Product information

A Piper or Kent camshaft, supplied here as a camshaft only without our usual recommended kit. These are the same options of camshaft we use when building our own engines, and have been selected for their excellent driving charateristics as well as the high quality  You can use the options above to select whether you require a long or short nose camshaft and which camshaft you would like. You can find the description of each camshaft's characteristics below.

We also offer camshaft kits which contain a set of tappets, a timing chain set and the various extra parts you need to fit the camshaft to the engine, ensuring you have everything you need to complete the job and know that all the parts are compatible with your engine. You can find these kits in the camshaft section of our shop.

Not sure if you need a long or shot nose camshaft? The easiest way to determine which one you need is by looking at your ignition system. If you ignition system uses a distributor (or if there's a hole on your front cover for the distributor) then you need a long nose camshaft. If your ignition system uses coil packs (in other words, if it's a GEMS or Thor front cover) then you need the short nose camshaft. If you're unsure, please email a photo of your timing cover or general photos of your engine to info@v8engines.com and we will help you with identification.

Which cam best suits my needs?

Piper Torquemax
Like the name suggests, this camshaft gives torque at the bottom to mid rev range, making it the perfect choice for four wheel drive applications such as Land Rovers and Range Rovers (especially if used for towing), as well as heavier saloons such as the Rover P5, P6 and SD1 which are still on standard heads

Kent H180 (long nose only)
We now offer the Kent 180 camshaft as an option on our camshaft kits for earlier Rover V8 engines with distributor driven ignition systems. The Kent H180 sits between the Piper Torquemax and Piper 270 in terms of driving characteristics, and is a great choice when you can't quite decide between the two. We have also found it great with Hotwire EFi systems with Lambda loop enabled, where the Piper 270 camshaft might give a slightly lumpy idle.

Piper 270
A power increase in the mid rev range with a good increase in usable torque to boot, the Piper 270 is great for light 2wd cars in standard form such as MG B's, Morgans and TVR's, or saloons and Land Rovers which have been upgraded to stage 1 heads or beyond. Those of you with automatic gearboxes & standard engines will also find the Piper 270 suitable, as the slip of the torque converter naturally pushes the RPM of the engine further to the middle, where the 270 comes into its power band.

Piper 270i (injection)
The 270i camshaft has similar characteristics to the 270 detailed above, however the profile is altered slightly to suit a Rover V8 engine fuelled by an injection system, which require more intake vacuum than a carburettor setup to get the correct air/fuel mixture at low engine RPM. ECU chipping is recommended when using the 270i camshaft 

Piper 285
More power at the top of the rev range, while still keeping a smooth idle and driveability at low revs and low speeds and no noticeable loss of torque. Stage 1 or above cylinder heads and ECU chipping are especially recommended when using the 285 camshaft

RPi Advice

• Always fit new tappets when fitting a new camshaft.
• Complete camshaft kits with all the parts we recommend are available from the camshaft section of our shop
• If your original camshaft is worn, inspect the bearings in the bottom end of your engine as these may also require replacement
• Tappet pre-load is an important value to set but often overlooked. You can set tappet pre-load using a shim kit, available from our shop.