Mister Will

How will this cam work as a daily driver? How is the idle? Will it drive in bumper to bumper traffic without making me through fits? I guess my more specific concern is should I go with a 112, or a 114 LSA?

I've decided to go with TFS 215 heads. I'm driving a C5 corvette coupe (LS1) w/ M6. I was originally going to go with a milder cam closer to the 220 range, but I always intended to go with a 114 LSA. I'm sure this cam will make much more numbers with the longer duration and the narrower LSA. However, my intention is to drive the car on the street, with spirited mountain driving, maybe a mile run shootout or a Silver State classic. I want torque down low where I can feel it.

Let me make this analogy. Think of my corvette as my dog. When I take him out to play I want him to stay at my side and behave. But when I tell him to fetch or attack I want him to take of like a bolt of lightning. However, I don't want him to be constantly pulling on the leash, or having to constantly pull him back.

Thanks in advance. I did a search, found some threads, but they didn't answer my questions. Most of the comments on drivability just said "drives alright". But by what perspective. I'm hopping more descriptive feedback.

Bill'sWS6

iTrader: (6)

This cam would be fine as a daily driver cam. Are you running an A4 or M6? If an A4 the cam will have a little more personality on a 112. Nothing that can't be managed. I am running Texas Speed's 233/239 5996/605 on a 112 and I have an A4. I wouldn't have any problems taking it in stop and go traffic bumper to bumper. Just get your self a good tune and you should have no problems. If you don't want any of the issues go with the 114. You won't have a noticeable difference. It will still offer great power and idle a little smoother for you. The 112 would offer you the tq a little further down in the power band & give you a more loppy sound.

You should be pretty happy with the amount of power that cam will make.

Good Luck!!!

Sales4@Texas-Speed

iTrader: (4)

Most of your driveability will come with a good tune. This cam is going to have a very broad powerband, paired up with the TFS heads you should be able to drive this no problem. With the smaller runner and some decent compression you should end up with a pretty torquey motor.

Mister Will

I've got an M6. Thanks for the reply.

Midnight02

iTrader: (8)

6 speed or auto?

I run the exact same cam -- absolutely love it. I wanted daily driver reliability and a modest performance gain from the cam....and I got precisely what I was looking for.

Now down to the specifics:

I also went with a 112 LSA because I wanted a little chop in the idle. It has a noticeable cam lope on idle however it's quite manageable on the street. I get a bunch of guys that ask the "how big is that cam" and "how do you deal with driving it on the street" questions. The response is easy -- the cam's actually pretty mild relative to some of the monsters out there and it's very easy to drive on the street.

Most folks will tell you that whether or not a certain cam has good street manners depends on your tolerance. Some will make arguments that the MS3 and MS4 are still OK for daily drivers -- I have a much lower tolerance for pain.

Does it perform well in bumper to bumper traffic. Well, yes and no. Frankly, bumper to bumper traffic in a bone stock 6-speed is a pain in the ***. That being said, my car will roll out on an idle when I come out of the clutch slowly -- no throttle required, no surging, etc. It's slightly more of an inconvenience than a stock setup in heavy, stop and go traffic.....that being said, it's easily manageable.

Performance gains? I was extremely pleased. The mild cam and bolt ons put down 390 rwhp and 388 rwtq. I coupled it with a set of budget PRC heads and a ported FAST 92 and put down 440 rwhp and 408 rwtq. The torque curve is pretty flat and there's plenty available by 3,000 rpm. Great power down low and a noticeable improvement up top.

Surging / unreliable performance? The car starts every time I turn the key. No issues. I run a nitrous tune on the street and tend to be a bit rich once I start up. Instead of hanging around 14.5 - 15.0 A/F on idle after startup, it typically starts around 11.5 - 12.5 (very rich) and then the idle cleans up quickly. Takes anywhere from 3 - 10 seconds to get silky smooth and to sit around 14.7 on idle. If you start the car up and then take off immediately, I do get a little surge at idle (given the rich condition). That goes away quickly and isn't an issue because sitting still for 10 seconds is a simple remedy.

In summary, the cam is a GREAT middle of the road blend between performance and reliability. Great if you prefer daily driver reliability. After the fact, I've actually contemplated going bigger on the cam however I think it's simply natural to want more out of it and going bigger would likely start to push me to the edge of the comfort threshhold.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Mister Will

Thanks for the feedback all. Midnight02 especially thanks for taking the time to provide such a extended response.

I've already replied that I have an M6. I have owned manual transmission cars since 1982, with one 2-1/2 year exception. I have never regretted having a manual while in traffic. I should be fine with this cam if I can let the clutch out at low rpms. Another concern I have is could the amount of lope draw unwanted attention. I don't need a LEO wanting to look under my hood.

EDIT: Augghh!!! I ment a TFS cam!

TooLateVTEC

iTrader: (2)

If you already have the cam or are getting it cheap on a 112, just have the tuner raise the idle a little bit more than usual until you like it. It will take away some of the chop and not be as noticable as "damn that things gotta nice cam in it".

Just an idea.

Mister Will

My vette idles at around 800 rpms now. How much of an increase in idle are we talking about? My 02 LS1 camaro use to idle at 1000 rpm, I really didn't notice a difference.

TooLateVTEC

iTrader: (2)

Well it depends on the cam once you get it in. If it seems to idle steady and choppy at 800-850, than try 900. Keep going up 50 RPM's at a time until you find the sweet spot for the idle you want and your driving style.