pros and cons of replacing the factory camshaft with aftermarket ones.

More Air and Fuel

With aftermarket performance camshafts, your car’s engine will be capable of burning more air and fuel at the same time. This shouldn’t be mixed with the air-to-fuel ratio because they’re different things. The air-to-fuel ratio should stay the same, but the amount of air and fuel should increase with a performance camshaft. Unlike OEM camshafts where the balance between performance and fuel efficiency is the ultimate goal, aftermarket and performance camshafts are made to improve the engine’s performance capabilities. The way performance camshafts improve an engine’s horsepower and torque is by opening the intake and exhaust valves more, allowing for more air and fuel to mix. The same ratio is maintained, but with more of everything the combustion is simply stronger, creating a larger explosion. The larger explosion creates increased pressure inside the cylinder, adding more power to the engine, especially at higher RPM.

Extended Valve Duration

The extended valve duration is the key feature to performance camshafts for any type of vehicle, including American muscle cars. With a factory-installed camshaft, the valves are opened for a brief amount of time during a rotational cycle. This provides smooth and efficient engine operation; however, it limits the amount of air and fuel that can reach the combustion chambers, ultimately limiting the vehicle’s performance capabilities. By simply extending the valve duration, the performance camshaft allows for more air and fuel to reach the combustion chamber even with other stock parts. With OEM camshafts, the car’s engine can struggle at higher RPM to fill the combustion chambers with air and fuel, due to the valves closing too soon. With aftermarket camshafts, the valves are open for a slightly longer time, allowing more air and fuel to enter through the same valve openings. When it comes to performance camshafts that provide extended valve duration, they often include an overlapping period as well. This is the moment when both the intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time. During this overlapping period, exhaust gases are able to exit the cylinder while creating a vacuum that pulls in air for the next combustion cycle, making the engine work far more efficiently.

Pros and Cons of Performance Camshafts

Replacing any OEM part, especially as important as the camshaft, includes a number of advantages and disadvantages. The biggest and most notable advantage of using performance camshafts is the increased power and torque figures. This effect is most notable at higher RPMs, which is why it’s such a common upgrade in performance and sports vehicles. By improving the engine’s operation efficiency, fuel efficiency is also improved in high-performance and racing applications. The increased valve duration won’t help improve fuel economy in everyday driving, but under difficult and racing conditions, less fuel will be used in the same amount of time. Lastly, with an aftermarket performance camshaft, the engine sound is also altered, creating a more aggressive and dominant noise. It’s like they say - where there’s smoke, there’s fire, but in this case, where there’s noise, there’s power. Although this may sound great at first, there are some drawbacks as well. Replacing the factory camshaft with a performance one requires a hefty amount of mechanical work on the engine, which may be a costly procedure. It’s not just that it’s a costly procedure, but it’s a pretty complex one as well that requires special tools, equipment, skills, and experience. If the camshaft is off balance even by a fraction of an inch, it can lead to reduced performance and even serious engine damage. The second drawback is reduced performance at lower RPM and a rough idle. This can significantly decrease a car’s drivability, especially in everyday driving. Increased fuel consumption in city driving is also a considerable factor.

Final Words

Performance camshafts are a common upgrade in performance and sports vehicles, and it can be one of the biggest influences in a car’s overall power and torque figures. There are far easier ways of gaining additional power and torque, but at the end of the day, upgrading internal components of an internal combustion engine is unavoidable to achieve an engine’s maximum potential. If you decide to upgrade your car with a performance camshaft, make sure to go with a reputable and trusted brand. This way, you’ll ensure that you’ll have a durable component that will meet all your expectations regarding ease of installation and performance gains. Our selection includes a wide variety of options when it comes to performance camshafts and you’ll be able to find compatible options by including the year, make, model, and engine size in the search filters, such as our Mustang camshafts and Charger camshafts . With fast and free shipping included, you’ll have your car screaming on the track in no time.