need a heads recommendation Compression related.

AJ/FormS said
That is a most excellent question and I never thought about it... but all my three cams have been installed with ICAs of 62 to about 68 degrees. I don't know if that means anything. The 292 had the latest ICA ( up to 76* when retarded),and I couldn't love that cam. The 270 had the earliest and That I did love. I even loved that one straight up, now with an ICA of 65.

IMHO.... Of course it means something.... it means you like plenty of low and mid-RPM torque, and the wide torque band that comes with it. Every torquey 'street' combination that I work out ends up in the 60 to 67 ICA range. It is where the SCR and DCR combination makes for good low RPM torque starting down around 2000-2200 RPM. Combine that with a good breathing system to get a 6k+ RPM top end and you have a solid, usable torque RPM range of 3:1. That is the 'flexible' word that AJ uses; step on the throttle almost anywhere in the operating band it responds and goes.

The later ICA's with bigger cams need to go hand-in hand with even higher SCR's.

Abodybomber said
The ultimate question, for every street/ strip gear head.

I'll say that strip is different. You can use but only so much torque in 1st gear, limited by the traction. It would take some well-honed driving skills to consistently control gobs of excess wheel torque at launch (though I bet some guys can do it). But those same gobs of excess wheel torque is what you DO want in road race and rally.

So the trade-off to make the cam bigger, and get the later ICA as a consequence with the loss of low end torque, to gain some top end HP, is understandable. But you see guys with too much rear gear to make up for poor low end torque; they get 3/4 of the way down the 1/4 mile and can't accelerate anymore, 'cuz they're topped out. They need that wider torque band and a lower rear gear...or an OD trans.