Can anybody explain to me the difference (if any) between the spring pressure for a Solid vs a Hydraulic cam? I have a set of trick flows that are good for up to .600" lift (I know I will still need to double check) but it specifies that is on a hydraulic lifter and doesn't mention anything about a solid lifter.

It's a dual spring setup. I'm looking to throw these heads (Trick Flow 195cc Super 23s) on my built 355 and switch to a XR280R (242/248, .570"/.576" 110 LSA).


I have zero experience with a solid lifter motor. It's for my 1969 camaro and will see less than 1,000 miles a year.

 

Solid flat tappet or solid roller?

Hydraulic rollers are like walking a fine line. You need enough spring pressure to keep the valvetrain under control at higher RPMs with the viciously fast valve acceleration rates that a roller can provide, but not so high that you start to over-power the guts of the hydraulic lifter and collapse it.

Solid rollers you don't have to worry about collapsing the lifter so you can use a much more stout spring.

 

TFS states they are good for .600" in a hydraulic roller application. I am interested in staying under that mark with a solid roller cam. I've never had any issue matching hydraulic roller springs to the cam and I don't have any experience with flat tappet lifters.

 

Install the springs recommended for the cam. I would not use the hydro-roller springs on a solid roller, unless the specs are similar to the springs recommended anyay. Solid rollers are the top dog in terms of valve acceleration rates. Even the "street" cams today are pretty aggressive. They often call for significantly more spring pressure than a hydro roller, especially over the nose.