If you lool at the 0.050" spexs both 340 and xe250h cams are similar. Think of the xe250h as a fast ramp tighter LSA version of the 340 cam.
(That duration is miles apart in a stock 318 and no way would I call the XE250H a version of the 340 cam)
Im sure the 360 cam in a 318 gives a nice little bump but I think its to conservative.
(A little bigger cam is way better than one that is obviously too big.)
I totally agree with you when you say idle to 3500 is a very important powerband for a street engine. In normal driving my tach rarely goes above 2000 rpm.
(So lets not look at the dyno sheets you posted. They start out at 3000 rpm. Hot Rod was going for maximum horsepower at 5500+ rpm. We are talking about power and torque from idle to 3000rpm. )
And especially if you got everything going against you eg. Heavy car, small engine, high gear, low stall etc..
(It looks like the OP has a 66 Barracuda with a 318, stock converter and a 2:70 something gear. 2 out of 2 there.)
But I think people shouldn't just go super conservative either.
(I would call the stock cam super conservative but with a stock 318 there isn't much room between stock and that 220° @.050 duration number where it won't isle low enough a converter, doesn't have enough vacuum for power brakes and needs a 3:73 gear to get away from the stoplight.)
Take the two mopar magnum create engines which I basically own both. 300 has stock cam and the 380 has a fairly stout cam.
I got magazine dyno of both below.
*note the 300hp one does start to 3000 rpm but looking at the curve both are probably the same or close at 2500 rpm.
I got the 380hp in a 68 Valiant with 2800 stall, 2.96 gears and 27" tires with an effective gear ratio of 2.63.
And I dont exactly have 300hp create but a 98 5.9 jeep which is pretty much the same besides 4bbl and headers. Its heavier and 3.73 gears and 32" tires with an effective gear ratio of 2.80.
If you compare the two dyno charts the 380hp engine meets or beats the 300hp from 2500 rpm plus except one point. Which is the peak torque of the 300hp has a slight advantage.
Driving both the valaint is a little soft under 2000 rpm. Which I blame more om the intake, single plane M1 then the cam.
Theres a dyno shoot out between the M1 and Airgap an the airgap made 20-30+ lbs-ft all over the bottom end.
Where the 5.9 jeep pulls hard from idle and if weighed the same as the Valiant would definitely be the better under 2500 rpm choice.
(The Magnum comparison is nowhere close to the op choosing a cam for his stock 318)
But doesn't mean the stock cam is the winner for a daily driver or down low performance. Theres a big cam difference between the two. Lots of choices, Im sure something like a 265 or 268 cam would give 90% of top and bottom. Basically having your cake and eatting to.
(There is no "magic bullet" camshaft)
I think the trick is finding the cam thats gonna give you the most top end with out effect bottom end too much. Or a compromise that works for you.
(I will say it again, there is no magic bullet cam. If you make some power and torque at low rpm it goes away at 4500 or so. If you make big horsepower at 4-6000+ rpm you don't have much down low. Sorry about the cake. You can have it but you can't eat it)
View attachment 1715122939
The modified Hp and Tq is eddy heads and bigger cam something like a 275
(Who even cares about that. Those numbers don't mean anything for the op's stock 318. Again, the Hot Rod dyno chart really doesn't tell us anything we can use here. Again, back to the stock 318 thing!)
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