Forced Induction Superchargers | Turbochargers | Intercoolers

Thinking turbo is cam ok

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Old Nov 13, 2015 | 07:50 PM
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Default Thinking turbo is cam ok

Have a built 370 that was setup for N/a but am now thinking of putting a turbo on it. I have a 233/236 .619/578 111+3 cam. Would this cam work well or should I get something different?
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Old Nov 13, 2015 | 08:03 PM
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Personally, I'd just have Martin spec you a new cam.
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Old Nov 13, 2015 | 08:23 PM
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Yeh he's the one that specd that one haha. Of course that was N/a with nitrous at the time
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Old Nov 14, 2015 | 07:30 PM
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Definitely needs a new cam Baron.

Hope all is well and that you enjoyed the N/A set-up!!!

Thanks for the mention David!
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Old Nov 15, 2015 | 01:41 PM
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Yes Martin the cam you spec'd is awesome it's a beast on the street. About to get new converter and rearend for it shortly. May just leave it n/a. This may give me an excuse for another project haha
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Old Nov 15, 2015 | 04:00 PM
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Wouldn't it really depend on how much boost? For instance my buddy runs like 6 psi on his HCI LS1 that has a cam very similar and it runs great at that low boost level
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Old Nov 15, 2015 | 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by HCI2000SS
Wouldn't it really depend on how much boost? For instance my buddy runs like 6 psi on his HCI LS1 that has a cam very similar and it runs great at that low boost level
Turbos and supercharger typically need very different cam profiles. An N/A cam can work well on a supercharger setup, but on a turbo, the overlap and LSA can hurt power a lot
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Old Nov 15, 2015 | 05:52 PM
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Originally Posted by JoeNova
Turbos and supercharger typically need very different cam profiles. An N/A cam can work well on a supercharger setup, but on a turbo, the overlap and LSA can hurt power a lot
That's what I've heard as well, but like I said my buddy's setup works great at 6 psi on his turbo. Just makes me wonder how necessary these turbo grinds are when you're only running low psi
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Old Nov 16, 2015 | 11:51 AM
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No offense, but screw that! Think about how much MORE fun your buddy's 6psi ls1 would be with a proper cam...
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Old Nov 16, 2015 | 02:32 PM
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Has anybody taken out a "na" cam and replaced it with a "turbo" or "sc" cam of similar specs and noted a significant difference as measured by a dyno or track? Or are we splitting hairs???
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Old Nov 16, 2015 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by HCI2000SS
Wouldn't it really depend on how much boost? For instance my buddy runs like 6 psi on his HCI LS1 that has a cam very similar and it runs great at that low boost level
Exactly. Any cam that opens the valves will work fine. You might not be optimal but you will still be fine to run it.

I prefer this option because it avoids opening the engine. The less often you open the engine the less likely you are to make mistakes and get filthy atmospheric air inside it, touching all your sticky parts.
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Old Nov 16, 2015 | 05:34 PM
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IMO if your going to run a less than optimal cam, then why not just run a stock cam? Back when you wanted a cam for the application, it was wanted for the gain it will provide. While I understand its ANOTHER ~$400, there was no "I don't really want to spend ~$600 for a turbo, BOV, Wastegate or whatever other part" so I just don't understand the "lets just run a pretty well wrong cam and call it good" mentality.

As I said, a stock cam is known to work well with boost. Really, I am not trying to be a jerk, but I just can't understand the thought process.
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Old Nov 16, 2015 | 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by 69-chvl
Has anybody taken out a "na" cam and replaced it with a "turbo" or "sc" cam of similar specs and noted a significant difference as measured by a dyno or track? Or are we splitting hairs???
Here is exactly what we are splitting.
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The pink area is the place you find torque with boost pressure.
The yellow area shows where you move torque with a bigger cam.

Camshaft "upgrades" do the same thing for N/A engines that they do for forced induction engines, they "upgrade" the rpm at which your cylinders make peak VE. If you do not have the head flow and valvetrain stability for those RPM ranges, then there is no sense in "upgrading" the camshaft to try and make a peak VE at that higher RPM.

The Turbo vs N/A camshaft debate takes into account increased exhaust gas pressure and temperature found when using a turbocharger, and it depends on the exhaust housing and exhaust route and a myriad of factors to determine how soon you need to close the exhaust valve. The traditional thought was to keep the overlap minimal, to prevent exhaust gas pressure found in turbo applications from reversing back into the cylinder, however, when you exceed OEM performance by twice or thrice in high power application, the exhaust restriction is generally minimal (we use large exhaust housings and exhaust plumbing for our race cars), making the traditional "turbo camshaft" a longer duration, minimal overlap for street manners and tight exhaust plumbing on street cars with smallish turbochargers and small exhaust housings.
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