It is no secret that rocker arms have to be strong enough to handle the loads that are placed upon them. Roller-tip rocker arms reduce friction, which is a huge benefit in a high-performance engine. Upgrading to lightweight roller-tipped rocker arms is a great upgrade, but durability is also essential to prevent their failure.
For instance, by increasing rocker arm ratio, you might now induce coil bind in the valve springs, interference between the tops of the valve guides and the valve spring retainers, or even piston contact just to mention a few. Increasing the ratio of a rocker arm can be a great benefit for your engine, but keep in mind that the higher lift-ratio of the rocker arm can induce other situations that will need to be dealt with. We’ve even run larger-ratio rocker arms on just the exhaust valves of some applications, to help get the spent gasses out of the engine. This actually increases volumetric efficiency to your engine and adds power. By increasing the ratio of the rocker arm, you actually increase total valve lift, and even the velocity at which the valves open and close. If you are thinking about a rocker arm upgrade, why not change the ratio of the rocker arms? Changing the ratio is a common modification that can actually get you a little more-and quicker lift out of a given camshaft profile. With that said, an upgrade to aftermarket rocker arms is one of the first things that many racers contemplate. Moving more air requires a valvetrain that is up to the increased task, so you can expect to need stiffer valve springs, stronger pushrods and yes, even better rocker arms.
By turning more engine rpm, you increase the amount of airflow that runs through said engine. When building a performance engine, you will undoubtedly be turning a lot more rpm than the factory ever planned. In stock form, your small block Chevy was delivered with rocker arms constructed of stamped steel that were more than adequate for a stock application, but what if things in your engine are no longer stock? The rocker arms on your engine are nothing more than levers that simply open the valves. Part XI Rockin’ On – Can rocker arms affect power?
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