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High Performance
Ceramic Composites Lifters
 

Please note that LN Engineering's ceramic composite ultralight lifters are no longer a supported product as Schubeck Racing is no longer producing them. This information is provided for reference purposes only. Thanks!

LN Engineering proudly offers ceramic composite solid flat lifters, made of a proprietary space age material, for your Porsche, VW Type 1 and Type 4 applications. Without exception, all LN Engineering ceramic composite ultra-light lifters are manufactured to exacting standards and tolerances and are the last set of lifters you will EVER buy!

We offer three options for the Porsche 914 and VW Type 4: drop-in replacement lifters (or) machine-in replacement lifters. The machine-in style requires that your engine case have it's lifter bores "opened up" for the oversized lifters, for which specifications can be provided to the end user or your mechanic. Machine-in lifters are available in both single and double oversize, for different levels of lifter bore wear. Whatever your selection, you'll be reducing the weight of your lifters by at least 50% over factory steel tappets. Our drop-in lifters weigh 62 grams, whereas the machine-ins top out at 65 grams.

For the VW Type 1, we offer a standard drop in replacement identical in dimensions to an original German or Brazilian lifter. that as a bonus, weighs in at 52 grams. We recommend that if you plan on used our ceramic lifters in a magnesium case, that you have the lifter bores bushed with steel inserts. This addresses the possibility of increased wear to the lifter bores seen only on magnesium cases.

Tech Tip: Eliminating friction is equal to finding new power. Our ceramic composite lifters have a lower co-efficient of friction than any other lifters. Less friction means more power to your rear wheels.

Our ceramic lifters are the only lifters used by Raby's Aircooled Technology. As far as they are concerned, the added expense of our ceramic lifters vs. steel lifters is a small price to pay for the peace of mind, considering the cost of bad lifters or a wiped out cam can far exceed that of the cost of our lifters!

Want to see what a set of ceramics with 100,000 miles looks like. Look no further- we were provided with these photos of a high mileage Nickies engine apart for a cam change and freshening up of the heads. This type 4 was bushed for the type 1 ceramic lifters, before we offered drop in replacements for conventional steel lifters for the type 4 / Porsche 914. Lifters have not been cleaned in this photo. Look at the noticeable lack of wear or any marks whatsoever. The cam was equally wear free.

What can happen if I don't use ceramic composite lifters and I do get a flat cam or bad lifters with modern oils?

The verdict is in! Thanks for Jake Raby over at Aircooled Technology for his invaluable testing feedback on our ceramic lifters (pictures further below). Just follow along with our photo journal that documents one racer's two seasons of 7000rpm punishment and why you should use ceramic lifters in your next rebuild!

What happens if I get a bad set of lifters?

1. Typical Conventional VW Type 4 Lifter after 50,000 miles of high performance street performance.

2. Conventional (what we thought was one of the best available) after only one dyno session and 65 miles of drive time. This one cost us $2500 to repair all the damage.

3. Rod bearings from same engine as lifter shown above. When you have a lifter failure, many other failures are just around the corner as the debris contaminates your oil and "extrude hones" the engine from the inside out.

4. A threesome of destroyed lifters. Note the lifter on the leftmost picture and it's height- this much of it was consumed by the camshaft and ingested by the engine. Between these three lifters, from three different engines, cost over $8000 in repairs between the three of them.

5. A set of eight lifters that were caught on the dyno just before total failure. They only had break-in and five hours of dyno time on them! We were able to replace these lifters with a set of ceramics and save this engine from total failure!

6. Two pictures showing shattered lifter cups of the set used in a simple stock bus engine rebuild, with single springs and a mild cam. They broke right upon initial startup on the dyno.

Why should I use ceramic lifters?

The proof is in the pictures. The following shots show a set of our ceramic lifters that was used for two seasons in an SCCA race motor, that typically saw extended runs in excess of 7000 rpm. Also, the driver did occasionally miss a shift, over revving the engine to well over 8000 rpm.

1. Lifters are like new. Not a single sign of visual or measurable wear. Please note that this engine revs constantly over 5000 rpm and has completed over 20 races on this same set of lifters.