Effect of vehicle weight on Cam choices
10-31-2008, 06:05 PM
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Effect of vehicle weight on Cam choices Hi
Just wondering how a lighter vehicle would affect cam choice. Im building a locost with an ls1/t56 from a 2004 gto.It should weigh less than 2200 lbs fully loaded. The car has 3.73 gears and 315/35/17 rears.The car has 1 3/4" headers, no cats,ported TB. I'm fairly certain the car will be traction limited.
So,do I want a torquey cam or would i be better off traction wise with something that doesn't start to pull until a little later?
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/view...7ffda248e7ff9d
Phils LS1 Locost
Just wondering how a lighter vehicle would affect cam choice. Im building a locost with an ls1/t56 from a 2004 gto.It should weigh less than 2200 lbs fully loaded. The car has 3.73 gears and 315/35/17 rears.The car has 1 3/4" headers, no cats,ported TB. I'm fairly certain the car will be traction limited.
So,do I want a torquey cam or would i be better off traction wise with something that doesn't start to pull until a little later?
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/view...7ffda248e7ff9d
Phils LS1 Locost
Last edited by philmrx8; 10-31-2008 at 06:47 PM.
10-31-2008, 06:58 PM
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Your cam choice will effect valve overlap, your overall power and torque, peak and through the powerband. Talk to a builder to see what profile you want, where you want your powerband to be and how much power you want to make.
The weight of your car is irrelevent unless you want X amount of power for traction reasons in a X weight car.
you should pay more attention to your suspension IMO.
The weight of your car is irrelevent unless you want X amount of power for traction reasons in a X weight car.
you should pay more attention to your suspension IMO.
10-31-2008, 07:07 PM
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truew to a point Your cam choice will effect valve overlap, your overall power and torque, peak and through the powerband. Talk to a builder to see what profile you want, where you want your powerband to be and how much power you want to make.
The weight of your car is irrelevent unless you want X amount of power for traction reasons in a X weight car.
you should pay more attention to your suspension IMO.
The weight of your car is irrelevent unless you want X amount of power for traction reasons in a X weight car.
you should pay more attention to your suspension IMO.
10-31-2008, 07:47 PM
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I'm just saying the weight of your car is irrelevent in chosing a cam.
a 3000lb car is going to make the same amount of power as a 4000lb car with the same mods, the 3000lb car is gonna be a **** load faster for sure, but why would you put a smaller cam in the lighter car cause it weighs less, or vice versa.
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10-31-2008, 07:53 PM
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I was thinking that because traction on the street would be limited having a bigger cam might be better because power would come on a little later ? Also with the vehicle being lighter I might not miss the loss of low end torque
10-31-2008, 08:12 PM
#9
I think having a bigger cam in a lighter car is a great idea. Its essentially like changing the gear ratio. The engine will rev faster thus making power faster. Taking a 3.23 gear to a 4.56 will make a HUGE difference. Lighter cars generally require a numerically lower gear ratio as well. I chose to run 4.56s but 30" tall tires gearing down my final drive with the tire diameter rather than the gearing.
