Fear of big cams. Need help please!!!
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11 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Silver Spring, Md.
Fear of big cams. Need help please!!! I've finally made my mind up to purchase a h/c package. The TSP offerings interest me and I've seen a few cars running their cams. The torquer 2 seems to be very popular around these parts. Problem is, every one I've seen has had idle problems. I did a search in the tuning section and found that alot of people have had problems tuning the torquer 2.
I'd be willing to give up a few ponies in exchange for good driveability and decent manners. I'd like to go larger than the popular 224 cams. I know they're great cams but I'd like a bit more. Am I asking for too much?
I've done numerous searches and am even more confused than before. I don't mind a car that has decent lope but I don't want something that's going to be a tuning nightmare. I don't want a cam that will surge and stall at low rpms.
I'll probably be going with the TSP 2.5 5.3 heads so I'll be looking for one that matches up to these heads.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully some of you folks can share some of your experiences.
Thanks.
I'd be willing to give up a few ponies in exchange for good driveability and decent manners. I'd like to go larger than the popular 224 cams. I know they're great cams but I'd like a bit more. Am I asking for too much?
I've done numerous searches and am even more confused than before. I don't mind a car that has decent lope but I don't want something that's going to be a tuning nightmare. I don't want a cam that will surge and stall at low rpms.
I'll probably be going with the TSP 2.5 5.3 heads so I'll be looking for one that matches up to these heads.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully some of you folks can share some of your experiences.
Thanks.
10 Second Club
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Houston Tx
I run the Torquer 2 and the TSP 5.3 heads, my car drives and idles fine. It's all in the tune. If M6 car you should be fine,but if A4 you will need a converter 3k or bigger. The torquer 2 makes for a fun street car, choppy idle and good low end power. Good choice of H/c package.
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Silver Spring, Md.
I run the Torquer 2 and the TSP 5.3 heads, my car drives and idles fine. It's all in the tune. If M6 car you should be fine,but if A4 you will need a converter 3k or bigger. The torquer 2 makes for a fun street car, choppy idle and good low end power. Good choice of H/c package.
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 42
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From: Apopka , Fl
I drove a camaro with the torquer 2 cam and 5.3 heads and I found it to be more of a peaky combination. It really didn't feel any stronger than my bolt-on Ss til after 3500
sounds like the 228r cam or the "el-torro" cam would be good for what you are looking for. I am getting rid of my ms3 cuz i want the same thing you want. I am buying the el-torro as soon as my ms3 is sold
a torquer v2 is a small cam. ill be stepping up to a custom solid roller this summer. a friend of mine has a torque 2 and loves it, i have a torque v3 and its just not enough. but as far as driveability its all in the tune, ive driven 24x/26x lsr cams and driveability is outstanding. dont second guess yourself you will end up wanting a different cam, hints why im going with a new one this summer..
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Peaky would be fun, IMO. I love an engine that comes in violently about 3500 rpm and pulls hard up top. When I go to build an engine I'm going to have that in mind.
How often do you drive your car? If it's a daily driver then I'd try to find something that doesn't want to kill your valve springs after every other oil change. Also, how are you planning on tuning? Taking it to a reputible LS tuner or tuning it yourself?
When these guys talk about regretting the cam that they chose and want to go bigger I know exactly what they're talking about. I got a hotcam, which sounds really good, but doesn't make the power that should have come from all the effort that goes into changing a cam. If you're going to spend the cash on tuning stuff, supporting mods, heads, hardware, fluids/gaskets, plus all the work going into it, then you need to decide how you want the power to come on, and where. The cam is going to be one of the most important choices you make. The range of cams that you'll most likely be looking at will probably be tamable by a good tuner.
How often do you drive your car? If it's a daily driver then I'd try to find something that doesn't want to kill your valve springs after every other oil change. Also, how are you planning on tuning? Taking it to a reputible LS tuner or tuning it yourself?
When these guys talk about regretting the cam that they chose and want to go bigger I know exactly what they're talking about. I got a hotcam, which sounds really good, but doesn't make the power that should have come from all the effort that goes into changing a cam. If you're going to spend the cash on tuning stuff, supporting mods, heads, hardware, fluids/gaskets, plus all the work going into it, then you need to decide how you want the power to come on, and where. The cam is going to be one of the most important choices you make. The range of cams that you'll most likely be looking at will probably be tamable by a good tuner.
Last edited by KurtRardin; Apr 28, 2010 at 04:46 PM.
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 42
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From: Apopka , Fl
Yeah I have been on the fence between the TV2 and 228r for some time now , Im trying to keep the power band 2000-6400 rpms. So it would seem the TV2 is not what im looking for. I am still running the ls6 intake and ported tb. Dont know how much past 6000 rpms before that intake starts falling on its face.
I like my peaky cams too. Its all preference. I love how tame my car is under 4k, but once up there, it just pulls like a fraight train to 7k. From what I have seen with most ls cars, unless its a reverse split cam, most cams still aren't making that much torque till 3-3500 rpms. Powerbands with our cars, based off what I have seen mind you, are still about 3k up, and even with a smaller grind vs something like mine (242/248), my torque will be the same, just about 500 rpms later...but with gears or a stall, that really, IMO, doesn't make that much of a difference.
i agree. or you can still go with a tsp 224/224 .58x/.58x / 112 and have plenty of lift with good drive ability . should be a breeze to tune as well. i have the tsp 224/224 .566/.566 115 in my car and i love it. i can drive anywhere i want without attracting the cops and still put down some 11's at the local track whenever i'm ready to run . 
also remember , Larry01Z28 on the EFA board went high 10's with a 224 /58x cam in M6. it was a tin can ,but he did it !!..lol..
also remember , Larry01Z28 on the EFA board went high 10's with a 224 /58x cam in M6. it was a tin can ,but he did it !!..lol..
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Silver Spring, Md.
The car isn't a daily driver but it does get driven. When I do drive it I don't want it to be stalling out in stop and go traffic. All out performance isn't that important at the expense of driveability. The car is still full weight and I don't plan on giving up any of the creature comforts the car came with. My goal is to run 120 mph in the quarter at a 3650# raceweight. I'm hoping it will be doable.
It sounds like Patrick G is the man when it comes to tayloring a cam to suit almost anybody. Maybe I need to give him a holler.
It sounds like Patrick G is the man when it comes to tayloring a cam to suit almost anybody. Maybe I need to give him a holler.
Talk to Pat or PredatorZ. Though about big cams...its all in the tune. I trap 118.5 with a not so perfect set up (need FAST, 1 7/8 headers and true duals), and the car drives fine, everyday, whenever. Stop and go, stop lights, anything. Its all in the tune.
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 955
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From: Silver Spring, Md.
How big is your cam?
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Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Houston Tx
I have a 4K stall so the car is always in the power band. It pulls real hard from 4k-6850 rpm. It could be driven as a daily driver, it has great street manners. No stalling at red lights, drives great in traffic, and it still pulls a good vacuum. I can run wot and still have good brakes as soon as I come off the throttle.
242/248 .621/.615 111 lsa. I'm not trying to get you into a huge huge cam lol, but don't always count out larger cams. low-mid 230s cams would work great, IMO, with your m6 street manners. BUT...out of the smaller cams out there, I love the numbers and times the TR224/224 112 cam has put out. Excellent street manners, good times, all that good stuff....Just for me, I like the more top end pull and peak power. Since when I drive my car hard, its gonna see 6500-7k rpms, and every shift puts it at 5k+, so thats why I went with the cam I did.
