So you might be approaching that time in your Harley-Davidson ownership cycle where you want to upstage your bike and go beyond the stage 1 with a high flow air filter, exhaust and tuner. Now you’re wanting to change you cam to increase your performance and you mostly ride around in the low to mid RPM range so a Torque cam upgrade would suit you best. But which one?
You could go with what Harley-Davidson offer and opt for the SE8-447 Torque Cam or you might try one of the aftermarket options such as S&S465. Of course there are other aftermarket cams available and the decision to go with those will be largely made for the same factors; price and end user performance.
Photo: Manchester H-D
The SE8-447 is priced in the region of about £260 depending on the source and the S&S-465 approximately £225. so based on price alone of just the cam, the S&S appears to offer greater value.
Lets look at the torque and horsepower figures for each cam. Keep in mind the figures will be skewed based upon what exhaust, air filter and tuner are being used so to get a true comparison you would have to ensure all equipment remains the same apart from the cam.
The SE8-447
Torque at stock is 139Nm or 102ft-lbs which rises to 146Nm or 108ft-lbs with the cam
Power at stock is 82 horsepower which rises to 95 horsepower with the cam.
The S&S465
Torque rises to 155Nm or 114.38ft-lbs
Power rises to 94.94 horsepower.
So the S&S 465 cam gives more torque and similar horsepower to the Screamin’ Eagle 447 cam and costs less too.
The other added bonus here is the good reputation that S&S has and the great wear protection on the cam lobes even at higher mileage whereas the Screamin’ Eagle does not retain such a reputation however they are still highly regarded by end users and safe in the knowledge that these are produced by in house engineers who really should know what is the best for their engines, but that doesn’t always follow of course.
So if it is mere data and reputation you’re looking at then S&S would appear to be the right choice. Now you’ll need to compare this cam with others on the market to determine which is the best overall.