Camshaft Application Guide for the 2.0 8v (cont.)
AUTHOR'S NOTES
A total valve lift of .432" is the generally accepted lift ceiling on camshafts for heads with
OEM single valve springs. (Generally, but not limited to, all OBDII heads) It is strongly suggested
upgrading to an HD dual valve spring set-up mainly due to the strength of the spring cannot
handle sustained high rpms without incurring valve float. Coil bind is also an issue, and occurs
as soon as .440".
It is of my own personal opinion that camshafts with lifts higher than .432", but up to .449", can be used as long as normal driving conditions are adhered to. Damage to the engine will inevitably occur if driven beyond the OEM single valve spring's ability. I personally would never suggest anyone run their engine in this manner. Coil bind (coils touching) occurs as soon as a .440" lift and I have an OEM valve spring to prove this. Don't ever go cheap; ALWAYS replace/upgrade the first time around.
Earlier heads come factory with a dual spring setup. These dual springs can safely handle a high lift camshaft. Keep in mind that these are not considered a heavy duty dual spring setup and may cause issues on really aggressive camshafts. Upgrading to a heavy duty spring set is strongly reccomended for engines that frequently see sustained high rpms. (I.E auto cross, drag racing, hill climb, ect)
It is also strongly reccomended that new cam followers (aka lifters) be used when installing a new camshaft. Camshaft lobes are designed to sit off-set to the face of the follower. This lobe off-set allows the follower to spin freely with the cam follower bucket after every revolution of the cam lobe. This reduces abnormal follower face wear and extends the life of the part. Being that the follower face wears with the cam lobe, changing to a different camshaft can technically introduce premature wear on folower face, as well as the face of the cam lobe. Replacing the followers with a cam swap removes this issue.
