Dave00C5

iTrader: (4)

I have a 02 Z06 Cam i want to swap into my stock 02 LQ4 6.0 Truck 3/4 ton 4x4 Pickup along with a set of LS2 heads. I'm wondering if this is a good cam choice or go with something else for more torque and power. I'm interested in racing it just better pulling and towing power.

kingsey

I'd go at least a 220/220 cam

Zcleanest28

If your doing heads also you should see a decent gain. I would have to agree with kingsey on going with something a bit larger. A Tr224 would still let you keep your low end drivability and let your engine breath a bit more.

ls1leadfoot

iTrader: (1)

if you dont plan on changing springs.... would go as agressive as possible ......z06 cam will definatly be better than stock lq4/lq9 cam......either way

prochargedchevyi

iTrader: (9)

What is the payload weight that you're towing?

If you're not interested in racing, just towing, don't dive into your engine if you don't have to. Get some new front and rear gear sets and it'll feel like a new truck. A minor cam swap would be okay, but don't go too aggressive, otherwise you'll start augmenting your powercurve to an RPM range that is useless to you.

s346k

iTrader: (4)

i agree with procharged...

with normal use for towing and hauling, that engine will rarely see over 5k rpm. if you must change cams, find one that will develop more low end tq (if possible) and aim for raising the compression ratio more than anything with a head swap. more cr = more tq.

MPFD

iTrader: (5)

I wouldn't change your cam at all if you wanna tow. I went with a "small cam" in my silverado and lost alota lowend. I'm not complaining I new this would happen, but if my truck was a tow rig I wouldn't be happy with it. Throw a gear at it if your not happy.

Just my two cents.

Dave00C5

iTrader: (4)

Thanks all for your advice. My truck is averaging 9 miles per gallon in the city and 13 on the highway. It seems to be struggling to pull itself and i believe i did not do it any favors by going up to 265/75/16 tires versus the stock size 245/75/16 tires. I tried a predator programmer last year which i had to send back for a refund as my gear selector messed up by losing a forward gear and not showing the gears on the truck properly. I'm wondering if the predator going back to stock might have corrupted the trucks programming in some way. Anyhow maybe installing the heads for a compression bump and a tune for starters might help its mileage and performance. The tires are a inch taller so my 3.73's are probably in the 3.60 range now. The Z06 cam might not be worth it in a truck huh? Dave

slowec

iTrader: (9)

Get a custom tune. It'll help all aspects if done correctly.

Dave00C5

iTrader: (4)

Yes i'll do that.

hammertime

iTrader: (1)

The Z06 cam makes more power in a higher rpm range. There are much better cams out there than that for more low end torque. Consider your stock 6.0L cam, the same cam installed in 2001+ LS1 cars...

That cam should have an IVC of ~ 33*ABDC (depending on ICL, which I could not find). As long as you stay at that point or slightly sooner, you should not lose any torque. If you are upping the compression at the same time, you can go a little bigger, but even a 224 cam is huge for what you are wanting. I'm guessing you are not running any headers on your truck, so a healthy exhaust split should be part of the design. At this point, it's worth mentioning that long tube headers, if legal in your area, would do wonders for your torque curve.

A couple a cams that might work for you:

XE 208/216 .554/.563 112+3 33* IVC, -12* overlap
XFI/XE 206/216 .590/.563 112+2 33* IVC, -13* overlap

Either of the above cams should be a big improvment in power over your stock cam, without trading any low-end power for power up top, and would work fine with stock heads. What you tow is going to determine whether or not more compression works for you. Are you towing heavy loads? In hilly areas? Running low octane fuel? More compression coupled with heavy engine loads could be a bad combo in the right conditions. If you can't justify more compression, spend the money on headers and exhaust, if at all possible.

If you can run more compression, something like this along with a stock LS6 head might really wake things up.

XFI/XE-R 214/222 .600/.581 112+1 38* ivc, -6* overlap

That is the largest cam (i.e. - the most overlap) I would run with stock exhaust manifolds. Also, any larger than these would probably get to be more and more noticeable in gear stitting at a stop, wanting to surge or pull against the brakes.

I know that there are sponsors and other board members who could probably tell you much more about cam selection then me, but hopefully thats a starting point.

Also, FWIW, while a gear change would certainly help you out in the torque department, it will cost about the same as a cam swap, and definitely cost you more at the pump. A properly selected cam and good tune could improve power and economy.

Good Luck!

Dave00C5

iTrader: (4)

Thanks Hammertime for the thorough cam advice! I'll scrap the idea of the Z06 Cam. How about changing my heads to the LS2 to up the compression a bit and maybe leaving my stock cam and adding 1.8 rockers?

THEBRAD

iTrader: (3)

im going to have to go ahead and say dont listen to the guys that told u to change ur gears and that u never see over 5000 rpms when towing because obviously they have never towed anything up a hill or tried to get on the highway pulling something. and also why get worst gas mileage and have to retune ur computer with a gear change, retarded. go for the 224 cam or ls6 cam both r going to be great improvements in low end and high end power they will build it everywhere and both need new springs anyhow so its whatever u want

Dave00C5

iTrader: (4)

Hiya Brad, I thought of the ZO6 Cam as its not much bigger than my stock one.

THEBRAD

iTrader: (3)

do a cold air and headers and exhaust first this will need to be done before a cam anyways and ur going to gain around a lot more than some little cams. i made 35 horse and 42lbs just a k&n filter headers and y pipe

THEBRAD

iTrader: (3)

its not but, idk if u want something cheap but that would definetly be ur best route u can get a cam and springs for 200 bucks and make around 10-15 more horse i have the dyno numbers in a book for that exact change i will try to find them

THEBRAD

iTrader: (3)

dave i believe i left it at my prents house i will be there tomorrow night i will try to find it so i can get them to u. its an ls1 performance book has a vette camaro and truck on the front cover i think i got mine at jegs but im pretty sure u can buy it at autozone or advance

prochargedchevyi

iTrader: (9)

Did you read his post?

He got larger tires, which decreases the rear gear ratio. On top of that, he's towing heavy objects, which means his inert weight has increased.

So by your rational, you're suggesting to increase the powerband to a level that the rear gear, transmission, and torque convertor aren't suited for.

And we're retarted?

Go look at construction and waste haulers and tell me why they use turbo charged inline 6's with 9.13 gears. Their motors only produce 280hp. Tell me why that is.

Increasing the horsepower does nothing when towing unless he plans on flooring it on the highway 24-7.

hammertime

iTrader: (1)

LS2 heads ~ LS6 heads pretty much the same. I think the LS2 may have a slightly different chamber to account for the larger bore, but don't quote me on that.

hammertime

iTrader: (1)

I remembered reading that and I have the book handy. How to Build High-Performance Chevy LS1/LS6 V-8s. If you are talking about the test I'm thinking you are, it is in Chapter 8 on Gen III Vortec Truck Engine Buildups, on page 126. This is the data from a 6.0L engine with shorty headers, stock air cleaner assy & water pump. No alternator or power steering on the dyno. This test ran a baseline compression of 9.25:1, and the tests after LS6 heads bumped that to 9.915:1.

If you notice, the heads added almost 20 lb-ft across the board, but the cam gave it back below 3400 on the graph. I imagine the trend continues below that point, so you see why I would not recommend the LS6 cam for towing.