I've been off the forum for a while and have noticed there seems to be confusion about the new 290 cam that Bill Stipe is making. I've seen comments like "why do I need another 0.010 lift". The difference is far more than the lift. I have repeatedly stated that it is all about valve timing and that lift is relatively unimportant. There are many on the forum that swear up and down that advancing any cam 7.5 degrees dramatically improves performance. This seems to work for a reground cam, but I personally thing that much advance for a stock or other Stipe cam will cause the exhaust to open too soon. The new 290 cam advances the intake lobe 7 degrees, but the exhaust is only advanced 2 degrees. This timing is built into the cam and is achieved by grinding the cams with the lobes repositioned. Of course, you can advance or retard the cam from this position if you so desire. While we were doing a new cam, we got some extra lift by using the quick opening strategy that was tested on some Montana 500 cars by Steve Coniff. Yes, this cam will be noisier than the others, but should give good torque without loss of top end power.
Larry Young (aka CamMan)
more info at: http://www.mtfctulsa.com/downloads/Clinic2011.pdf