Why run a big cam in a daily driver?
Do you guys pull trailers with your camaros?
To each his own, but I don't care about climbing a mountain at 1700 rpm and feeling big block torque in this car. I do appreciate that feeling, but the big cam guys (me) are probably more into full throttle, all out racing. With my converter and shift points I couldn't lug the motor below 3800rpm with any throttle if I tried. I shift at 6400 and it drops to 5100, that's all the powerband I need to spank an RV cammed car.
To each his own, but I don't care about climbing a mountain at 1700 rpm and feeling big block torque in this car. I do appreciate that feeling, but the big cam guys (me) are probably more into full throttle, all out racing. With my converter and shift points I couldn't lug the motor below 3800rpm with any throttle if I tried. I shift at 6400 and it drops to 5100, that's all the powerband I need to spank an RV cammed car.
...or is your current sig overdue for an update?
The 02 I have now is in the shop as we speak getting head work and a cam installed. It is stock internals now and is the one that spanked the cuda.
It will soon have a big cam, not because I wanted "a BIG cam" but because that is what Tracy at RevXtreme and I came up with to meet my planned use for the car. I'm going for ET at the track at the expense of all else and in that car care nothing about having low end torque at the expense of horsepower.
Too big a cam is probably the most common mistake hotrodders make but that does not mean there's no place for big cams. They just tend to have a narrow range of what they are good at.
My '80 had a mild cam. 287 adv dur .480 lift 112 LSA on Dart Sportsman 2 heads with 10:1 comp. torquer 2 intake Barry Grant 750 vac sec carb 4spd manual tranny Ran pretty damn good because it was a properly matched combo.
Same goal with the new one just more quarter mile oriented. It's not my driver.
Just curious what positive gains you see by running a huge cam such as the donkey dick in a daily driven street car?
What are the advantages in the big cam over say a 224 or 228 duration cam in the midrange of the curve(the part you'll be in most on the street).
thanks
Mark
What are the advantages in the big cam over say a 224 or 228 duration cam in the midrange of the curve(the part you'll be in most on the street).
thanks
Mark
That being said, as long as the combo is matched for it's intended use, there still is a case for a rowdy top-end happy lurching race car that you love to drive everyday and are willing to live with it's weaknesses because it's strengths are soooo good.
OK, **** it, put a 244 .612 in my DD. yeah
Threads like this are so amusing. Funny as **** how people get so worked up
I got a novel idea....how about everbody just getting the cam they believe fits both their driving style and combo best
Lastly, Gh0st, you should be ashmed for picking on Jellybean er.... I mean PG like that
You know the mods here will spank you. Must be slow over on HCLS1
I got a novel idea....how about everbody just getting the cam they believe fits both their driving style and combo best
Lastly, Gh0st, you should be ashmed for picking on Jellybean er.... I mean PG like that
You know the mods here will spank you. Must be slow over on HCLS1 
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
From: Nor Cal
To answer the original question. I have a big cam because the only place I race is the track. And for my daily commuting I have more than enough power. Like many before have said if you are actually racing learn to stay in your power band. I used to race 600 cc bikes in the AMA. If I dropped below 10,500 rpm I was dead in the water. Big cams just require being willing to stay in the proper power band. If you are willing to do this you are rewarded. If you like just putting around and racing like an idiot between stop lights at 2k to 4k you dont really understand racing anyway. People serious about road racing or drag racing are willing to lose power down low to make more power where it matters. If you are not into serious racing of your car pick appropriate cam. If you want to squeeze every last bit for TRACK racing go big. I think this post was just started to stir up ****.
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I suppose it depends on how and where you drive the car. All the above posts are pretty much dead on.
It is cool to say you have a donkey dick though.......and it is even cooler to have a donkey dick, and have a huge cam in your car too!!!!
It is cool to say you have a donkey dick though.......and it is even cooler to have a donkey dick, and have a huge cam in your car too!!!!
why is the sky blue? why are ***** good? just because!!! ha im kiddin. all cams are different. its not about how big it is, its about how well it matches your setup, and wat you prefer. where you want your powerband, what kind of peak power you want, and how much drivability you need.
Last edited by sixpack_2_go; Oct 27, 2008 at 07:38 PM.
. 
IMHO, big cams get old fast. Most here are more impressed by how much they impress here on this site and won't honestly say how annoying it is to drive their big cam "street" cars. BTW, most of them see 50 or so miles a week when the weather's perfect. After years and years of people, the 220-228 ish cams with 550-590 lift are the absolute best choice for daily driven street cars. Any more and you sacrifice low end and midrange torque but you pick up on peak hp, which is what sells on the dyno racing circuit. Sucks as a whole on the street driving circuit though.
Last edited by Redlinez; Oct 28, 2008 at 09:58 PM.
IMHO, big cams get old fast. Most here are more impressed by how much they impress here on this site and won't honestly say how annoying it is to drive their big cam "street" cars. BTW, most of them see 50 or so miles a week when the weather's perfect. After years and years of people, the 220-228 ish cams with 550-590 lift are the absolute best choice for daily driven street cars. Any more and you sacrifice low end and midrange torque but you pick up on peak hp, which is what sells on the dyno racing circuit. Sucks as a whole on the street racer circuit though.
as far as just saying it doesnt both me.. when i drive, say to the track (1 1/2hours)... yea it gets old.. but i have took trips in my buddies 228 car also.. and it gets just as annoying.. mine is quieter than his on the inside, so his gets old even faster than mine....
it doesnt both me one bit to drive mine every day.. as long as im not in it for a full 2 hours at a time.. i like diving in the city more than highway drives...
i would NEVER trade my cam just because of "driveability".. wouldnt want it to affect my times at the strip..
it would DEFINITELY bother me if my track times were what they are, but as long as im running the times, i love it!
Threads like this are so amusing. Funny as **** how people get so worked up
I got a novel idea....how about everbody just getting the cam they believe fits both their driving style and combo best
Lastly, Gh0st, you should be ashmed for picking on Jellybean er.... I mean PG like that You know the mods here will spank you. Must be slow over on HCLS1
I got a novel idea....how about everbody just getting the cam they believe fits both their driving style and combo best
Lastly, Gh0st, you should be ashmed for picking on Jellybean er.... I mean PG like that
You know the mods here will spank you. Must be slow over on HCLS1 I respect the man! 
i personally dont like how flat the torque curve is on a stock ls1, kind of borring, i want to feel it start pulling a little harder at high rpm. because even down low you still have PLENTY of power for driving in traffic, to say you want more power there is riddiculus. at the track your always in the powerband, from a roll race your in the powerband, from a dig you can slip the clutch or have a stall to get you right in the powerband - thats if you could dead hook on the street which is impossible for most of us anyway. when im driving im either just cruising slow to get mpg or im WOT and i want the most power up top because thats where your at at WOT. theres no half throttle shifting at 4000rpm funny buisness
small cams are great if your looking for street manners, but the people saying that a small cam is gunna be faster on the street is BS, there just mad they didnt get a bigger cam and are regretting it lol
small cams are great if your looking for street manners, but the people saying that a small cam is gunna be faster on the street is BS, there just mad they didnt get a bigger cam and are regretting it lol
i personally dont like how flat the torque curve is on a stock ls1, kind of borring, i want to feel it start pulling a little harder at high rpm. because even down low you still have PLENTY of power for driving in traffic, to say you want more power there is riddiculus. at the track your always in the powerband, from a roll race your in the powerband, from a dig you can slip the clutch or have a stall to get you right in the powerband - thats if you could dead hook on the street which is impossible for most of us anyway. when im driving im either just cruising slow to get mpg or im WOT and i want the most power up top because thats where your at at WOT. theres no half throttle shifting at 4000rpm funny buisness
small cams are great if your looking for street manners, but the people saying that a small cam is gunna be faster on the street is BS, there just mad they didnt get a bigger cam and are regretting it lol
small cams are great if your looking for street manners, but the people saying that a small cam is gunna be faster on the street is BS, there just mad they didnt get a bigger cam and are regretting it lol