Camshaft lobe design

[MadBill]

The thing is, cam copiers have to wait to see what is successful, and are always behind, on the curve. They are just like a pesky insect that will not go away. I've learned a long time ago, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!!!

Once upon a time, a well known road racer, Bob Tullius gave a presentation in which he revealed a great many speed secrets that he was using to make Group 44 (Quaker State) successful. Afterwards, I asked him if giving away information would hurt his success. He said, "sonny boy, what I have told you is what I learned yesterday. But tomorrow I will know more and you'll still be stuck in yesterday. So you'll never beat me."

Enzo Ferrari is alleged to have said, "I have never lost a Formula 1 race because of the information I have given away."

All three of you gentlemen are right.

On the other hand, I just re-read Mark Donohue's The Unfair Advantage, in which he relates a discussion in 1968 with Bruce McLaren, whose Factory Can Am cars were always faster than the Penske/Donohue customer ones, but were regularly burning pistons. Bruce asked Mark "Why do you suppose we're breaking these motors?" Mark relates that he couldn't stop the Engineer in himself from explaining about the ashless additives in the Sunoco oil Penske was using. Bruce listened carefully, changed to Sunoco oil (even though their sponsor was Gulf) and the McLaren team cars finished first and second that day and pretty much every race after until Penske appeared with the all-conquering Turbo Porsches...

[David Redszus]

The leader of an all conquering army was asked about all the experience that his generals had to help him win battles.

"Speaking of experience, I have an artillery mule that has been with me on every campaign and has a great deal of experience, but he is still an artillery mule," Napolean said,

[CamKing]

And how did that arrogance work out for ol' napoleon in the end?

[UDHarold]

Mike,

I think he came up short!!!

LOL

UDHarold

[panic]

[panic]

[panic]

[CamKing]

"And how did that arrogance work out for ol' napoleon in the end?"

Compared to predictions of the chances of a short, paranoid foreigner with no social skills and no friends ruling Europe over the combined nobility of every royal family - very well.

I guess you missed the "In the end" part.
arrogance is what distroyed him

[panic]

[MadBill]

Oooh Kaay, then! Time to transplant this thread into General Discussion?

[David Redszus]

The real issue is not about Napoleon or Hillary. Those are unfortunate diversions which detract from the main topic under discussion.

The main point to be made is that experience by itself, has very little value unless it is accompanied by proper understanding.

The price of tuition in the school of experience is exhorbitantly high since it delivers so little in return.

And yet there are those, unable to comment in a technically informed manner, will revert to their presumed "experience" as a way of deflecting any form of criticism. It sort of goes like this, "I've been doing this for a long time, longer than you, so I must know more than you, and you dare not question whatever I might say."

That is what an artillery mule sounds like.

[CamKing]

Then there are those who have done nothing, but will tell you how smart they are because they've got a computer program, and a rough idea of how it works.
They'll tell you that accomplishments don't mean anything if they don't fit their narrow view of reality.
Things that don't agree with their computer program or the SAE papers they've read, must not be true.
They want you to tell them all of your secrets. Not because they want to learn, but because they want only to look for any hole that they can try and use to discredit your views.

They aren't as smart as the mule.

[panic]

[af2]

"Those are unfortunate diversions"

Really?
Meaning witty and relevant when you first made it; afterward - not so much?

"And yet there are those", etc.
I believe that these statements fall into that rhetorical category commonly called "poisoning the well", in which the quality of a statement yet to be made is attacked, without any factual basis, by denigrating the competence of the speaker.

If I may be so bold as to suggest that etiquette dictates only a limited scope of polite response in this forum:
1. a question
2. an answer to that question, or subsequent question
3. a mild deviation, for amusement or illustration.

Several of the latter statements are none of these, and serve no purpose except to berate anyone who has not subscribed to the speaker's viewpoint. There are no children here whose behavior is subject to anyone's parental authority.

Please, do continue to pull each other's hair in my absence.

Panic, I see what you meen! Spellcheck complete. Not everyone here has an engineer degree where paper seldom meets real life.
I know you get pissed but you're message helps all looking for more. Deleting them makes me and a lot of people wonder where you're wisdom is going. Empty at this point because I can't read you're replies? Everyone knows you know what is happening with a given. Long winded but I look forward to you're posts.
Adam

[Windsor377]

I have a question for Harold and Mike, that I guess could fit into this topic.

On the "old style" cam grinding machines, the cam seems to "blow up", like a baloon, if you cut it on a bigger core or I guess even if you use a bigger roller wheel on your lifter. I've seen cams grow anywhere from a couple to as much as 8 degrees. Is there a way to predict what that growth might be other than just being familiar with the set of lobes in question?