Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Performance VCT adapter

Doing anything with your cams changes the timing. Messing with your cam gears, changes your timing. Installing new cams, changes the timing. Even if you have the tool to lock the cams, you're timing will change a bit. When we did my VCT eliminator, my dad made a special tool with a dial to find TDC as accurate as possible and even with a file hammered into the cams to lock them, and my dad holding the cam still with a wrench, the cams still moved a bit.

DDavis saw gains from tuning the gears. I don't know if he did a dyno totally stock to see the difference, but he did gain some HP on the dyno to his satisfaction.

Sport Compact Car did a install of gears on their project Focus(practically the same engine, and Focus gears will work for us), and they gained 6hp with tuned gears and saw that with gears installed caused the HP to drop. Like I said, cam gears can help because of how variable the timing is from the factory, so it just depends how off your stock timing is.

I'd do a gear install as part of a total upgrade package, including dyno'd chip, but just as a stand alone, no.