Solid lifters!

[nathan.]

what are the advantages and disadvantages of solid lifters? Are they really worth having?
Also ive read that you can weld hydraulic lifters to make them solid! is this true? Anyone have any pictures of this done?

Thanks, Nathan

[Will F]

Solid lifters are a necessary mod, rather than a choice one!
If you are running apretty meaty cam, and revving the bejesus out of the engine, they are needed, along with uprated caps and springs.

[S_Gault]

not so much an advantage on a road car, but a must in competition.

the lifter pumps up and overlifts the valve causing the piston to hit it, the head comes off the valve and the inserts drop out of head etc... basically a mess.

I have made my own for years by welding them but you have to do it in the right place and then you have to rest the valve clearances by shimming the lifter which involves removing the cam carrier about 40 times and the use of a shim grinder (which few people own).

I also make my own for 16v vaux. cossies, 16v corrolla, and K series by using a press in insert into the std follower

Steven

[Stuart]

catcams can supply a solid billet lifter that you then shim out
thyare are about ?180 for the 8 billets then ?4.50 for each shim lol

im making the solid lifters myself and buying the shims once i have the measurements.

Ballache but worthit for the right cam

[Snowface]

what are the advantages of solids at low-medium rev's?

Why don't all OHC's use solids instead of hydraulic?

[Stuart]

you need to take the engine appart every so often to reset the clearence, heard how tappety a fiesta gets if youve not done the tappets in a while? lol

solids mean you can sustalin higher revs for longer as the hydraulic lifter would jsut fill with emmense oil pressure and cause iffy valve lifts etc and even not let the valve close. also it allosws you to run a larier cam profile EG the cam im getting is flat nosed but still wide duration. which means its essentially a square cam, which would place massive loads/dmemands on teh hydraulic setup.

In short high rpm and silly cam profile (thats specifically designed for solid use) means you should opt for solids

if your running a regular ish cam (ie alsmot all piper and kents road cams) then no need.

[S_Gault]

there is one major detail you are mising and that is the rocker geometry.

if you change the cam to one using a different basecircle, and recut valve seats etc that all messes up the rocker geometry.

If you dont sort this it will spit out followers or wear the cam and follower very badly.

This is more important with solid followers due to the higher over the nose pressure the soild follower cams need.

and the only difference is in the lift ramp, not in the nose (square or not), you must be looking at an asymetrical cam.

Steven