Idle Quality Described
"I want my engine to have a Lumpity, Lopey Sound to it"
"I want to have a sleeper that comes alive when I hit the gas"
"I need an engine with a good idle to run my Power Brakes and Accessories"
"I just need something that sounds like it's got a cam it in"
"An engine that has that classic muscle car sound and feel without shaking me to death"
"Bring back some respect to my Resto Mustang again......"
These are just some of the characteristics customers have described to us
We've probably all heard of some variation of the quotes above. Engine Size, camshaft selection, Distributor Timing, Exhaust pipe Size / Shape, computer chip used etch. can all affect idle quality in one way or another. As you may know the camshaft has a lot of affect on how the engine idles. Without getting too bogged down on the technical aspects, Duration and Overlap of a cam can make a big difference. Referencing our chart or one of our sales/techs will be able to give you some insight on which engine works and "sounds" right for your vehicle. We prefer cams that deliver low to midrange power. Sometimes you can achieve higher Horsepower / Torque numbers with larger cam profiles but idle quality and daily driving performance immensely suffer. It's a fine balance. We break idle quality down into 4 categories: Smooth, Good, Fair and Rough.
Smooth - Idle quality similar to stock.
Good - A step or two higher sounding idle. Tame enough for daily driving
Fair - A more noticeable idle giving the engine a more classic muscle car sound to it.
Rough - A Lumpy more radical sound. Lower Vacuum.
1-800-704-5385