Comp Cams Stage 1 Xtreme Energy 226/230 Hydraulic Roller Camshafts (96-04 Mustang GT)

Video Review & Installation

The Comp Cams Stage 1 Xtreme Energy Camshafts will appeal to the '96 to '04 4.6 liter owners out there who already have PI heads in place. Now the XE262 cams that we do have in this video will help deliver excellent low to mid range torque gains when used either with or without a custom tune, although expect bigger gains to be seen with those custom tunes. Now Comp does recommend upgrading both your valve springs and your retainers when running these particular camshafts which will of course add to the final price. But expect to be spending right around 600 bucks for the cams alone. Install is gonna get a full three out of three wrenches on the overall scale of difficulty from me, as this one is pretty in depth, but we will have little bit more on that later in the video. Now before I go any further, I do just really wanna hammer home the fact that these cams will only work on PI equipped 4.6 liter V8s out there. '99 and newer PI cars Comp states there is no modification needed to run these cams. However, pre-'99 PI equipped heads, Comp does specify modification will be needed to gain clearance between both the retainers and the guides. So you cannot run these in the '96 to '98 non PI GTs, otherwise you are going to encounter piston to valve issues, and not the good kind. All right, so now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, let's talk a little bit more about the 262s here. And honestly, guys, if you've done any research on cams, you've probably discovered the Comp 262s are a very popular cam for a couple of different reasons, the biggest of which being that nice fat power band with these cams, including a noticeable gain in low end torque. As far as some stats are concerned, well your effective RPM range with these cams will be between 1400 to 5400 RPM. And according to a lot of the guys running these things, they really do wake up the 4.6 without really having to rev it to the moon like you would with Comp's 270 cams. In short, the 262, in my opinion, is a much better cam for the street because of the gains that you're gonna see and feel light to light or on the track. But let's talk about how these cams deliver that power. And for starters, you're just getting more lift with the Stage 1 offerings. Five hundred fifty thousandths of an inch of lift for both the intake and exhaust cam, to be exact. Now for comparison sake, a stock PI cam is around five hundred thousandths on the intake side, a little bit more on that on the exhaust side, but at the end of the day, you're just getting more here with the Comp Stage 1 options, and more lift typically means more air into the cylinder, which means you're gonna be making more power. Next up, you are looking at 113 degrees of lobe separation and a duration of 226 and 230 respectively at 50, which is a considerable amount more when compared to the factory PI cam, which is about 192, 182 at 50 respectively. So more lift, more duration altogether will make more power, especially when paired with the better flowing PI heads. Now even though the Xtreme Energy cams from Comp do have a little bit more duration and lift over the stock cam, you technically don't need to run aftermarket valve springs. However, Comp is going to strongly recommend that you do and that you upgrade to their beehive style spring just to support the added lift. And I am gonna go along with this as well, because, let's face it, guys, you hate to do all of this work to the top end, skimp out on valve springs, only to break one down the road, drop a valve, and essentially kill your engine. So yes, there is gonna be a little bit more of an investment in addition to more work involved here with these added parts, but it's for the sake and the insurance of your engine long-term. Now as far as power numbers are concerned, well, that will be a little bit difficult to nail down because mods will be different, tunes will be different, but the popular opinion here with these particular cams is anywhere from 20 to 30 wheel, [SP] depending on supporting modifications, which is pretty solid overall. Now of course power should always be your first priority when shopping for a set of aftermarket cams like this, but of course the second big question I always get is just how are these things gonna sound? Will they lope at idle? And honestly, these cams will change the idle slightly, but don't expect that massive chop that you would otherwise get with the slightly bigger cam, because it's just honestly not gonna happen. But getting into the install, and as you might imagine here, guys, a cam swap is going to involve a fair amount of work. So let's just call this one a three out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter. The whole toolbox and anywhere from half a day to a full day in the garage, depending on your mechanical expertise. You're also gonna need some new cam bolts for the install, so don't forget to order those as well. Now if you are planning on doing this one yourself, a manual with all of the torque specs would be a great place to start, and of course highly recommended. You will need to remove the intake manifold, the valve covers, the crank pulley, the front engine cover, and also those timing chains, just to name a few before actually starting with the actual cam swap. Now if this sounds just a little too in depth for your knowledge, you might wanna leave this cam install up your local speed shop. All right guys, wrapping this thing up here. The Comp Xtreme Energy Stage 1 Camshaft will be for the PI equipped two valve owners who want a very streetable camshaft and one that will provide you with some good low end power, and you can grab your set right here at americanmuscle.com.