Hello... I have been lurking for several weeks now and have read all the stickies and literally hundreds of searched threads. I feel like I am on a first name basis with everyone lol.

So here's the situation. I'm used to building turbocharged Honda/Acruas, but I bought a 99 Trans Am M6 back in 2003. It's been an incredible car for these past 8 years. After 215,000 miles I have literally only had to change one water pump in 2004 and one alternator some years back. I even have the original battery that it had when I bought it lol. So now, after 8 years and 215K miles, I'd like to explore more of this car's potential.

This is my daily driver. I drive it EVERY day to work... rain or shine... I jump in it, turn the key and drive 3 hrs to Houston, the Dallas.... 500 miles to El Paso.... 1200 miles to North Carolina... wherever... I take this car everywhere. This is the #1 factor I want to keep in mind when selecting a cam. It has to have excellent "street manners." I spend a lot of time cruising at 1400-2000RPM on the freeway.

Valvetrain longevity is very important to me. I want as little compromise here as possible. I don't like the idea of having to replace my valve springs more often than every 50K miles (my stock original ones are going strong at 215K lol). From what I am reading it looks like I want a Comp XE "style" of ramp rate.

I don't care about how it sounds, or lopes, or peak power. I just want a fun, street mannered, but good performing, "area under the curve" type cam. I really liked what I read about the "CheaTR" cam, but it seems harsh on the valvetrain. Another thing I caught on to is I think I want to keep my overlap around -10*.

I will have SLP lid, LT Headers, ORY, stock muffler (with cutout), LS6 intake manifold, stock heads, and 4.10 rear. I just want a cam that will make the best power under the curve from idle up to a 6500RPM redline, no higher. I'm not afraid of shifting the powerband higher than stock, but I don't want it to lose much between 2-3000. I like scooting around in traffic like this car is so great at doing.

So that's where I'm at. Looking for any advice on what duration, lift, LSA numbers I should be looking into with all that criteria in mind. It's all a little overwhelming to me with the EVO, IVC, etc, etc, but I am getting it. Any input appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

valve train is what I'm keying on and accepting you want a little more out of it...

improve springs to a set of 918's or splurge and get patriot golds/gold extremes...

don't go over .550 lift but there are a LOT of cams to give you a little more pep and some more noise while lasting a long time. to keep it mild, keep the lsa to 113 or upto 116. . .

lower means more 'thump'

good luck and welcome to the site

 

a tr224 at a 114*lsa or a custom Patrick -G cam.your will need some comp 918 springs and some good push rods,new timing chain set. consider a compcam trunnion bearing upgrade ,and a new oil pump.

 

The 224 cams are very proven. Mine was a ton of fun, drove like stock but pulled like a freight train 422/402 at the wheels. A good single beehive like the 918s or the PAC singles will help with longevity and probably end up quieter than a double.

I hear good things about the EPS cams as well, but have no personal experience with them. Or have someone spec you out a custom cam.

 

If your really concerned about the springs, consider the pac 1218s. I think theres a PSI equivalent as well. Solid rep from both companies. Since you're not going with a crazy cam, good beehives will do the job really well.

I'd second the 224 cams w/ good beehive. MAYBE something in the 226ish range... Watch the lift vs duration to get an idea of how harsh it is on the valvespring, however, not all cams that fit that category are harsh. 224/.560 is a good baseline to use.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice so far. The 224 seems really popular. As long as I can find one with < 0.550" lift and an LSA that gives me around -10 overlap.

What happens when you split the duration? Something like a 224/228. Does that shift up/down powerband, or something else entirely?

 

Its usually to use a easier profile for the exhaust valve, since they usually aren't fans of fast (open/close) lobes. More of a thing with bigger cams, as you'll see a longer duration, yet less lift on the exhaust side. A slightly longer exhaust usually helps lessen a drop after peak hp as well.

Why the need for lift below .550? Planning on running the ls6 springs?

 

You won't find many cams at all below .550, most smaller aftermarket cams run .560 to .600 lift. Valvesprings are made at the .600 split as well, singles tend to be good to .600 and usually doubles pick up around .650.

 

Grab a 224/224 .581/.581 114 cam & you'll thank me later. From what you have described the same cam I run daily will suite you perfect. I have had mine in for 50k+ miles without a issue. Its been on road trips, to the track & is my dedicated daily driver year round. Its fun to drive & has damn near stock driveability.

 

Ahhh thanks... I understand now about the split exhaust duration for less-aggressive lobes.

It was advised above that I should stick to around .550 lift since I care a lot about valve spring longevity, but it seems most aftermarket cams are in the .550 to .600 range. I just don't want to mess with the valve springs that often. If I can use those 918s with a cam in the .58x range lift and not worry TOO much, I can deal with that.

224 is looking tasty. I still want to know what a 224/228 would do differently tho.

 

While this is not always smiled upon I'll share my experiences with my springs, LOL. (most people replace their springs by this point with a aftermarket cam) When I slapped this combo together I had the head work done by Bo White who used to be a porting sponsor on here. He had Gunnar@ Patriot install their Patriot Gold Double spring kit & flow them. I slapped the heads on right outta the box with some brand new LS7 lifters & 7.400" pushrods. Put everything else back together & havent touched it in a little over 3yrs & 50k miles.

The 224 cam will definetly allow your springs to live for quite some time. I do all kinds of mixed driving in mine including romping on it at least once a day, LOL. Never had a single issue. All I have done since the install is change the oil.

 

when My formula was DD I had Tr 224 cam on a112 though an auto and it never stalled out once tuned..It was a GREAT DD cam! with good power..You wont be disappointed with it

 

Texas speed has a 224/224 on XE lobes, .566 lift. The writeup for the 224R (.581) says it has aggressive lobes. You wouldn't be leaving much (if any) on the table with stock heads and the gentler XE lobes. You have definitely placed a higher priority on smooth, long lasting valvetrain, and that is the way to do it.

 

Well I'm running proof the 224R w/.581 lift isnt that bad on springs. My mileage without issue tells the story.

 

You've also got ported heads which might actually use the extra lift. I don't see how his combo with his main priorities would benefit from running the more "agressive" cam. It may not be really hard on springs, but I'm sure its harder than the xe lobed 224.

 

I did a lot more reading today specifically searching for 224 and 224/228 cams. I found the XE lobe 224 with .566" lift from Texas Speed. It looks like the one. And thanks for pointing out how stock heads won't benefit from .588 over .566 Rizzle; I didn't know that before. I'm going to go with the .566 over the .58x one because I'm looking at the 918 springs also, not duals like I think you have Big_Mike.

I will explore swapping heads later down the road. I like what I read about the AFR 205s. I have a lot yet to learn tho. But I like doing things incrementally, so I don't mind buying this cam now and something different later when I learn a little more.

 

The 224xe has a (TSP site) range of 1600-6400, and pipemax (still learning how to use all of it) says it peaks right at 6000, so it should work perfect for what you want to do.
The 115 LSA option should get you around -6 overlap (pipemax based off of 224/115, doesn't know the lobe profiles) and should also maintain excellent street manners.

 

I believe Thunder has an "old man cam" that is supposed to be what you are looking for. I am not sure on the lift though. I personally have run the TR224 .564 114 and it makes great low end and drives like stock at light throttle. I have also installed a Comp 222/222 112+4 and it drove great in an M6, lift is over .550 on that one too though.

 

FYI, the .550 lift suggestion isn't a hard/fast # that you'll start having issues. I suggested it as others might, just as a rough number to keep little to no fear of wearing out the springs. Some have used cams this size and smaller w/stock springs with results varying good and bad. I recommend springs, because if you're taking enough apart to get a cam swapped in, you might as well give yourself a little insurance so to speak. If you can get a .56x lift in that gives you the noise you want, you'll be happy w/the power for a while. You didn't say you're looking to tear up the world and have the 'best' (boy am I tired of seeing threads asking for the best of this and that), so you'll be happy with it. You don't come across as a teen looking to show off although something in this range will turn the tires pleanty enough.

Good luck.

D

 

With the regular Comp lobes go with the XE or XFI lobes but not the XER, the XFI are a high lift lobe but has a softer ramp rate then the XER lobes do.

EPS cams lobes (only available through EPS) will probably be the easiest on the valve spring compared to any other lobe with the same lift, and give you the best performance. Here's a couple of their cams that should work very good for you. You can also have them spec you a custom cam for you needs/wants.
218/226,113 lsa
http://www.engpwrsys.com/index.php?a...od&productId=5
222/226, 113 lsa
http://www.engpwrsys.com/index.php?a...od&productId=8

There's also Cam Motion lobes, which Futral Motorsports uses, but I don't know how aggressive the ramp rates of there lobes are. They also can do a custom cam grind for you.
http://www.futralmotorsports.com/fms....asp?pf=1&pg=5

If smog checks are a concern then keep the overlap to -4*or less(example:224/224,114lsa), if not just keep it to 0*or less to keep it very street friendly.
Here's a overlap calculator you might find useful.
http://www.wallaceracing.com/overlap-calc.php