The Best Money Cam Buy

People who own Hondas—especially Hondas powered with a twin-cam VTEC motor—are constantly seeking the best bang for the buck no matter what it takes. We often come across the topic concerning performance camshafts.

Who makes the best camshaft for my DOHC VTEC?

Is Brand X better than Brand Y?

Nah, man, my homie says that these cams are the bomb—adds X-amount of horsepower, dawg!

Honestly, it’s really hard to say. Each company R&Ds its product with the intention of giving you the best product on the market. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t work as well as we would like them to. You really have to research to find out what your wallet can afford as well as what kind of performance you’re hoping to achieve.

Basically, what we wanted to find out is if the high-dollar cams are worth the money. If you’re strapped for cash, maybe factory cams are a better bet for you. Your gains may be minimal, but then again, you haven’t spared all your paychecks that should have gone toward tuition. Money ain’t no thang for you? Go balls out and try a high-dollar, high-performance camshaft. Spending the extra dough will most likely propel you faster down the 1,320. We also gave our test companies the chance to come install and tune their own cams. You won’t see any biased results because they tuned their own product! If you have a question or problem that was overlooked in our test, the companies are the ones to contact.

In the first installment of our camshaft comparison, we were able to get our hands on a set of factory Integra Type R and the newly released Skunk2 cams. Both are great starting blocks and require either little or no modifications to the valvetrain for great performance. Stay tuned for more cam comparos in future issues.

Remember that every car is different so your results will differ. It does not mean that the product is faulty.

Factory Integra Type R

Everyone we know has either tried or wants to try out a set of Integra Type R cams. And why shouldn’t they? It’s a great beginner cam, and you really don’t need to strengthen the valvetrain. It is by far the biggest out of the B series family (U.S. market, of course) and can be identified on the intake cam by the engraved rings on the outer edge of the distributor key.

Since our test vehicle will be testing out other camshafts, we felt it would be wise to also install stiffer valvesprings and lost motion assemblies from a Type R. All of the Type R parts can be ordered through your local dealer.

Parts Needed:

Intake camshaft 14111-P73-J00
Exhaust camshaft 14121-P730J00

Intake valve spring (inner) 14751-P73-J01
Intake valve spring (outer) 14761-P73-J01 (both require eight pieces)
Lost motion assemblies 14820-P73-J00
(requires eight pieces)

In addition to testing out these cams, we thought it would be a good idea to show you how to install a set of camshafts and cam gears. The entire process is the same for removal and installation, but the valve lash will differ from company to company. Cam gear settings will also differ. Since the Type R cams are OEM, it would be the easiest to follow this example. Of course, we always recommend that you have a certified Honda technician perform the work if you cannot do so. If you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, make sure that you have a Helms manual handy.

Our baseline run was conducted at AEBS in San Diego, California. The B18C1 put out 153.4 hp with 117.7 lb-ft, with the only modifications being an AEM cold-air intake system and a Trust after-cat exhaust. The car maintained stock timing, and the IAB solenoid was disconnected during this run (renders secondary butterflies in the intake manifold useless, causing bottom-end power to suffer). Once the Type R cams were installed, we were shocked to see that there was a drop in power to 152.1 hp with 116.9 lb-ft. Even with a set of HKS cam gears, we were unable to extract any further power from the cams while playing with the cam timing. Usually, adding the ITR cams will give you roughly 6 to 7 hp, like the test we performed in the Oct. ’98 article, “See the Cam, Speak the Cam.” So don’t let these graphs steer you in the wrong direction because it has been typically known that Type R cams will give most users at least some power. Honda is also quick to add that these are still factory replacement parts and were not made with the intention of producing X-amount of horsepower. It may have been that our test car is exceptionally strong, and we wondered along with AEBS if the original cams were already ITR cams. But they were not, and the thought that the IAB solenoid being disconnected came into play. It was determined after testing that our testing that our test car’s piston rings were bad, resulting in low compression. The ITR cams increase duration, and you need more compression to pull any real power. Obviously, since the compression is low, our full power outcome was not realized. An increase in duration also requires more exhaust flow, and our stock header was very restrictive. The performance gains would have been better if the engine was in better shape and if it had an aftermarket header. This is a good example of why you should regularly maintain your car.

Skunk2
On our second day at the dyno, we connected the IAB solenoid and added a GS-R fuel pump into the mix. This time, with the dyno strapped on at Harv’s Performance Center in Whittier, California, our second baseline with the ITR cams showed basically the same power figures as the previous day with a 152.7 hp at 117.2 lb-ft, a slight increase. It was then time to step up to the next level.

Skunk2 made the overnight journey to help participate in our cam comparison and master technician Steve Rothenbuehler was put to work right away. Known for being the mastermind of building Skunk2’s famous 10-second Integra, the task of switching the ITRs for the Skunk-deuces was no problem. The only thing added was its company cam gears with the additional torque bolts, an added insurance to prevent gear slippage. Skunk2 also adds that these cams can be installed without having to add any valvetrain components, and that’s good news for you because you can save your money for additional performance parts. Back on the dyno and without any tuning, the Skunk2 cams made 157.0 hp at 112.9 lb-ft, an easy 5 hp over the Type R cams. Dave Hsu, managing director of Skunk2, was pleased with the results, but both Steve and Dave agreed that more power could be realized with a little bit of tuning. So right now, you know that for a small increase in price over the Type R cams, the Skunk2s will make more power.

After tuning the cam gears and adding both a Field’s SFC VTEC controller and an adjustable fuel-pressure regulator, Skunk2 was able to extract 1 more horsepower, bringing the total output to 158.7 hp with 117.5 lb-ft. Because of the way that the GS-R intake manifold is designed, Skunk2 says that these cams and others out in the market will realize more power through a B16A or B18C5 (Integra Type R) motor. The manifolds found on those two motors are designed to flow much better than the GS-R.

If your car was running for a considerable amount of time before this install, let it cool down. Honda recommends that the cylinder head temperature should be less than 100 degrees F before doing any kind of work to avoid damage due to warpage. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery. Remove the spark plug wires and valve cover. Rotate the engine to TDC (top dead center) and loosen the cam gear bolts (14mm). Make sure the engine does not rotate, otherwise you’ll have to reset it to TDC. At this point, you should be able to slide the timing belt off the cam gears.

Starting with the innermost bolts and working outward, loosen the bolts on the VTEC oil rails. Carefully pry up the oil rail and remove it.

Remove the top bolt for the distributor and take off the camshaft bearing caps near the distributor side of the engine, then remove the remaining camshaft bearing caps.

Remove the camshafts carefully. At this stage of the install, you should check for any wear on the camshaft bearing surfaces.

Our test vehicle showed signs of scarring on the camshaft and on certain sections of the camshaft bearing surfaces.

From the looks of the situation, it seemed that the engine was losing oil, and the depravation caused the scarring. Had we not caught this problem, the cylinder head would most likely have seized up. Not good! We used a Scotch-Brite pad to sand and buff out the scarring to a smoother surface.

At this point of the install, you have the ability to upgrade the valvetrain. Although it’s not extremely necessary to do so, it is highly recommended to upgrade the valvesprings and lost motion assemblies to accommodate for possible valve float due to the Type R’s lift and duration. The choice was made to go with the stiffer (than stock GS-R) Type R valve springs and lost-motion assemblies.

In order to reach the valvesprings, you must remove the rocker arms.

First, remove the distributor and the VTEC solenoid valve. Keep the rocker arms held together with a rubber band to prevent them from separating.

Remove the intake and exhaust rocker shaft orifices (make sure to note which is which since the shapes of each orifice are different).

Screw 12mm bolts into the rocker arm shafts, and pull the rocker arm shaft out slowly while removing each rocker arm set. Now you have access to the valvesprings as well as the lost motion assemblies. Remove the GS-Rs and install the Type R motion assemblies.

To remove the valvesprings, you must use a valvespring compressor to keep the valve in place so that it does not fall into the cylinder wall. This is by far the trickiest part, so we’ll only show the basics. Remove the valve keepers (two) and the valvespring retainer.

You can now remove the valvespring. Note: You should only order the Type R intake valvesprings. The GS-R intake springs are the same part number as the Type R’s exhaust springs. Simply move the old intake springs to the exhaust side, and install the new Type R intake springs on the intake side. You can also install titanium valve retainers to save time while the head is apart, but for this install, it is not necessary.

Install the rocker arms in the reverse order of removal. Remember to remove the rubber bands after installing the rocker arms. Clean and install the rocker shaft orifices with new O-rings. If the holes in the rocker arm shaft do not align with the cylinder head, don’t worry. Remember those 12mm bolts that you screwed into the rocker arm shaft? Just rotate the bolt so the shaft rotates. Also, note that the intake and exhaust orifices are different, so be sure to install them in their proper locations. Lube the area with engine oil.

Install the Type R camshafts with the keyway (where woodruff key for cam gear inserts) facing up. Lubricate the camshafts with engine oil or moly-lube (pre-lube). Install the oil seal and set the O-ring and dowel pin in the oil passage. Apply liquid gasket to the head surface where the number 1 and 5 camshaft holders on both the intake and exhaust side. Then install the number 2, 3, and 4 camshaft holders onto the cylinder head. Hot tip: If you look under the camshaft holder, you’ll see what number it corresponds to.

Reinstall the camshaft holder plates and torque them down per Honda’s instructed sequence. Reinstall the cylinder head plug (cam seal located next to VTEC solenoid) and reinstall the cam gears. Since we also wanted to use adjustable cam gears, HKS was great in supplying us with a set for the story. Reinstall the timing belt, distributor, and VTEC solenoid.

Adjust the valve clearance and reinstall the valve cover. Remember to use a new valve-cover gasket, or if it’s not too old, clean it off properly and use Hondabond to seal it properly. Torque down the valve cover to factory specs, as overturning will cause the studs to break off. Reconnect the battery, and you’re all set to go!

GS-R baseline at AEBS. Only modifications are AEM CAI and Trust exhaust with IAB solenoid disconnected.

GS-R versus Type R. Modifications include AEM CAI, Trust exhaust, Integra Type R valvesprings on intake side, lost motion assemblies, and camshafts. The IAB solenoid is still disconnected.

Here’s a different dyno test showing Skunk2 cams versus B16A cams in a del Sol with a B16A2 motor. Modifications include a Z.speed airbox and exhaust, Skunk2 cam gears, JDM Integra Type R intake manifold, JG t/b, Mugen-chipped ECU, SFC VTEC controller, Magnecor wires, MSD ignition and blaster coil, and a DC Sports header. (Dyno sheet provided by Frank M. Lin, www.g-speed.com/eg2/index.html)

Integra Type R baseline at Harv’s Performance Center. Same modifications, but an IAB solenoid is connected and a GS-R fuel pump is added. Baseline run shows a slight increase in horsepower, but roughly the same as the previous dyno figures.

Skunk2 baseline: Modifications include AEM CAI, Trust exhaust, Type R valvetrain components, and Skunk2 camshafts. This run reflects cams only, untuned.

Skunk2 after tuning. Additional mods include adjustable FPR, Field’s SFC VTEC controller, and cam tuning.