turbo cam vs. na cam?

[all go no show]

Just for my own personal knowledge and maybe that of others, Im curious about what makes a turbo cam a turbo cam?? I mean, both aim to increase airflow, why does it matter if there is a turbo compressing it??
Could you NOT use an n/a cam with a turbo kit given that you had the proper compression?? What are the differences?

 

[Rubixcu7]

my guess (and im not sure) would be n.a. cam would have bigger intake lobes in order to increase air flow into the engine. while turbo cams would have larger exhaust lobes in order to increase exhaust flow to spool up the turbine faster. but thats just a guess... any knowlegdeable input on this topic would be great i too am interested.

 

[rickles8099]

On naturally aspirated engines that run high RPMs, usually there is a lot of overlap because the air doesn't start moving instantly. By opening both valves at the same time, it gives the intake a head start and helps to flush out the cylinder of the exhaust. The exhaust by now is a column of air that is already headed out the pipe and helps pull in the intake charge. On turbo cars, this valve overlap will allow the increased cylinder and exhaust pressure to flow backward into the intake.

Some turbo cam grinds also wait with opening the intake valve until the piston is already headed down. This is because on a boosted engine the exhaust back pressure can be as high as 30 PSI. The intake pressure under boost is only 15 PSI and will be blown backward. By waiting until the piston has started downward, the cylinder pressure drops and the trick is to open the intake valve just as the cylinder pressure is crossing 15 PSI (in this example).

(taken from http://www.dune-buggy.com/turbo/enginebasics.htm .... just one quick and easy search from http://www.google.com )

 

[Project Dc2]

IMO NA cams work much beter in turbo cars then most turbo cams out there. for low boost applications and non VTEC i'd suggest a turbo cam. but when it comes to VTEC and a high revving B18C etcc i'd recommend some all motor ITR's or even a mix of cams with proper cam tuning. Turbo cams usually have high lift and low durations to keep the boost concealed. however when it comes to high boost and high revving the VE table is greatly changed where it needs MORE air and not less. I've seen a gain of 100 WHP/TQ by swapping skunk 2 turbo cams to some jun 3 intake cam and skunk stage 1 exhaust cam on a 600 WHP car ( GSCmotorsports )