Tin Indian

I don't want to sound like an *******, but here is the deal. On just about a daily basis, we get the same ol' cam questions. They generally follow one of the below listed questions:

1. Help me pick a cam

2. I need help with cam selection

3. What's the biggest cam I can run with my stock heads?

4. Would either of these cams give me a noticeable gain?

5. Need opinions for cam

6. Need to know what size cam????

7. Help picking a cam

8. What is the best cam

9. Which cam is best for low-end grunt?

BTW, this is just a sample of the very basic "help me pick a cam" questions from only the last 2 weeks.

We have a Search feature. You can read and read and read answers to all these basic questions until you either fall asleep from boredom or your eyes just can't focus anymore on the computor screen.

Now, while some of these "Pick me a cam" questions come from the newbies here, a suprisingly great majority of them come from folks with over 200 total posts. Jeeze, what have these guys been doing here with over 200 posts? What have they been reading all this time?

My God, use the "Search"......... These same questions have been asked so many times before .... And continue to get the same answers....

SPANKY LS1

iTrader: (24)

It's too late.

I believe you're referring to my thread, so I'll bite and respond. The reason I asked, is because I did a search, and had a hard time finding anyone who had upgraded from a 230/224 to anything, much less one of the cams I asked about. As far as the purpose of your thread, I'm still confused , unless you're unofficially applying for the position of LS1 TECH forum police.

Wanna show me the answers to my question in the above post, with your search feature, and show a definitive answer to me?

Quit bitchin' and complaining, if you see "What cam......" in the post title, don't read it, plain and simple. Nobody asked you specifically to respond to any thread that I have ever seen or posted. There are alot of threads on here that seem ignorant or redundant to me, too, but somehow, I don't feel the need to point it out to them, because it doesn't directly affect me any. I have this ability to scroll down to the next topic, something I picked up along the way.... The cam is the single most important piee of the engine, and this is the internal engine section... Jeez, what about them fools that keep asking about heads and cranks and stuff?

Tin Indian

I also would like to say; We have very very good cam discussions here that deal with camshaft degreeing, lobe separation, effects related to cam advancing/retarding, piston to valve clearance issues, scavenging, lobe profiles/ramp speed, etc, etc ....

Again, the above post just deals with the obvious.

Hey, the "Who's heads are best" threads are another good canditate for the "Please use the Search feature" too.

SPANKY LS1

iTrader: (24)

Seriously, I agree on the ones that there is a definite answer to, such as:


3. What's the biggest cam I can run with my stock heads?

9. Which cam is best for low-end grunt?

These can both be answered with some certainty. But, the other questions, such as:

1. Help me pick a cam

2. I need help with cam selection

4. Would either of these cams give me a noticeable gain?

5. Need opinions for cam

6. Need to know what size cam????

7. Help picking a cam

8. What is the best cam

These are often different depending on heads, other mods, type of transmission, intended use, expectations, etc. I think that the "New LS1 Enthuisast" forum will help some, but you'll always get the "Which exhaust....." or "Which lid....." or "Which MAF ends.....". Quite honestly, its easier to post a new thread than to sit through 2000 threads already about lids, mufflers, cams, etc. But some are application specific, and are probably not addressed in the search archives. (Like mine )

Tin Indian

Spanky....

You have a good point... Your thread is specific in my opinion. I was just grabbing the obvious "help me pick a cam posts" in general.

Certainly you understand what I was talking about in this thread. Sure, I can just scroll down the screen past these posts. But, certainly folks can use the Search function for the same basic questions that keep being asked here on a daily basis.

No, I am not applying for the Forum Police

SPANKY LS1

iTrader: (24)

I agree, but I... I mean some people are lazy.

x phantom x

iTrader: (14)

I agree that some of these threads have to go down, and alot of people could find they're answers to the simple questions by using the search, but I have to say that for maybe 50% of the questions, the search feature will not help them. Questions involving specific combos, for example. People, including myself, come to these forums for help, not to be told to "use the search feature" ... If everything could be found via the search, there would be no need for the forums anymore.
Especially when talking about cams. There are so many different cams ... head/cam combinations out there, that certain questions just need to be asked.
I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing with you, but I think the "use the search feature" should be a thread to thread descision, and a post like this will most likely discourage someone from asking a valid question, which defeats the purpose of the forums.

Just put yourself in the shoes of someone that doesn't know much, if anything, about heads/cams on these types of cars. I for one, learned almost everything I know about head/cams for ls1's from this site and ls1.com, mostly from reading through old threads.

Judas

The thing is you can find answers (opinions) to questions with a search. I search all the time, but it is nice to see new opinions about cams etc. There might be more than 3 people with a tr220 cam installed in the last 6 months. I'd like to hear their opinions, I'm sure they are not goin to search and reply to a 2 month old post. If you don't like repeat posts.... DON'T read them.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

I think valid points are raised on both sides. I'll give my .02

A sticky up top with the Basic's of Cam selection, would help with some of the basic posts. Maybe the basic stuff like JMX has on his website and a few other details.

However, most folks are going to still post and ask about their specific situation before they order a cam. They want the personalized attention, to help make their selection. A lot of us old timers did that too when we picked out our first cam. Most folks want to do a cam once and that's it. Many want reassurance they are making good selection.

2000Z28M6

iTrader: (13)

I say if it dont intrest you dont read it simple. Besides this is the internal dept. So what else should people post about? I agree there is redundancy, seems like lately this dept has turned into the LS1Cam dept. Cams are the hardest thing to understand and spec out to a rookie. Not to mention everyone hopes to find the perfect one for their application on their first try. So I guess its not goin away soon. I just keep reading and learning. If you dont like what you see, go to another dept. or webpage for that matter.

finalymodded

why is this in internal engine forum? shouldn't it be in the lounge or such?

2000Z28M6

iTrader: (13)

no kidding

x phantom x

iTrader: (14)

Exactly. I personally did at least 3-4 months of research learning all about cams (I knew NOTHING about them before, now I believe I know basically everything there is to know). Lots of time with pro's and con's of different cams, etc. Personally, I believe a H&C job on a car is one of the biggest and most complicated things that you can do, and is by far one of the more involved things I have ever installed in any of my cars. Obviously, most people just want to make sure they are getting it right the first time, as did I.

Trojan T/A

iTrader: (1)

Um... can you guys tell me what is the best cam? Also the biggest cam I can run with my heads milled 1.90? Is the LS6 cam the best out there? This is the right thread for these questions right?



In case you are slow - that is sarcasm and making fun of both the people that ask these questions and those who whine about it.

DaleMX

iTrader: (4)

Maybe you guys can tell me what the best cam is for my doberman. He is tired of the old stock cam I gave him and is starting to look at my car funny. Stop all the crying. If you dont like the posts, just ignore them.

SouthFL.02.SS

Oh, by the way, which exhaust sounds best!????

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

I would always recommend our members use the search features before asking questions, they just might find the answers they were looking for. Honestly, some of the discussions from a year ago were more in-depth and covered alot more information. I'd want to read those if I were trying to make a decision. Like some of you, I'd want to read everything I could before making a decision.

Our goal here is to educate LS1 enthusiasts. Its okay to ask questions. When you read these technical threads, try to absorb and understand what you are reading. We want YOU to be able to decide for yourself. Take the time to learn and understand how things relate, and then come up with your own cam decisions. Thats the main goal. You really are missing out if you choose to just ask "which cam" and listen to other peoples recommendations instead of doing some research to satisfy your own personal requirements. Everyone has their own preferences for cams, there isn't a "Best" cam. That will depend highly on the individual.

We all have our own tolerance levels for:
-Drivability
-Emissions testing requirements
-valvespring life
-reliability
-performance
-sound
-idle quality
-fuel economy

Learn what each cam spec does, how it relates to specific items, and then form your own opinion. Don't buy all the "hype" and expect some magical camshaft to be the best in all aspects. There are ALWAYS trade-offs.

Tony

Scream

iTrader: (6)

Since my post was Number 9 on your hitlist.....

I have been asked to use the search function in several posts lately, and trust me--I HAVE! I don't know if I'm searcing for the wrong stuff, not searcing correctly, or if what I'm looking for hasn't been covered.

I've spent my whole life in the Truck section, and just when I start venturing out into the other parts of the forum....BOOM!

Not all LS1 enthusiasts are as technically well-versed as others. I have a very basic understanding of how stuff works. I've tried learning more about cams and timing events and what LSA is and that stuff, but I just can't seem to pick it up.

Does this make me stupid? No. But what seems elementary to some is a technical nightmare to others.

Please be kind to those of us who might need a little more information and technical advice than others.

Bearcat Steve

I am planning a heads/cam/header/intake project to be done this Spring. I have been reading all of the "Is this cam any good?" threads almost every day. So far, just reading all of this stuff has been super helpful. If these posts didn't appear as much, I would not have had the opportunity to learn as much.

I do agree with using the search function. However, separate and apart from technology, using the search function can be frustrating at times. For example, let's say I want to learn about Stage 2 heads from Absolute. Do I use S2, Stage2, Stage II, or sII in my search? Do I use Absolute Speed, Absolute, AS, or Jay in my search? When you add to that the propensity of some super techie mechanical people to spell things incorrectly, it then makes a search even more difficult.

The bottom line for me is that I appreciate all of the stuff I read here. I probably know less than most everyone who posts and the opportunity to see what they think is a very valuable service indeed.

Thanks for listening.

95LS1TA

iTrader: (1)

This sites search sucks. Try getting a different search engine and it would solve most of the problems.