Gas Mileage After Cam....
Gas Mileage After Cam.... I've noticed that since I installed my cam, my gas mileage has taken a real kick in the pants...
Before, I was getting 21-22 mph with 50% highway, now is MUCH less. I havent gotten a number yet but I can tell its really gone down. I was out driving the other night, I only drove about 30-40 miles and the gas meter went down at least 1/4 tank. I was doing some hard driving, but not hard enough to be getting 7.5 mpg... Anyone expirience this? Will tuning help any while getting more power out of the cam? Thanks
Before, I was getting 21-22 mph with 50% highway, now is MUCH less. I havent gotten a number yet but I can tell its really gone down. I was out driving the other night, I only drove about 30-40 miles and the gas meter went down at least 1/4 tank. I was doing some hard driving, but not hard enough to be getting 7.5 mpg... Anyone expirience this? Will tuning help any while getting more power out of the cam? Thanks
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Manassas VA
wellcome to the club , I think if i push it I can get 10 miles to the gallon in city driving , thats shifting at like 2500, and getting on it once a while. I thinkg when we get it computer tuned it would go up
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Sydney, Australia
You must tune a car with a cam installed. You're cheating yourself out of idle quality , power and fuel economy. Find a trusted shop with a dyno and LS1 Edit and you'll never look back.
Also, some cams just aren't suited to the engine you install it in. Past a certain point, you will start losing out on bottom end / midrange and that means having to work the throttle a little harder to get around most day-to-day situations. That chews up fuel pretty quick. What are the specs on the cam?A really good tune can see even a fairly hefty cam perform nicely in daily life but there is a limit of course.
Also, some cams just aren't suited to the engine you install it in. Past a certain point, you will start losing out on bottom end / midrange and that means having to work the throttle a little harder to get around most day-to-day situations. That chews up fuel pretty quick. What are the specs on the cam?A really good tune can see even a fairly hefty cam perform nicely in daily life but there is a limit of course.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,643
Likes: 2,571
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
With a cam like a TR224 and stock heads, you're probably not going to see a whole lot of power from tuning, unless you're A/F is really off or you have a timing issue. Tuning can make driveability much better though, but you still won't be back to where you were before (MPG wise). It's a trade off.
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STF Veteran
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,486
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From: Greensboro, North Carolina
How bad is it for the engine if I don't get my car tuned for a few months? I just got LT's and I am installing a TSP224R cam in a few weeks. I probably won't be able to get a tune for about a month or two. Will that kill my engine?
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Verdad Gallardo Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,643
Likes: 2,571
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by 99-LS1-SS
How bad is it for the engine if I don't get my car tuned for a few months? I just got LT's and I am installing a TSP224R cam in a few weeks. I probably won't be able to get a tune for about a month or two. Will that kill my engine?
Many people with cams don't bother with tuning for years, or ever for that matter, so long as the car drives well enough....
I've done some of my own low rpm tuning for driveability, but it's been 2 years since my cam went in and I have yet to get a dyno tune. I probably never will.
Tuning does make a big difference to MPG and all around drivability.Most Cams need injector scaling and timing changes to get the best from it..Most people that disagree are people that haven't had it tuned and don't know how it feels with a tune..I've only seen 2 motors actually wash the cylinder walls due to a no tuning,so you have a good chance of the motor lasting a long time without tuning.
