News

Cruise Niagara is run by a group named Cruise Control. Cruise Control started modestly as a small collection of car enthusiasts who eventually grew to host the Thursday night car cruises as well as numerous car shows in and around the Niagara Peninsula. Since Cruise Control is a non-profit group, all proceeds that are collected will always be donated to local charities. This year, we will be contributing to Niagara Peninsula Children’s Centre and the Welland Humane society. For more info www.cruiseniagara.ca

Wildgoose Performance is glad to be part of the 3rd Annual Punchbowl Market Cruise

Wildgoose Performance is announcing it's 3rd consecutive year as a sponsor of the Mapleview Mall Cruise. The Cruise has been running for many years now and is the largest weekly cruise in Southern Ontario. You can expect to see over 500 cars every week. Chairman of the event is Lion Stu Chapman, Co-Chair is Lion Barry Leppan. Proceeds from the events 50/50 draws go directly to the Burlington Lions Club, where it is directed to local charities. Draws have exceeded $1100. The location at the mall has changed due to mall renovations. The Cruise will take part at the Bay end of the mall where it will remain for 2 seasons. The cruise starts Wednesday May 14th and runs to Wednesday September 10th. See you there.................

Wildgoose Performance is also going to be a part of the Welland Seaway Mall Cruise. It runs Friday nights. More details to come.............Wildgoose Performance will also be attending other local weekly cruises on a regular basis with prizes in hand, if you see us stop bye and say Hi.............

Return to Top of Page

As stated in the book "Lubrication Fundamentals","In heavily loaded applications (i.e. racing engines), flat tappet cam followers operate on partial oil films at least part of the time. Lubricants with anti-wear additives are necessary if rapid wear and surface distress are to be avoided. The oil additive Zinc Dithiophosphate is to provide anti-wear activity for the camshaft and lifters. With the increased use of roller follower cams (in production cars), the requirements for anti-wear have been changed to prolong the life of emission control devices."2 The increased RPM and related increase in valve spring pressure in today's racing engines require higher levels of formulated anti-wear, especially in flat tappet engines. Again, the book "Lubrication Fundamentals" sums this up, "Loading on the rubbing surfaces in the valve train may be high, particularly in high speed engines, where stiff valve springs must be used to ensure that the valves close rapidly and positively. This loading can result in lubrication failure unless special care is taken in the formulation of the lubricant."

This is where Joe Gibbs Racing found ourselves in the late 1990's. The valve train loads in our flat tappet NASCAR Nextel Cup engines exceed 500 psi in order to turn over 9,000 rpm. The high loads and long duration races (up to 600 miles) required more formulated anti-wear chemistry than even the best API rated synthetic passenger car oils offered. Joe Gibbs Racing Oil was born out of the need for a high quality, synthetic oil that could protect both our flat tappet Nextel Cup and roller follower Busch engines without giving up horsepower. Over the last seven racing seasons, we've developed a family of lubricants that provide the necessary levels of advanced formulated anti-wear chemistry to protect highly loaded racing engines from break-in to endurance race conditions.

We've also learned a few things about oil that can help you make better educated decisions about which oil to use in a particular engine.

• Additives make a difference - As referenced earlier, having the correct additives in the correct amount formulated into the oil separates racing engine oils from passenger car engine oils. You wouldn't use a stock piston in a built race engine, and the same goes for oil.

• Surface finish matters - "The minimum safe film thickness is a function of the roughness of the surfaces. Rougher surfaces require thicker films (higher viscosity oil) to prevent contact of surface asperities through the film. On the other hand, the finer the surface finish, the lower minimum safe film thickness (lower viscosity oil) and the less clearance is necessary. Since film thickness decreases with increases in unit loading, if the minimum safe film thickness is lower as a result of finer surface finishes, the allowable unit loading is higher.”4 The improvement of surface finishes through chemical polishing and tape polishing has enabled JGR to lower the viscosity of oil we use without sacrificing wear. Especially at break-in, the better surface finish you begin with, the fewer problems will be encountered during break-in. The polished foot flat-tappet lifters currently available provide superior surface finish compared to non-polished lifters.

• Choose the correct operating viscosity – Viscosity is a measure of an oil’s resistance to flow, and viscosity decreases (flow increases) as temperature increases. With that in mind, the operating temperature of the oil plays a major role in the selection of the proper viscosity oil. Too high a viscosity oil can result in excessive heating and lower mechanical efficiencies. Too low a viscosity oil can lead to excessive metal to metal contact of moving parts. When oil is of the correct viscosity and has adequate anti-wear characteristics, wear due to metal-to-metal contact is kept at a minimum. As previously stated, improved surface finishes allow the safe use of lower viscosity oil for better cooling and improved efficiency (horsepower). In addition to operating temperature, engine speed (RPM) and load also effect the operating viscosity and film thickness of an oil. Higher engine loads (cylinder pressure) decrease film thickness, but higher engine speeds (RPM) increase film thickness.
  What can you do? – Check your oil bottles for the API donut. If the oil you currently use carries an API donut, it probably lacks the amount and type of formulated anti-wear chemistry found in a true racing oil. Choose an engineered fluid like Joe Gibbs Racing Oil that’s designed to meet the higher anti-wear needs of your racing engine. For more technical advice and product descriptions, call our tech line at 866-611-1820.

Return to Top of Page

Return to Top of Page

Premature flat tappet camshaft failure has been an issue of late and not just with one brand or type of camshaft. In almost every case, the hardness or the taper of the cam lobe is suspected, yet most of the time that is not the problem. This growing trend is due to factors that are unrelated to camshaft manufacture or quality. Changes in today`s oil products and "advanced" internal engine design have contributed to a harsher environment for the camshaft and a potential for failure during break-in. But there are several things you can do to turn the tide on this discouraging trend.

Proper Camshaft Set-Up & Break-In
Proper flat tappet camshaft set-up and break-in, as any engine builder knows, are keys to how long a camshaft will last, both short and long term. Making certain that the camshaft and lifters are properly lubricated will guarantee that the camshaft and lifters are protected during the critical initial start-up of your newly-built engine. COMP Cams® offers the right product for this job (Part #154), and it is available in several different size containers for engine builder convenience. To further enhance this "relationship," we strongly recommend the use of COMP Cams® Camshaft Break-In Oil Additive (Part #159) during the break-in. While this additive was originally developed specifically for break-in protection, subsequent testing has proven the durability benefits of its long term use. This special blend of additives promotes proper break-in and protects against premature cam and lifter failure by replacing some of the beneficial ingredients that the oil companies have been required to remove from off-the-shelf oil. These specialized COMP Cams® lubricants are the best "insurance policy" you can buy and the first step to avoiding durability problems with your new flat tappet camshaft.

Adequate Lubrication
Another major factor in the increase of flat tappet camshaft failure is your favorite brand of engine oil. Simply put, today's engine oil is just not the same as it used to be, thanks to ever tightening environmental regulations. The EPA has done a great job in reducing emissions and the effects of some of the ingredients found in traditional oils; however these changes to the oil have only made life tougher on your camshaft. The lubricity of the oil and specifically the reduction of important additives such as zinc and manganese, which help break-in and overall camshaft life, have been drastically reduced. In terms of oil selection, we recommend Shell Rotella T oil for the break-in procedure. Most often used in diesel engine applications, this higher lubricity oil works in gasoline engines as well. Today's engines are great at providing oil to every engine component except one - your camshaft. Windage trays, limiting oil's ability to reach the top of the engine, modification of connecting rod side clearances for less splash oil and special oil pans further complicate both the break-in process and camshaft operation in general. But there are several things you can do to correct these problems. COMP Cams® offers flat tappet lifters with oiling holes in the cam face surface, which will increase oil flow to the lifter-camshaft lobe contact point. Furthermore, using a lifter bore grooving tool (COMP Cams® #5003) will enhance oiling throughout the camshaft and valve train. As we all know by now, better oil flow means better initial break-in and increased camshaft durability.

Flat Tappet Lifter Selection - Choose Carefully!
In addition to these engine modifications, make certain you purchase high-quality lifters. Most lifters look alike, but you don't really know where they were produced. "Imported" flat tappets often times use inferior lifter castings and DO NOT deliver the durability of COMP Cams® high-quality, US-built lifters. COMP Cams® lifters are built to strict diameter and radius tolerances and designed to fit precisely within their lifter bores. This ensures the lifter rotates properly and decreases the potential for failure. Additionally, COMP Cams® Flat Tappet Lifters have the correct oil band depth and location to properly regulate the internal oiling of your engine.

Five steps to increased flat tappet camshaft durability: o Double check your camshaft and lifter set-up prior to the break-in process, and use an ample amount of the supplied assembly lube on all lobes, distributor gear and the face of bottom of each lifter. o Use high-lubricity engine oil such as Shell Rotella T oil to help during the break-in process, or use COMP Cams® Camshaft Break-In Oil Additive (Part #159). o Use flat tappet lifters with cam face oiling provisions, such as COMP Cams® Part #800-16 (GM) or #817-16 (Ford). o Use a COMP Cams® Lifter Bore Grooving Tool (#5003) to increase oiling. o Use high-quality, U.S.-built COMP Cams® lifters to make certain you are receiving the best quality lifter you can buy. Avoid "brown bag" lifters.

Return to Top of Page

Return to Top of Page

Return to Top of Page