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Hydraulic Roller Cams
Why Go Roller? The Hydraulic Roller Advantage
For classic Pontiac engines, the move from a hydraulic flat-tappet cam to a hydraulic roller cam provides numerous, substantial benefits:
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Aggressive Lobe Profiles: Roller lifters allow for much steeper ramps on the cam lobes, meaning the valves open faster, stay open longer, and provide more area under the lift curve. This translates directly to more horsepower and torque.
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No Break-In Worries: Flat-tappet cams require a crucial, high-risk break-in procedure to ensure the cam and lifters properly mate. Roller cams and lifters rely on rolling contact, eliminating the intense initial wear and the need for high-zinc (ZDDP) oils during the break-in phase.
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High-RPM Stability: Roller cams are generally more stable at high RPMs and, when combined with high-quality lifters, greatly reduce friction within the valvetrain.
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Durability: The rolling action prevents the wiping and scoring wear common with flat tappets, leading to vastly superior long-term durability.
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Maximum Lift, Maximum Reliability: Hydraulic Roller Cams for Pontiac V8s at Butler Performance
The camshaft is the single most critical component determining an engine's power band, torque curve, and personality. For high-performance Pontiac V8s, the Hydraulic Roller Camshaft has emerged as the definitive performance upgrade. Butler Performance leverages its expertise by offering a specialized selection of hydraulic roller cams, often custom-ground in partnership with companies like COMP Cams, ensuring unmatched power and superior longevity compared to older flat-tappet designs.1
Butler Performance emphasizes the hydraulic roller cam as the core component of modern performance, providing greater durability and higher output—the foundation of The Butler Performance Advantage.
Custom Butler-Spec Roller Cams
Butler Performance doesn't just sell off-the-shelf cams; they work with leading manufacturers to develop grinds specifically optimized for the airflow characteristics of high-performance Pontiac cylinder heads.
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Optimized Lift and Duration: Butler's custom cams are engineered to match their ported cylinder heads and large-displacement (stroker) engine kits. These grinds are precisely tailored to the Pontiac V8's unique breathing capabilities, maximizing volumetric efficiency.
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The "Butler Grind" Signature: These custom cams often feature proprietary lobe separation angles (LSA) and lobe centerlines to deliver broad torque curves and peak horsepower at the desired RPM range (typically $5,500 \text{ to } 6,500 \text{ RPM}$ for high-performance street/strip applications).
Essential Supporting Components
Switching to a hydraulic roller cam requires matching, high-quality components to handle the aggressive profiles and higher spring pressures.2 Butler Performance provides the entire, necessary valvetrain package:
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Hydraulic Roller Lifters: These are mandatory for the conversion and must be of the highest quality (COMP Cams, Morel, or equivalent) to handle the forces and maintain internal integrity.
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Valve Spring Kits: Roller cams require significantly stiffer Valve Spring Kits (often dual or triple springs) to prevent valve float at high RPMs.3 Butler supplies springs that are perfectly matched to the cam's lift and ramp rate, avoiding coil bind and ensuring reliable closure.
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Hardened Pushrods: The increased spring pressure necessitates the use of thick-walled, hardened pushrods to prevent flexing (deflection), which robs the engine of power and timing accuracy.
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Rocker Arms: Full-roller rocker arms are essential to minimize friction and handle the increased forces of the roller valvetrain.4
Camshaft and Component Kits
To simplify the upgrade, Butler Performance often bundles the necessary parts into comprehensive kits:
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Hydraulic Roller Camshaft Kits: These kits include the custom-ground camshaft, roller lifters, the correct dual or triple valve springs, retainers, and locks, ensuring the builder has a perfectly matched valvetrain assembly ready for installation.
By providing these expertly specified hydraulic roller cams and their essential supporting valvetrain components, Butler Performance ensures that every enthusiast can install the reliability and power benefits of modern cam technology into their classic Pontiac V8.