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something i dont understand about cams...

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Old 11-09-2006, 12:07 AM
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Default something i dont understand about cams...

Why would you want to have all your power in the upper rpm range? For instance, lets say you have a medium-large size cam that makes about 380 - 400hp but the power is spread equally throughout the rpm range. why would you want a big cam that makes almost the same hp but makes most of its power in the upper rpm rage?
Old 11-09-2006, 12:16 AM
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Originally Posted by NxLS1496
Why would you want to have all your power in the upper rpm range? For instance, lets say you have a medium-large size cam that makes about 380 - 400hp but the power is spread equally throughout the rpm range. why would you want a big cam that makes almost the same hp but makes most of its power in the upper rpm rage?
Because when your drag racing that is where you are most of the time... is in the upper rpm range.

A cam with a longer power band and better torque is going to be good for road course racing because you need power at lower rpms to pull you out of the corners better.
Old 11-09-2006, 12:28 AM
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And also medium-large size cams are good for get up and go on the street where you are not always going to be at 6k rpm for most of the time.... at least not me hah.
Old 11-09-2006, 10:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Rob98LS1
And also medium-large size cams are good for get up and go on the street where you are not always going to be at 6k rpm for most of the time.... at least not me hah.
get up and go meaning roll racing?
Old 11-09-2006, 10:20 AM
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well let's say the big cam peaks at 425 hp at 6500 with 380 tq at 5000 and the small cam makes 375 hp at 6000 and 375 ftlbs at 4500.the small cam will obviousy pull on the bigger cam until you reach close to 5k then the larger cam will pull the smaller one and when you shift you will drop back down somewhere close to your peak so you will not lose any ground and will start pulling again.of course there is variables but for racing with your setup right a larger cam will almost always win.
Old 11-09-2006, 10:34 AM
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A medium sized cam isnt going to make near the peak HP that a large cam will. For instance say a TR 228 and a G5X3. TR 228 will make great power throughout the rpm range, but the G5X3 is going to make a good amount of power down low too, and then steam roll the mid sized cam up top. You should make your choice on how you drive your car. If you never spin your car past 6K rpms, then a big cam is useless for you and you should go with a mid sized cam.
Old 11-09-2006, 11:10 AM
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The reason that big cams make all their HP up high is because of torque. In order to make more HP, you need to make high RPM torque. By spinning your motor up to 6800 with a bigger cam, you make more torque than stock AND at a higher RPM, thus making a LOT more HP than stock.

Sorry if that is confusing. Read up on HP and Torque to get a better understanding.
Old 11-09-2006, 11:19 AM
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You can only go so far with strong midrange/torque. For a heavy vehicle or street-setup this is best, BUT in a race car- not the case. It's better to make high RPM power and utilize it with more gearing and stall in a racecar. Again, all about combination.

Ben T.
Old 11-09-2006, 11:25 AM
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So what kind of cam is just about maxed on midrange torque and power?
Something just shy of a T-REX?
Old 11-09-2006, 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by gun5l1ng3r
The reason that big cams make all their HP up high is because of torque. In order to make more HP, you need to make high RPM torque. By spinning your motor up to 6800 with a bigger cam, you make more torque than stock AND at a higher RPM, thus making a LOT more HP than stock.

Sorry if that is confusing. Read up on HP and Torque to get a better understanding.
can the stock internals of an ls1 handle a 6800 rpm rev's? what about the stock a4? If im racing then i would certainly use all of the rpm's i can without blowing my motor.

I was planning on the ms3 cam. my car is a DD A4, city driving only, i probably drive about 200 miles a week, if not less. its not ALOT of stop and go traffic because we dont get much traffic around here but i barely ever get above 55mph in the city. usually around 45-50mph. I picked the ms3 cam, because it makes good power, sounds awesome, and it can put me where i want without adding heads. basically im too poor for a heads and cam package right now so i was going to go with a big cam and a 150 shot to put me where i want. i was planning on a yank 3600 stall. i know that seems low but i dont want a HUGE stall for my DD, instead i was planning on using the nitrous to keep me somewhat in powerband. what do you guys think?
Old 11-09-2006, 08:21 PM
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*bump*
Old 11-09-2006, 09:42 PM
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I am going with the TSP 233/239 cam but I'm in a 6 speed with 4.10's. My plan is to add a set of home ported 5.3 heads to bump my compression up so the larger cam doesn't kill my low end torque so much. If you want to have good bottom end, it's best to get a cam with a wide LSA which will flatten out the torque curve somewhat. Also, look for a cam that's smaller but with faster opening ramps, it'll give you better low end and still pull pretty strong up top.
Old 11-10-2006, 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by NxLS1496
can the stock internals of an ls1 handle a 6800 rpm rev's? what about the stock a4? If im racing then i would certainly use all of the rpm's i can without blowing my motor.

I was planning on the ms3 cam. my car is a DD A4, city driving only, i probably drive about 200 miles a week, if not less. its not ALOT of stop and go traffic because we dont get much traffic around here but i barely ever get above 55mph in the city. usually around 45-50mph. I picked the ms3 cam, because it makes good power, sounds awesome, and it can put me where i want without adding heads. basically im too poor for a heads and cam package right now so i was going to go with a big cam and a 150 shot to put me where i want. i was planning on a yank 3600 stall. i know that seems low but i dont want a HUGE stall for my DD, instead i was planning on using the nitrous to keep me somewhat in powerband. what do you guys think?

Id say G5X3 over MS3...and a 3600 stall would work but id say a 4000 would best match either of those cams. Both cams will work well with N20 as well.
Old 11-10-2006, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by NxLS1496
can the stock internals of an ls1 handle a 6800 rpm rev's? what about the stock a4? If im racing then i would certainly use all of the rpm's i can without blowing my motor.

I was planning on the ms3 cam. my car is a DD A4, city driving only, i probably drive about 200 miles a week, if not less. its not ALOT of stop and go traffic because we dont get much traffic around here but i barely ever get above 55mph in the city. usually around 45-50mph. I picked the ms3 cam, because it makes good power, sounds awesome, and it can put me where i want without adding heads. basically im too poor for a heads and cam package right now so i was going to go with a big cam and a 150 shot to put me where i want. i was planning on a yank 3600 stall. i know that seems low but i dont want a HUGE stall for my DD, instead i was planning on using the nitrous to keep me somewhat in powerband. what do you guys think?
Stock LS1 can handel 6800 RPMS, but not on a constant basis. Also you have a 98, which I believe had the weakest stock rod bolts, so 6800 rpms might be pushing it. My rev limiter was set at 6800 but being I had a 98 as well I didnt hit more than 6500 rpms with my setup.
Old 11-10-2006, 12:28 PM
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Originally Posted by 98Z28MASS
Id say G5X3 over MS3...and a 3600 stall would work but id say a 4000 would best match either of those cams. Both cams will work well with N20 as well.
do you know what the specs on the g5x3 are? i went to lgmotorsports' website and they dont list it. http://www.lgmotorsports.com/catalog...oducts_id=1509




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