Autogear Racing lightened adjustable cam sprocket is an adjustable sprocket that enables enthusiasts/racers to adjust the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft, allowing for optimized cam angles. These changes in relation to cam and crank can dramatically affect the peak HP, its placement in the rev-band, and HP characteristics throughout the rev-band.

Changes in the relationship between the crankshaft and the camshaft can increase HP in DOHC cars from 8-16 HP for normally aspirated engines and 12-24 HP for forced induction engines. SOHC owners can expect small increases in HP (2-4 HP) in certain parts of the power band. SOHC owner can also shift their power curve from the stock setting to low-rpm improvements (off the line enhancements) or high rpm improvements.

Adjustments vary depending on whether the engine is SOHC or DOHC and whether it uses forced induction or is normally aspirated. We have found for stock and mildly modified DOHC engines, whether forced induction or normally aspirated, that 2-3 degrees negative on the exhaust and 1-2 degrees positive on the intake (again varying slightly from engine to engine) produce the highest overall gains throughout the engines RPM band. SOHC cam owners can adjust their cam for optimized low-rpm performance (amount of total adjustment varies from engine to engine and should be done in one degree positive increments until peak low-rpm performance has been achieved), by advancing their cam.

SOHC cam owners can adjust their cam for optimized high-rpm performance (amount of total adjustment varies from engine to engine and should be done in one degree negative increments until peak high-rpm performance has been achieved), by retarding their cam. Owners who are beyond the basic bolt-on parts would find themselves best served by having their sprockets adjusted while measuring engine output on a dyno or at the track.

 When properly installed and set up the Autogear Racing cam gears will run flawlessly while installed on the vehicle. If for some reason they are NOT installed properly, and cause engine damage a warranty may be denied. Please note that most dealers are looking for any excuse to avoid working on vehicles modified with aftermarket performance parts. Therefore, you the consumer should have some knowledge of the Magnusson Moss warranty act, which forces manufacturers/dealers to prove that the aftermarket parts installed on the vehicle have caused the specific problem/s that have brought the owner in on a warranty claim.

Installation of adjustable cam sprockets is one of the more difficult bolt-on installation. The key to the difficulty is the importance of sprocket alignment to the factory specified alignment marks. These alignment marks, installation marks, are only correct if the engine has been located at TDC (top dead center). Add to this equation that some engines use balance shafts and the alignment procedure can even more difficult. Each of our sprocket kits comes with model specific installation instructions, including torque specification on the factory mounting hardware. But we feel that this installation is better left to a professional installer unless the owner of the vehicle has a good deal of mechanical experience (i.e. having done engine disassembly, or camshaft installation before).

We have found through our testing of DOHC engines that 2-3 degrees retard on the exhaust sprocket and 1 to 2 degrees advance on the intake sprocket yields the best overall gains for stock and mild modified engines. SOHC engines also gain HP, not quite the double-digit figures seen by some DOHC engines, but they also have the ability to shift the power-band from low RPM performance to upper RPM band performance. Advancing the a SOHC sprocket will increase low rpm performance and retarding a SOHC sprocket will enhance high RPM performance.

The adjustment or settings for both DOHC and SOHC engines can also be done through dyno tuning which offers the most precise tuning of this product. The additional money spent can mean the difference of more than a few HP (or the shifting of the power band to a specific spot for SOHC owners) especially on vehicles, which have more than the standard bolt-on´s.

That decision should be based on a number of factors. First is the amount of mileage accumulated by the belt, factory recommendations vary so check your owners manual. If you have less than half of the recommended mileage the stock belt can be re-used as long as there are no visible deformities or abrasions. Anything beyond the half way point will require close inspection and if even the slightest wear is visible the belt/s should be changed for safety measure.

Safety is the key parameter in this decision as the additional parts and labor cost at installation is much cheaper than engine damage at a later date (many engines are non-clearance or interference and losing the timing belt would cause major valve/piston damage). We recommend the use of the factory OEM timing belts ( which can be ordered from Autogear, check our replacement parts section for you application ).

Autogear Racing adjustable cam gears have a hard anodized outer gear sector for exceptional wear resistance. This protection allows for years of wear-free service and promises that your investment in our products will be well rewarded with years of flawless performance. In the case of use in a sandy or very high concentration of dirt as those encountered in off road racing there may be excessive wear due to the abrasion of the sand. This situation would apply to ANY cam gear regardless of manufacturer. Autogear cam gears have laser marking for the timing marks which will never wear off.

The only maintenance required is to check and replace the timing belts at the manufacturers specified intervals or sooner based on your driving habits. In addition we recommend the periodic checking of the tension on the fasteners bolt on the cam gear/s. We chose to use four to five fasteners for the added security. The fasteners should be tightened in a star pattern and should be 15 lbs./ft. over-tightening is unnecessary and will cause the threads to strip out over time. Other than these requirements you basically bolt on the sprockets, adjust them to the desired settings and forget about them.

Utilizing coilover spring suspension with our Air Ride System allows ride height adjustment and still keep true coilover performance. Which means you can have your car lowered to the ground at the show/track and will be able to drive stock height when heading home.