Thanks great post there. So over and over we have one lob that causes an issue, not the entire cam shaft. Seams to make sense we usually have one or two lifters causing hemi tick and not all of them at once. I certainly can't say for a fact the cam wont fail anyway, just that the raspy sewing machine sound goes to butter smooth. I am going on 5 years tick free and I only run redline. Either 5w20 or 30, doesn't seam to matter to me, paired with a RP filter.
I try to avoid arguments about what oil is better than another, If it's working for you....That's great!
On the other hand.....We really shouldn't have to discuss/argue this when it comes to roller camshafts.
When a camshaft fails...It's generally just one lobe that fails. The cam lobe surfaces are not pressure lubricated, They depend on slung oil from the rotating assembly/Oil squirt holes on the big end of the connecting rods, Not all 16 lifters/Lobes are going to receive the same amount of lube.
A "Tick" may mean a underlying mechanical issue.....If the lifter roller leaves the camshaft lobe, It will crash back down on the lobe & has a possibility to compromise the surface hardening on the cam lobe.
Induction Hardened 5150 Cam Cores have had issues as well, GM LS engines are an example but failure rates are far below 1%. When I run across on e of these failures, I check the "Rate" on all the Valve Springs, The weakest one is ALWAYS on the failed Lobe. Valve control is VERY important.
I use custom 8620 Carburized Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum Camshafts in all my builds without a failure to date with upwards of 400# spring pressures.
