Best cam for XC racing

[foretrax]

ok guys i know this was kinda beat to death on the org:shiner:but what do you guys think is the best cam for XC racing. i have an 08 450. i was debating between the hotcam stage 1 or 2. so what do you think?

[bigcountrydude]

2....

[OTMTRX]

Best cam is one that suits your riding style / terain.. you know where / how you ride.. Generally speaking tight trails / woods (low end power needed) HC1, More open trails more overall HC2.

 

Here's the graphs from the HC website.. anyone can look them up..

 

They are for a CRF but the curves give you a good idea how it's gonna run in your bike..

 

http://www.wrenchrabbit.com.asp1-8.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/assets/documents/1016-1%20Dyno%20Chart.jpg

 

http://www.wrenchrabbit.com/assets/documents/1024-2%20Dyno%20Chart.jpg

 

http://www.wrenchrabbit.com.asp1-8.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/assets/documents/1056-3%20Dyno%20Chart.jpg

[gunny]

i like 1 for woods riding. seemed like it had more of a useful powerband. ive tried both btw

[foretrax]

thanks guys i was leaning toward the 1 but wasn't sure. i mainly do woods riding.. some of it is open but not all of it. anyone had a stage 1 with a dasa? what kind of power does that make?

[Immortal ATV]

Woods, probably stage 1:

 

http://www.immortalatv.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=113

[airmobile101]

Whole bunch of factors involved when doing cams as I found out. Heres a little advise. If the stocker pulls all thru the gears and doesn't let up, then stick with it.lol The cam is only gonna give so much, and that depends on your exhaust, your gearing,your jetting, your riding style, etc......... If you want to try something cheap with a cam before a big cam purchase, go buy a 04-05 cam off ebay and slap it in(if you own a 06+ model). You'll see a increase in power

[ridingred]

the stock cam is weak sauce. yeah it'll pull through the gears but the hotcams and the hrc cam are much better than the stock cam, you will notice it immediately. cam's give more power, period, gearing and jetting are just things you can do to suit your riding style, but most aftermarket cams are great drop in upgrade.

[nuckinfuts]

The stage one is a stump puller. It's top end is almost non-existent and I found it very hard to wrap it out or to even tap the limiter after second gear but then it's not designed for that. I was very impressed by the low-mid power with a sparks pipe for ease of riding. For me it would be a tie between the stage 1 and late hrc cam for your needs. Stage two has a significant increase in useable power in the mid-range and will better carry over into the higher rpm and is better accompanied with a quality exhaust.

[foretrax]

Im going to get the byrd edition dasa. So hopefully that will give me some lower end. Im going to take Todd from immortals advice and get the dads and see what I need after I see what kind of power the dasa gives me

 

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[bigcountrydude]

my rationale was the stage two would give you better power for the all important holeshot of an xc race. also any wide open stretches. without lacking down low..

[airmobile101]

my rationale was the stage two would give you better power for the all important holeshot of an xc race. also any wide open stretches. without lacking down low..

That would be based of your preference. I know guys that run the stocker, some run the HRC, some run the HC1 or 2. It just boils down to what you already have and how you want the power to be delivered. Trust me, you don't want a radical power for XC racing.

[bigcountrydude]

i agree on not wanting radical power. another reason i would personally steer clear of the stage 1. if i was luggin around a sharp corner and then couldn't hammer on it without the front end coming up i'd be unhappy...

[airmobile101]

I liked the HRC cam personally, but it fell off on the top end once I got my engine built. Try to find a 04-05 cam and slap it in there. I had a non-racing friend love it. I rode it and thought it was decent.

[foretrax]

you guys are awesome thanks for all your opinions!:lhdevil: i ended up ordering the dasa classic today after talking to Todd from immortal i'll see how much bottom end that gives me and then figure out the cam that seems right

[airmobile101]

Bro, I don't want to mis-lead you. Any aftermarket cam will deliver power regardless if its top end or low end bias. The problem your gonna have is if you start to build your engine like I did. You start adding high compression, port work, etc....... It will indeed affect how the engine runs. In other words, what ever cam you start with, might not be the cam you end up with if you do engine work. Now, you said XC, so I can relate. I would try a HRC or a 04-05 stocker cam with aftermarket exhaust if thats as far as your gonna go. And the reasoning is simple, you run that FCR carb. That FCR will wear you out with a aftermarket cam and full exhaust. Now, imagine that with a built engine in a tight ass XC course. Like bigcountrydude said, welcome to tree's

[ridingred]

the stock 04/05 cam is a pud wacker. get an hrc or a hotcam, the stock cam regardless of the year tend to hold the motor back. The 04/05 HRC cam is different than the newer HRC cams so if you're looking for the best HRC i'd say get the gen 2 HRC. i ride XC and all i want is the most power at hand at 30mph and less. I could care less about top speed, but i want the thing to rip my arms off in the woods. The newer HRC cam and the stage 1 cam will give you what you want for this! Stage 2 is what i run now and it's also a great cam for the woods. Out of the 3 cams that i have tried, i prefer the stage 1 for trail riding.

[OTMTRX]

The early stock cam is pretty close to a later HRC when in the Gen2's and a hell of a lot cheaper if you just want to try it.. Fortrax have you got the early carrier? ( A lot more cam options with manu decomp)

[foretrax]

how do you know if you have an earlier carrier? i have an 08 so if i had to take a guess i would say no but not sure

[OTMTRX]

The carrier is actually the same.. but the decamp is different (people just swap out the carrier/decomp cos most times it's easier to find a spare carrier with manu decomp rather than the decomp stuff on it's own).

 

Manual Decomp

 

http://www.offtopic.forum/uploads/imported/2012/04/fbcd803c-1.jpg

 

Auto decomp.

 

http://www.offtopic.forum/uploads/imported/2012/04/0223111043-1.jpg

 

http://www.offtopic.forum/uploads/imported/2012/04/0223111042a-1.jpg

[foretrax]

the motor on the 450 is like a rubix cube to me. i haven't ripped apart the motor yet so not exactly sure. i'm about due for a top end and i think i'll do that when i put the cam in. i got a buddy thats a mechanic so when it comes to the motor he always helps me out

[airmobile101]

the stock 04/05 cam is a pud wacker. get an hrc or a hotcam, the stock cam regardless of the year tend to hold the motor back. The 04/05 HRC cam is different than the newer HRC cams so if you're looking for the best HRC i'd say get the gen 2 HRC. i ride XC and all i want is the most power at hand at 30mph and less. I could care less about top speed, but i want the thing to rip my arms off in the woods. The newer HRC cam and the stage 1 cam will give you what you want for this! Stage 2 is what i run now and it's also a great cam for the woods. Out of the 3 cams that i have tried, i prefer the stage 1 for trail riding.

Stewie and me are against you! 04-05 stocker in a 06+ Honda is the shit!

[ridingred]

in that case, i'll sell my awesome stock cam for 100 bucks to either one of you. When i dropped in the HRC cam and now i've got the S2 hotcam.....it was a noticeable difference from the stock cam. Who wants it?

[airmobile101]

I can get them 10-30 bucks all day on ebay

[OTMTRX]

You only feel the difference going from gen1 to gen2 with the stock cam.. that's what's cool.. the gen1 guys upgrade then sell em cheap cos they think they are worthless... what do they know..? lol