ybaslo1

iTrader: (10)

My brother in-law wants a cam and asked for my suggestion.

01' Vette. Has a Vara-ram, 3600 vig converter, BB cat-back, 3.73 gear, and a tune.

Made 330 RWHP and 349 RWTQ on a mustang dyno. (Not too woried about the numbers at this time)

Ran 12.40's at 110 mph on street tires.

The one goal he has is he wants to run 11.50's - 11.60's on an 18" drag radial. I'm assuming he can probably run 12.1-12.2 on a drag radial right now.

He does not want a cackling cam, his friend has one in his vette and my bro doesn't like the shaking at idle. He also does not want to lose much driveability if any at all because his wife still drives it and is a typical woman driver.

I suggested the Cheatr-LS2 cam. Would this cam achieve his goal? Is there a better cam that sounds close to stock (doesn't have to sound completely stock) that doesn't have the vibration at idle?

Also, he is not opposed to Headers either, so that is also an option depending on the cam.

So, what cam do you think would be his best bet, with or with out headers?

Thank you guys in advance.

JPH

iTrader: (2)

The OLD G5X3 or comps new 235/243 113 (LSL Lobe) cam should meet or exceed your goals man. But gring it on a 114 imo. Good luck.

TransAmcoupe98

iTrader: (10)

Thats too much cam for what he is asking for. Thunder Racing's "Cheater" cam sounds exactly what he is looking for. Headers are a must however or you are just choking it up. Some simple Longtube headers and an x-pipe with cats and some stock Ti mufflers off a Z06.

JPH

iTrader: (2)

Sorry, but I don't see that "cheater cam" going 11.50s. An X3 on a 114 thru a stock cat back w/longtubes sounds very tame, and the tuner can take alot of shake away from the idle.

Fbodyjunkie06

iTrader: (10)

TR cheater cam is a great cam. Pat G has a dyno comparison on his personal page with that cam vs. the one he runs in races the hp difference was like 10 hp and a 3ft. lbs of tq. loss. Very minimal differences vs. two very different cams. The Cheatr a 215/230 not sure of lift. If he doesn't like the shaking and wants it to drive like stock just up the LSA and come down on the duration. A 224r could work out for him very well or a 220/224 would also be a grind to consider, on 114 lsa's to keep a milder idle.

ybaslo1

iTrader: (10)

Thanks guys.

Here are the specs for the Cheatr-ls2

215/230 .629/.592 117 LSA

Here is the stock Cam specs

196.37/208.72 .464/.479 115.92 LSA

If he gets headers, I think the cheater cam's purpose will be defeated. The way it was designed, it works well with restrictive exhaust (stock manifolds)

If he got headers, what do you guys think about the MTI Stealth II. I know you can hear the cam more, but it's not crazy.

Specs of the MTI Stealth II

224/220 .581/.581 116 LSA

hammertime

iTrader: (1)

good cam for stock manifolds
Is 360rwhp doable with cam only on stock manifolds?
I want to make some serious power! CAM ONLY.... RECOMENDATIONS....... C5 Vette
Pat G's CheaTR Page

If headers are part of the plan, then the CheaTR may not be the best cam. It's valve events (overlap and intake duration) are compromised for performance with the stock exhaust. That said, you can still gain some power from headers down the road if he decides to go that direction.

I'm still trying to find the thread Pat made when he added headers to his optimised CheaTR combo. Remeber that Pat crosses all the t's and dots all the i's. If I remember correctly, he went from 411rwhp to 433rwhp with headers.

WSsick

iTrader: (13)

same thing i tell everyone, go custom grind. predator z, pat g, or any of the sponsors (TSP, vengance, etc.) can hook up a good cam that will work for a LT setup that wont idle off its ***.

TXZ28LS1

iTrader: (5)

TSP 228R should be perfect for his setup.

ybaslo1

iTrader: (10)

Think I'm going to just call up Thunder racing or something, but after thinking about it, I think I'm asking too much from the Cheatr cam. He would roughly need 50-55 RWHP for what he wants to do. I think I should just have him get the headers and a more mild-lift cam that won't stress the valve train as much and doesn't need the really expesive springs and retainers.

ybaslo1

iTrader: (10)

Ok, I gave him the choice.

I called TR, they suggested the Cheatrls2 if he stays with the stock manifolds, and thats what he wants to do, so I guess that will be the route. They said he should gain anywhere between 35-40 RWHP, hopefulle he can obtain his goal with that. He will be spinning higher RPM's, so that may or may not be in his favor.

Along with the springs, retainers, ect...., I know he's going to need push-rods. Anyone know what size to go with? TR said 7.40". Does anyone know the base circle specs for the stock cam compared to the Cheatr cam?

hammertime

iTrader: (1)

If the heads are staying on the car, you could probably trust TR on the pushrod length, they should know. That said, measuring is the best bet to avoid a noisy valvetrain. I can understand not wanting the noise of headers, and depending on where he lives, it could ba an emissions concern as well. If he doesn't get the power gains from that cam alone, he still has a few options to consider:

1) Swap out the 241 (LS1) heads for some 243 (LS6, LS2) heads, usually worth a 15-20hp gain. Run them as is with .040 thick gaskets, and it should make great power. Better still, if he's like most of us and only runs premium anyway, he could mill .012 to .015 off the heads to maximize the DCR and get a few extra HP.

2) If it's in the budget, a quality valve job and port work by someone who knows their way around LS heads could double those gains, or more.

3) His '01 should already have an LS6 manifold, but there is still room for improvement by moving up to a 90/90 setup. Like the heads, these parts alone are worth an extra 15-20hp gain. Again, quality porting can add to those figures as well.

A lot of the above could be done for about the cost of of the LG Pro Longtube headers. Obviously, there are cheaper headers available for Corvettes, but heads and intakes are universal enough to avoid the 'vette tax' on parts.

Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

Custom spec'd cam or you can check out the Futral cams

ybaslo1

iTrader: (10)

Awesome info man, I appreciate it. I did a little research on some heads. The PRC 5.3L 2.5's stand out to me and look like a great value for what they are. They also increase the compression, and from what I've been told, the cheatr cam likes more compression as well. With spinning up to 6500-6600RPM's, would this be a feasable addition, or would the ported LS6 heads (Which are not that much more) be better? Just trying to figure out the best combination, don't want to just throw good parts at it and not perform to potential.

I did some research on the 90/90 set-up and for the price, it doesn't seam that benefitial. I think I may just sway him into a ported stock TB and prt match the intake. I remember someone on here did the TB's and came out real good for the price. Anyone have a link to his post or remember what his screen name is?

Again guys, thanks for the informaion.

I think with the addition of the heads, TB, pulleys and some other mods, he may even see low 11's with a stockish sounding car. Seems promising for what it is, I wish I went this route with my car.

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

Cam choice totally depends on headers or not. Bottom line, you don't want lots of overlap (no more than -6 degrees of overlap at .050") for a smooth running combo. The CheaTR is an outstanding choice if you run manifolds. If you run headers, there are some better choices. Just don't overcam.

Ed Curtis

WHAT? Am I on the wrong site? J/K Patrick....

BTW... did you get the PM response on the G8 from the "other" site? Want to make sure you received it.