Pontiac GTO 2004-2006 - Need help determing what size cam to go with.

Hello, ive just purchased a set of PRC LS6 stage 2.5 heads and a Torquer V2 cam from another member on here for my 06 GTO. And i was wondering how big of a cam i could go with these head. What kind of clearance issues could i have? The guy i bought them from said they were milled .010 from TSP? That sound right? If im going thru all the trouble to swap the stock setup out, i dont wanna be disappointed with the sound/performance with the cam. mainly the sound haha. Can i get into like a .610 or .615 lift and be fine? I basically want the largest "streetable" cam i can get. This is not a daily driver, and will be tuned by Speed Inc. In addition i will also be running LT's. Any insight/help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

You're going to pick a cam by sound and lift? sigh

Hello, ive just purchased a set of PRC LS6 stage 2.5 heads and a Torquer V2 cam from another member on here for my 06 GTO. And i was wondering how big of a cam i could go with these head. What kind of clearance issues could i have? The guy i bought them from said they were milled .010 from TSP? That sound right? If im going thru all the trouble to swap the stock setup out, i dont wanna be disappointed with the sound/performance with the cam. mainly the sound haha. Can i get into like a .610 or .615 lift and be fine? I basically want the largest "streetable" cam i can get. This is not a daily driver, and will be tuned by Speed Inc. In addition i will also be running LT's. Any insight/help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

You can put a 26x/26x if you want. It will run like crap. On the other hand, that Torquer V2 will be fine and run great with those heads and that displacement, especially with that bump in CR. Do you know the exact specs on it?

112 LSA on that cam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTW-jF51rXg

i dont think he asked for attitude, but if ya wanna chime in and be know it all i guess thats fine. sigh, He asked a similar question to what i have been pondering with my setup,
on the other hand thank you 409cisecondgen, i love tthe sound of that, how is the streetability

i dont think he asked for attitude, but if ya wanna chime in and be know it all i guess thats fine. sigh, He asked a similar question to what i have been pondering with my setup,
on the other hand thank you 409cisecondgen, i love tthe sound of that, how is the streetability

Wouldn't go any bigger and expect to DD it. That being said, streetability is mostly in a tune nowadays.

I also understand where Svede is coming from, asking for cam by how it sounds, that's a horrible way to shop for cams.

I dont have the exact specs on me, but i do know its 112 lsa. Obviously im interested in the way it performs or i wouldnt be doing any of this to start with. Thank you for posting the video, that helps. I can sell that cam to a friend of mine and buy a new one for the difference of 100 dollars and i thought if i could squeeze out another 10 hp or so it would be worth it. Thats why im asking how big i can go before i have valve clearance issues? And P.S. who doesnt buy a cam without thinking about how good it sounds? The only difference is that i just said it out loud. I hate how people tend to make others sound like an idiot on these forums. You knew what the question was, but you couldnt help to take it there. Thanks.

I dont have the exact specs on me, but i do know its 112 lsa. Obviously im interested in the way it performs or i wouldnt be doing any of this to start with. Thank you for posting the video, that helps. I can sell that cam to a friend of mine and buy a new one for the difference of 100 dollars and i thought if i could squeeze out another 10 hp or so it would be worth it. Thats why im asking how big i can go before i have valve clearance issues? And P.S. who doesnt buy a cam without thinking about how good it sounds? The only difference is that i just said it out loud. I hate how people tend to make others sound like an idiot on these forums. You knew what the question was, but you couldnt help to take it there. Thanks.

Anyone who specs a custom cam? They are all going to sound cammed, some more than others. It's just what happens with low LSA, and lots of duration and lift.

BTW, hard to know what piston to valve clearance will be, especially without the specs and with milled heads.

personally id stick with the torquer 2....that cam is a proving winner and the streetablity shouldn't be that bad at all...like everyone has said the streetablity has a lot to do with the tune

You're going to pick a cam by sound and lift? sigh

This.

i dont think he asked for attitude, but if ya wanna chime in and be know it all i guess thats fine. sigh, He asked a similar question to what i have been pondering with my setup,
on the other hand thank you 409cisecondgen, i love tthe sound of that, how is the streetability

He didn't ask for attitude, but Jerry is right; Choosing a cam due to sound is a little dumb. If you're after the lope, get it on a 112. Everyone will know you have a non-stock cam.
He's wanting to squeeze out every last bit of power. You may have to fold on something if you're after a specific sound (not really sure how you can tell the difference in a little bit of lift and duration). If you want every single last HP that your motor can give you, you may not get the sound your after.

I dont have the exact specs on me, but i do know its 112 lsa. Obviously im interested in the way it performs or i wouldnt be doing any of this to start with. Thank you for posting the video, that helps. I can sell that cam to a friend of mine and buy a new one for the difference of 100 dollars and i thought if i could squeeze out another 10 hp or so it would be worth it. I hate how people tend to make others sound like an idiot on these forums. You knew what the question was, but you couldnt help to take it there. Thanks.

You know what I hate? People asking for advice and input then gettin angry at the advice they're given. It's the interwebz. Toughen up.
The specs on that cam are 232/234 .595"/.595". I'm looking at getting the same cam if I use an off-the-shelf grind, but chances are I'll go custom.
Also, read up on cams a little bit and learn to understand them a bit more. People always think, "Bigger has to be better. Right?". Often enough, smaller cams are able to perform just as well if not better than a large cam in a given setup. Donkey Dick cams are very seldom the answer.
Back on topic: That can will work well with your setup. It's a tried and true setup that works well with ported 243s at both 346cubea and 364cubes.

Toughen up...haha Anytime someone is ignorant to me, ill call them out. It has nothing to do with me having to toughen up. It has everything to do with people treating others with respect!!! Thanks for all the great info.

To big a of a cam is pointless, you lose power. I got a comp cam mild cam, 215/232. Works good and has a little rumble.

I dont have the exact specs on me, but i do know its 112 lsa. Obviously im interested in the way it performs or i wouldnt be doing any of this to start with. Thank you for posting the video, that helps. I can sell that cam to a friend of mine and buy a new one for the difference of 100 dollars and i thought if i could squeeze out another 10 hp or so it would be worth it. Thats why im asking how big i can go before i have valve clearance issues? And P.S. who doesnt buy a cam without thinking about how good it sounds? The only difference is that i just said it out loud. I hate how people tend to make others sound like an idiot on these forums. You knew what the question was, but you couldnt help to take it there. Thanks.

Did you want a cam that makes your car faster or one that has some sound that is a preference like an exhaust? Look at your question again. I didn't care what my cam sounded like and I when I shopped for one I didn't ask for internet advise where you get a lot of "I use". I asked a cam grinding expert based off of the performance and intended use for the car. I could give a crap what it sounds like. I also didn't go for peak power as peak power doesn't necessarily give you the fastest car. FWIW any cam that will give you great power will sound fine. A lift that is higher than what you need (dependent on RPM, heads, etc) isn't beneficial and may be detrimental. The question kind of shows you don't understand cams as lift is only part of the equation. Peak lift is when the cam is near the bottom of the hole so with the right duration you could have a 3" lift and still have lots of clearance.

You want good advise? Contact a grinder like Ed Curtis, fill out his form and wait for the response.

Anytime someone is ignorant to me, ill call them out.

I'm sure you do.

It has nothing to do with me having to toughen up. It has everything to do with people treating others with respect!!!

Last I checked, nobody said anything at all disrespectful.
Jerry is a knowledgable dude and was trying to tell you that the way you're attempting to choose a cam is not the correct way.

I got a comp cam mild cam, 215/232.

Holy split!

Did you want a cam that makes your car faster or one that has some sound that is a preference like an exhaust? Look at your question again. I didn't care what my cam sounded like and I when I shopped for one I didn't ask for internet advise where you get a lot of "I use". I asked a cam grinding expert based off of the performance and intended use for the car. I could give a crap what it sounds like. I also didn't go for peak power as peak power doesn't necessarily give you the fastest car. FWIW any cam that will give you great power will sound fine. A lift that is higher than what you need (dependent on RPM, heads, etc) isn't beneficial and may be detrimental. The question kind of shows you don't understand cams as lift is only part of the equation. Peak lift is when the cam is near the bottom of the hole so with the right duration you could have a 3" lift and still have lots of clearance.

You want good advise? Contact a grinder like Ed Curtis, fill out his form and wait for the response. Best advice you will get is right here^^^^. Size and sound should be by-products of the right cam for your GTO. They should not be the basis for your selection.

Did you want a cam that makes your car faster or one that has some sound that is a preference like an exhaust? Look at your question again. I didn't care what my cam sounded like and I when I shopped for one I didn't ask for internet advise where you get a lot of "I use". I asked a cam grinding expert based off of the performance and intended use for the car. I could give a crap what it sounds like. I also didn't go for peak power as peak power doesn't necessarily give you the fastest car. FWIW any cam that will give you great power will sound fine. A lift that is higher than what you need (dependent on RPM, heads, etc) isn't beneficial and may be detrimental. The question kind of shows you don't understand cams as lift is only part of the equation.

You want good advise? Contact a grinder like Ed Curtis, fill out his form and wait for the response.

All of this^!

Ed is the man! Semi-hard to get in touch with as he only operates via email, but he'll take care of you and optimize your individual setup.

As svede said its about the package. Im not sure what cam I have, CBM built my motor years ago and dont have specs. I do know that it feels fantastic and works with their 240cc 243s I have

Wouldn't go any bigger and expect to DD it. That being said, streetability is mostly in a tune nowadays.

I also understand where Svede is coming from, asking for cam by how it sounds, that's a horrible way to shop for cams.

I second this. The first time i picked a cam, i went by peak dyno # and sound. I ended up with a cam that made peak power past my rev limiter and drove like crap around town with stock gears / stall.

Knowing your application and then pick. if the car is considered any sort of daily driver chose something with a fat power band -- not peak #s

It's always best to get a custom grind from a reputable person who can spec one out for you...or just go with an off-the-shelf that works for everyone else. I've done both with great success in power and at the track. I would say my favorite cams have been the ones I had custom made. They drove the best and gave me just what I wanted.

- Kevin