Want to make the single camshaft engine more powerful? Then chuck another camshaft alongside and add extra valves and you have an efficient and more powerful engine. Well it’s not that simple, but essentially in a twin-cam engine , one camshaft will operate the inlet valves and the other will operate the exhaust valves.

The twin-cam engine is also known as the DOHC or Double OverHead Cam engine, and is a setup that is used in many of today’s cars. Since it’s possible to install multiple valves per cylinder and place intake valves on the opposite side from exhaust valves, the twin-cam engine can burn significantly cleaner, and therefore “breathe” better as a result. This adds up to having the ability to produce more horsepower with a smaller engine volume as a result. The twin-cam engine is highly efficient, and the design makes it possible to install multiple valves per cylinder and adopt variable timing. On the other side of the coin, the twin-cam engine is more complex and more expensive to produce. Toyota has made some brilliant twin-cam engines in it’s time that have proven to be very reliable and efficient.We hope that helps answer the question ‘What is What is a Twin-Cam Engine?’!

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