Please give your personal reviews and opinions concerning Hughes Camshafts.

[1Bad70Charger]

Good, Bad, what's the reputation of Hughes Camshafts (both hyd. flat tapped and solid roller) they offer for 440 engines?

I was leaning toward a nice Engle K series cam but now Hughes has caught my eye.

Thanks in advance for your  .   

[Cooter]

Heard that they Hughes camshafts ain't all that..In order to "Take advantage" of the .9 Mopar lifter, the ramp profiles are aggressive to say the least..

[elacruze]

Heard that they Hughes camshafts ain't all that..In order to "Take advantage" of the .9 Mopar lifter, the ramp profiles are aggressive to say the least..

Can you tell me a little about how you can 'take advantage' of the large lifter diameter *without* using more aggressive ramps?

[Cooter]

Not real sure, but I believe they call 'em roller cams....

[Charger-Bodie]

I had a Hughes crate engine in my gold Charger . I was very impressed and it is still going strong, cam and all.

[1Bad70Charger]

Heard that they Hughes camshafts ain't all that..In order to "Take advantage" of the .9 Mopar lifter, the ramp profiles are aggressive to say the least..

Cooter would you go with Engle of Hughes if you were me?

[elacruze]

Not realsure, but I believe they call 'em roller cams....

Lifter bore diameter has no bearing on roller cams, only roller diameter.

Try again?

[Cooter]

Not realsure, but I believe they call 'em roller cams....

Lifter bore diameter has no bearing on roller cams, only roller diameter.

Try again?

I was referring to simply not using Hughes all together and going roller...But, that's just me... Had a buddy that tried one of their cams and while MANY folks Don't seem to have a problem with their cams, This guy is VERY anal about checking and rechecking to the point it gets on my nerves..Then, the cam wipes a lobe after about 7500 miles...Calls Hughes up and tells them what happened and wanted to know about those "Aggressive" lobe profiles and what that Does for lifter life.(This was about the time all this ZDDP sh*t got started up really good and most cam manufacturers were blaming all lobe wear on improper oil).Hughes told him that Of course, their cams are the greatest since sliced bread, and they know Mopar better than "Other" man. so it pretty much had to be something he did/didn't do to cause the wiped lobe..So, after asking AGAIN about their ramp profiles and increased lifter wear, he finally got this.."Well, your gonna freshen the motor after that long on the street anyway right?"

Round here, we like to look to this guy as the official "Tester" of the newer parts as he usually gets to them before we do..When I heard the ordeal he got with Hughes, I decided against them...I also had another issue with Lunati and their VooDoo Cams...The Same buddy told me to beware as he checked one of their .513 lift cams and by the time you did the total lobe minus the base for the lift at the cam, the X by rocker ratio(1.5), it came out to a final lift of .660...Now, this could've blown up his engine as he didn't have anywhere near the clearance for a cam of that size...So, after ordering one ANYWAY for my Christine, I decided to check it for myself..Low and behold, the same .513 lift, three bolt, cam came in around 660 lift at the valve....No VooDoo for me...That's bad JuJu...So, I have run Comp Cams for as long as I've had cars and never had a problem..Are they primarily Chevy grinds? Maybe, but they aren't shipped with the incorrect lift and wiping out lobes either...I prefer to stick with what works even if I lose a few HP in the process..

Heard that they Hughes camshafts ain't all that..In order to "Take advantage" of the .9 Mopar lifter, the ramp profiles are aggressive to say the least..

Cooter would you go with Engle of Hughes if you were me?

I prefer Comp. cams. I have never tried Engle, but have only Heard good things about them...I like Comp. because most cam manufacturers have either killer duration @.050, or Killer Lifts and No Duration...Comp. has Both good Duration numbers as well as lift numbers..

[1Bad70Charger]

Cooter, once again thank you for your very informative post bud! 

[elacruze]

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Comp Cams, and there's a good chance I'll end up with a 290S in my motor. I've installed more Comp Cams in more different stuff than any other brand. Now with that said, I'll go on record as saying that Comp's catalog grinds are as kind to valve trains as anybody's, generally much better. BUT everybody's catalog cams leave a lot on the table-as does anybody's catalog anything-because it's more in the company's interest to provide reliability in equal part to effectiveness. There is always more than a manufacturer is willing to catalog, because they can't afford to make product that Joe Average can't assemble, break in, and maintain in a fashion that keeps the part alive.

In your friend's situation, I'd say that after 7500 miles the cam was well proven, and I'd look to oil, oiling issues, and spring pressures before blaming the cam itself. The whole ZDDP/flat tappet problem and surrounding debate is so fuzzy precisely because there are so many variables to consider in every individual engine, and with every individual driver. I spent good money, and against plenty of sage advice on Shubeck style lifters, because the perceived risk of breaking them is less than the virtual gurantee that I'd wipe out steel lifters/cam running the ramps and spring pressures I want.
Yes, roller cams resolve the oil issue but they have their own issues-which usually includes trashing the motor just the same as these composite lifters will if they break. The difference again, is that I know with certainty that roller tappets will break someday and there's no indication that these composite lifters ever fail due to age.

So the bottom line is, lifter/cam lobe life gets shorter as cams work better. Hughes and others make cams that work better, and require more knowledge and care than others which may be kinder to the valve train.

[maxwellwedge]

I have Hughes cams running in 4 or 5 engines - they all run great with no problems. I am giving Engle a try as we speak, er, write.