Head flow,vs. cam lift?......

this is written so cam novices have a better understanding. It is basic in the way it is written. Those of us that really understand and race cars know it is more in depth than this. Lets not get to crazy and split hairs and get super technical.

The more air and fuel you can get into a cylinder, the more power can be made.
Ok, that was the no brainer statement.

Being that certain race classes are lift limited, the cylinder head is designed to make a max effort to increase the low lifting valve. This is mostly in the cut of the valve and seat. The cams design is to hang the valve there as long as possible to allow for a max filling of the cylinder. Power is limited. As next to the ported head.

Since the street guys are not limited to these restrictions to hamper our efforts in the search for HP, taking advantage of the abilty to run the higher lift cam shows a direct impact on HP vs a lower lift cam. Lobe not withstanding.

Quicker the rise of the valve the more air and fuel get into the cylinder. More lift more HP.
Longer duration more air and fuel as well as a higher operating rpm band.
The above leaves out ramp rate (as far as basics of cams go)
The quicker you can get it in, the more power it can make.

Is this all ready needed?

Not really but there is a noticable amount of power to be made with a quicker ramp. The cam is more intense.

Does one need it?

No not really. But you'll probably really like it if you do get a quicker rising ramp cam.

What if opt for a slower lifting rate ramp?

You'll end up with a mellowed acting engine vs the quick ramp.

Is the quick ramp worth installing?

This depends on the person, what the engine is being built for and the target of the purpose. You can still make 400, 500 HP. It will probably just take more cam to do so.

Will I have to constantly maintain it and change out springs?

This is a mileage and abuse factor. The bigger the cam, the more you'll need to keep and eye on it. You'll notice that it will be slowing down in the 1/4 mile or that one guy you used to just beat in the street is now becoming a threat or just simy beating you.

If it is a mechanical cam, the rockers will become loud. This is adjustment time. Inspect the cam while your there. Mechanical rockers should not need to be adjusted frequently. Have no worries running mechanical cams and gear.