Camshaft / Piston to Valve Clearance

DUSTYROGERS665

MEMBER
2008 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
6.0L
V8
2WD
MANUAL
100,000 MILES

I'm trying to choose a camshaft, but I'm not sure how much extra lift and duration I can put into the valves before the try to fight the pistons. I have an 08 Ly6 6.0, so it should have valve relief, dished pistons. So basically, what lift can I get with the stock lifters and springs before I should upgrade them, and what would I upgrade them to?

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,779 POSTS

Hi,

The camshaft lift is extremely important if you are building an engine for horsepower. However, based on your needs or wants, bigger is not always better. If the cam lift is extreme and you don't have the compression to compensate, the engine will load up, surge, and not run as desired. Also, to the best of my knowledge, there is a lot of clearance between the valves and pistons, and you get a cam for your specific engine, I feel confident the camshaft manufacturer will take everything into consideration.

There is a really good video on YouTube that explains all of this in detail. Although I normally don't send people to watch another's video, in this case, I feel it is important.

Take a little time and watch this video. Once you've watched it, let me know your questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPAeepqrY-0

The speaker is very knowledgeable and will help point you in the right direction.

Let me know your thoughts.

Take care,

Joe