Due to the expanding growth and popularity of the Gen-III Hemi powerplant, COMP Cams expanded its Dodge 5.7L-6.4L HEMI camshaft selection with the HRT series, on display at the 2019 SEMA Show, held in Las Vegas.

“Those camshaft profiles were specifically designed for that engine to work in conjunction with a factory cylinder head and some of the aftermarket cylinder heads on the market today,” said Brian Hosenfeld of COMP Cams.

“We’ve tested all sorts of factory Chrysler intake manifolds and started to look at developing our own intake manifolds to work with that package as well, but it’s like everything else as you’re building something else, it’s the package of things that work together.”

According to Hosenfeld, the HRT Camshaft Series uses “Low Shock Technology” lobe designs to make more power and increase valvetrain stability at higher RPM. Each HRT Camshaft comes standard with the Micro Surface Enhancement (MSE) finishing process. MSE increases strength and performance by reducing surface peak roughness and provides a 250-percent improvement in the active load-bearing area, allowing for much higher loads.

The HRT Series cam is available in three different stages. All three options will increase power. The Stage One cam does not require springs; thus, it offers a more straightforward installation than the other two options.

Stage Two and Three offer the highest amount of power and works with COMP Cams Beehive and Conical Valve Springs, or Comp’s HEMI Valve Spring Kits.

The Beehive Valve Spring Kit and the Conical Valve Spring Kit come with everything needed to upgrade from stock valve springs. Each is available with either a high-strength Chromoly steel retainer or a lightweight titanium retainer, and the necessary locks, seats, and seals.

“COMP’s got the good short-travel or non-MDS lifters to go along with it,” Hosenfeld said, referring to the Hemi’s Multiple Displacement System, which is Chrysler’s cylinder deactivation system.

“The lifters are a sticking point with the Mopar guys because they fail quite frequently on the factory stuff. The non-MDS lifters allow the Mopar guys to remove that ‘displacement-on-demand’ type lifter and use the non-MDS lifter with the new yoke to hold those lifters in place and work together.”

According to Hosenfeld, the lifters constitute a significant upgrade over the commonly sourced Dodge “Hellcat” lifters. The unique COMP design enhances oil retention around the axle and bearing, helping to reduce wear and increase durability in all applications, stock to high performance.

Additionally, extra material is strategically placed at the bottom of the lifter, adding strength and stiffness to the critical roller area. An ideal replacement for factory units, this drop-in lifter is designed to protect against roller bearing wear and lifter body breakage, so it’s perfect for any stock, high-performance, or racing application.

The non-MDS lifters are available with or without lifter yokes. The lifter yokes perfectly align the lifters and are manufactured from premium material to meet all factory/OEM requirements. One lifter yoke holds four non-MDS HEMI lifters, with four yokes needed per engine.

“Depending on [which lifters] you go with, you either use the yokes to hold the lifters in place or just use the tie-bar lifters,” Hosenfeld said, adding that COMP also offers pushrods. “Pushrods are a very critical part of the valvetrain. They are another one of the areas where you can upgrade to help keep things under control.”

If you are not sure what the best option is for you, HRT Camshaft Packages are available to take the guesswork out of choosing the right valvetrain upgrades for your specific engine and desired performance.

“COMP has multiple different configurations, so we tested the stock configuration, and then we started building profiles to help the guys that want to stay naturally aspirated and don’t want to put on a turbocharger or supercharger.”

Hosenfeld said COMP also got into the boosted side of things and started building kits for the turbo guys with a little bit better piston, and some ARP rod and main bolts. Additionally, all the profiles have undergone Spintron and dyno testing with many valvetrain component combinations, to ensure each valvetrain package will produce the maximum horsepower and reliability in popular modern HEMI applications.

“We tested a lot of the profiles with our FAST computer because it allowed us to control time, control fuel, and control how much of each we’re giving,” Hosenfeld said.

The resulting Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 HRT Camshaft Packages can add up to 170 horsepower (depending on the application) and are available as base Cam Kits or the more comprehensive Master Kits. The stage 1 package is for those guys that don’t want to change anything. When you get into the bigger stage 2 and Stage 3, you will have to adjust a little bit of the tuning.

Cam kits its include camshaft, phaser limiter (VVT Hemi only), pushrods, beehive or conical valvesprings, Chromoly steel retainers, valve locks, spring seats, and valve seals.

Master kit include everything found in the cam kit with the addition of upgraded, drop-in performance lifters.