What are the pros and cons of a hydraulic roller for a daily driver (street/strip though)? Or should i just stick with a flat tappet? Ive already way ruled out going to a solid.

I run a hydraulic roller on the street. No downsides for me at all. As long as you keep the rpm down (strokers don't need a lot of rpm anyway) below 6,500, you'll keep them happy.

Very quiet operation and the lash was a set it and forget it affair.

Hyd rollers cost more and they might require the use of a bronze gear depending on the mfg. But they have the ability to make more power since you can get more aggressive with the lift and area under the curve.

You don't have to use a bronze gear.

I can say I run a flat tappet solid cam and I only adjust my valves once a year and they are never out much if any. Course its a street car that's not raced every other weekend. Ron

Are there off the shelf “mild” rollers now days?
Been thinking roller cam in the stroker I am just starting and have no clue what cam I want to run but was thinking roller just so I don’t have to worry about rounding a lobe with today’s oils.

Todays production engines are roller cam design. You don't have to worry about zinc additives, like already said, make more power than hydraulic flat tappets. Should be lots of grinds available by now.

One example.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hrs-723445-10

Sure, plenty of mild hyd rollers available. A hyd roller adds a lot of cost but you can think of it as an insurance policy I guess. Having to run a bronze gear is a big drawback though in a real street car. Hughes Engines has a coated steel gear that is designed to replace the bronze gear but I haven't used one yet.

http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/produ...mp;partid=28107

My issues with hydraulic rollers is in the name. Hydraulic.

The lobes of a good hydraulic roller are fast enough it's my opinion that the hydraulics don't like it. You can band aid it, but I'm just not a big fan of hydraulic lifters with roller lobes. I've seen too many issues.

Yes, plenty of guys using them, but plenty are having issues. I used to use 20w50 oil in any hydraulic roller build and they made more power with it.

For me, the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Two things that are crucial to Hyd Roller success

Know exactly what lifter you have ( who made it) and the follow spring pressure specs to the letter--many have very specific specs on seat max and open max pressures--These MUST be followed and not exceeded or you will experience all sorts of trouble Where it all goes wrong is when a cam maker specs higher pressures to get the most out of what they have done and you use the available lifters that say 340 max open etc Morel makes many and IMO the better of what is out there--you may use the tech line from them to assure you have a lifter ( they make a TON of part numbers) that will allow you to gain the most from your cam choice and assure you have the correct pressures for your grind and your lifter valving--Pre-load specs are also CRITICAL and well spec'd on Morel products if you go direct to them for answers ALSO oil weight is spec'd for the different lifters as it critical to
gaining the extra RPM they say a lifter part number is capable of

Pre load
Oil weight as called for by that lifter maker
Spring open and seat max pressures

All of the above must be correct

Along with bronze or other coated etc gears you must also think of the fuel pump push rod --will it live on a steel cam and what do you need? What is available

Stewart in High Point NC was a NASCAR supplier that used to make an exceptional quality fuel pump push rod that had high quality bronze tip and would wear forever but I am not sure they still make them
Other brands have caused me trouble so...not sure there--we go electric now and avoid that issue

Generally feel the same. The "hydraulic" is the week link in a hydraulic flat tappet. Putting a roller on the bottom did not fix that.

I do get the desire to avoid a lobe going flat, and the slight advantage of more lift with today's aftermarket heads. You just need to decide for yourself the cost benefit balance.

I agree--I do not use them if I can help it they are very RPM limited
Solid baby! That is the way to happiness

Howards has a bronze tipped fuel pump pushrod that works great. The Crane coated distributor gear is the way to go.

I gotta agree. I have one in the the 440 I recently took out. It wants to rev like crazy and before 6000 rpm its floating the valves. Its a Lunati with matched lifters and springs.

I have a hydraulic roller in my 408 stroker, I agree that it really likes to rev up quick, but I'm afraid to take it above 6200. Lol. I wish I could go with a solid roller, but I'd have to send the short block off to be bushed and reassembled. I don't want to spend on that right now.

There is middle ground, solid rollers on a hydro roller cam. It works better then many would think. Just got to nail the proper spring pressure.

Even solid roller cams were not like they are today way back when companies like reed ground them on cast cores because they were not as radical as the lobes on a modern solid roller and lived.

Ive still one new in the box reed solid roller on a cast core for a small block I look at from time to time. They were used alot way back on W2 headed builds.

I would gladly go solid if it wasnt my daily, so i appreciate the advice but i just cant do that. How hard would it be to get solid lifters on a hydraulic roller cam?

You wont need solid to meet your goals. It's not gonna rev high enough to worry about the few extra horsepower.
Roller is worth a little extra power but not much. Although better vacuum and not worrying about break in is nice.

Hyd roller will give you a worry free valvetrain with crisp throttle response / A flat tappet cam carries a risk of lobe failure upon initial startup and cannot open and close the valves as fast as a roller cam. In other words is you want to play outside the sandbox spend the extra money and install a roller....