I actually got some info from the two senior techs at the dealership on this a few years ago.

The cams are not the same grind between the cars and the Monteros/Montero Sports. Apparently, they never were. The recommendation was not to use the car cams in any SUV. Besides the (possibly negligible in your case) weight difference, there's gearing differences as well as aerodynamics differences. Truck/SUV cams are typically ground to produce (more) torque lower in the RPM range and a flatter torque/HP curve to compensate for the above.

Anyway, they didn't recommend it. I tend not to, either. I've never seen anyone successfully run car cams in a truck or SUV even when the engine was going into a lighter vehicle. Aerodynamics, tire size, gearing all make a huge difference and even moving the torque/hp a few hundred RPM can mean the difference between a snappy ride and a pig. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth. smile

Edward


'97 Montero Sport LS 5-Speed 3.5L conversion
SAS Dana 44s & ARBs, 35" Yoko Geolandar M/Ts
NP231 B4R doubler/Terra Low231/RP 5.38 229:1
'99 Montero Sport Limited 4WD SAS 3-link project
'03 Montero Sport Limited AWD
'97 Montero Sport LS 5-Speed 4WD