Camshafts The most popular option for road applications is a cam of around 270 degrees duration which Piper Cams call a 'Fast Road' cam and Kent Cams call a 'Sports' cam. These still idle OK and can give around 12bhp extra at the higher end of the rev range. The trade-off is usually a decrease in torque at the bottom end but this varies between applications. Usually a chip combined with a performance cam will maintain torque at the low end as well as increased power over the whole range, so this is a great combination. Note that you do need to be a proficient home mechanic to fit a cam, so if you are not, you will need to get it fitted at a garage - allow around 2 hours for labour - most garages charge about £30 per hour. Power Boost Valves There's only one name in the market for Power Boost Valves and that's FSE Glencoe. Contrary to popular belief these do not increase the power of your car but they do usually give you better throttle response. A Power Boost Valve is a replacement for the fuel pressure regulator in the fuel line which is found in the return fuel line to the fuel tank, so it is actually a back-pressure regulator. This often confuses people when fitting them because its more natural to think of controlling the pressure downstream of something than upstream. What the Boost Valve does is allow the pressure in the fuel rail to recover more quickly to the required pressure when a sudden demand is made upon it when you put your foot down. FSE quote a figure of 1.7 times faster than standard. If you know what you are doing you can adjust the fuel line pressure with the Boost Valve - there is a screw in the top and you can purchase a fuel pressure gauge that attaches to the side of the valve. Its kind of like playing around with jet sizes in a carburettor. We must point out though that you really do need to know what you are doing if you are going to adjust the fuel pressure. If you make it too low, the engine will run lean and this can cause things to melt such as pistons. Boost Valves come pre-set at the correct pressure for each engine.