[steve25]

Think twice!

If a HFT fails then 99% of the time the cam and lifters are toast, if a lifter fails on a hydro roller you stand a chance of loosing the lifter bore.

Also lifter bores have a greater ware rate with a roller lifter since they don’t spin.

[68WarDog]

Originally Posted by steve25

Think twice!

If a HFT fails then 99% of the time the cam and lifters are toast, if a lifter fails on a hydro roller you stand a chance of loosing the lifter bore.

Also lifter bores have a greater ware rate with a roller lifter since they don’t spin.

Steve, I've heard that about solid rollers, but not about hydraulic rollers. So are you now bracing hydraulic rollers?

[Formulajones]

I believe Steve is just talking about overall quality of lifters and not lifter bore braces.

Only issue Ive ever seen with hydraulic rollers breaking are with some of the cheaper brands, either the link bar comes off, which isn't typically catostrophic, or a wheel breaks with the flimsy style body design. That can cause some damage.

Never seen or heard of a wheel breaking on the full body design from hylift, much stronger as it encases the entire wheel. The link bar stuff, well that can happen with any lifter. Frankly with a good lifter and proper valve train setup, correct springs etc... I don't even worry about it. Millions on the roads today with 6 digit mileage and I've had some of my own high performance engines done for 25-30 years without a problem and still build them today. Only problem now is the hylift roller lifters are ridiculously priced. I paid $1400 for the last set just several months ago.

Most opt for the cheaper $400 morels or what ever else is on sale that week, or are forced to buy them because hylift availability is hit and miss, and then you hear of issues like noise from inconsistent bleed rates, broken wheels etc .. then the whole roller industry gets a bad wrap. Take it for what it's worth but my experiences with them over the last 40 years is nothing like what most here report.

Solid rollers a different story. Not so much breakage but because of the spring pressures required on a proper solid roller cam I find in a street application where I'm driving them 7000+ miles a year I've had a couple wheels lock up on some very expensive pin oil crowers. I think over time even with lash checks on a tight lash cam they still take a beating.
I'd much rather run a hydraulic roller, and a good lifter with proper setup they'll spin as high as you need anyway. Not that anyone here would test that limit in their street car.

[Formulajones]

In the op's case, if we are talking about a real RAIV, I'd be more inclined to keep the RAIV flat tappet cam in it just for purist sake. But I'd take extra precautions.

I'd be nitriding the camshaft and I'd be using a lube option style lifter from rhoads which are modified hylifts. Then proper break in while it's all fresh and not sitting a decade.
I don't have issues with flat tappets doing this, but I end up spending a grand or more taking the extra precautions. I'm usually approaching half the cost of a roller setup.

I would not be against a RAIV roller from someone like butler though, but again I'd only run hylift rollers on it and the setup starts getting spendy.