I emailed one of our venders on here about possibly running one of their off the shelf cams...big name shop, no names, just gonna show specs. But, I got back a recommendation from him and was just wondering if there is any real difference between how these cams would perform.

Shelf cam is 236/239 .600"/.611" 111+3 108 ICL
custom cam is 234/238 .612"/.600" 112+4 108 ICL

I dont see much difference in the shelf cam I was looking at for my car, and the custom recommended cam I was spec'd. I was really looking to just get info on how the shelf cam performed. There is some info on here with data showing very positive results, then lots of negativity about how the cam performs, which I believe is just people who don't really have experience with this cam, and just repeating what they have read from one person or so on here or other boards. Never seen much data (dyno sheets, bad track results) to confirm the negativity, and most people who have ran the cam, seem to love it.

 

Honestly, those cams are so close that you arent gonna notice a difference.

 

Yeah, thats what I am thinking. I still am interested more in the shelf cam than the custom in this case. Back when that cam first came out, it was one of the huge cams...now its a larger-medium sized cam and a heavy favorite to end up in my new car.

 

Shelf Cam = Proven power and performance
Custom = Hit or Miss

 

In some cases this is true, and in some cases it isnt. I believe in a lot of situations a shelf cam can get the job done. But there are alot of situations where a custom cam is the best choice.

What I am a little thrown off by is the fact that the custom specs offered here are almost identical to the shelf specs I was already looking at. What makes the custom specs any better than the shelf cam in question??

 

You guys are only looking at the advertised numbers.. you have no clue as to the difference in VALVE EVENTS between the two cams, no clue what lift at .200 and .006 is , no idea what the seat timing and lobe profiles look like between the two...

If he's a professional I would trust his word over the internet experts on here. There is a lot more to a.cam than lift and duration people...

Most people just blindly based their cam choice off of a fad, or whatever's "in" at that time, or whatever numbers sound cool and don't have the foggiest idea about what valve events are.

 

You're right, I dont have that info...because it isnt offered. I have to base this comparison off of the info at hand, which are the specs listed. Most companies do not list the other numbers for whatever reason...most people dont understand them, secret lobes, or a fad as you say. I am not asking which is better. Dont assume people arent aware of valve events or how a cam works just because a simple question was posed. I am just showing people what I was looking at and what I was spec'd per the info I gave the sponsor of my car and my desired outcome and asking opinions.

 

Well FWIW if it's going in the car in your sig, it's going to run like total dog poop and you will
get destroyed by a good running car with the proper sized cam.

If you want to make high numbers on the dyno go ahead and get either one of those cams. If you want the car to actually put a smile on your face when you lay into it, and run like it should, you are WAY off base with cam selection.

 

I too would go a little smaller......

 

I had previously spec'd myself a 227/235 LSL 111+3...I am still debating which direction I want to go...
Its my car, so how can I be off base with my own damn cam selection? The 236/239 is smaller than a G5X3 which is regarded as a great cam on this board. How do you know what I want from a cam?? You may be happy with your stock cam gregrob, but that doesnt mean we all are.

After having a 10 second TREX V2 heads and cam car which put many smiles and scowls on my face...I think I know what I am doing. My old car made 34 less rwhp N/A than your car does with a 150 shot...IF you think that by someone's post count, you can judge what they know and dont know, then you are extremely ignorant. I have been around several years longer than you and I have seen and heard all the sponsor bullshit and nuthugging. Thats why I didnt post the shop's name that suggested these specs. If you know as much as you think you do, then you should have figured out by now who's shelf cam that is and what shop I talked to. If you did, you would probably be praising them right now because thats what people do around here. I am tryin to be objective and look at all different types of cams and how they will affect my car. I have had several cams, in the past.
1st was GM hotcam 219/228 .525/.525 112
2nd was Magic stick 1 231/237 .598/.595 112+4
3rd was comp shelf 238/240 .605/.609 112+2
4th was TREX V2 243/249 .619/.619 110+2

I was around when "bigger the better" was the mentality and am still here as everyone learns their lesson...I know milder cams can produce great numbers and have great driveability...however this car is not a daily driver or my only ride...and I want to be able to enjoy some weekend fun at the strip on occasion, which is why I am looking at a slightly larger medium sized cam like a 236/239. If it was a daily driver, you might be right. But you assume you know way more than you do! Instead of assuming, why dont you ask questions to get more info so you can conversate appropriately!

 

I wouldn't do over a 224 / 228 on good lobes like EPS in your situation. If you're going to do gears / rear end, then you can make use of a bigger cam a little easier...

 

I never said I was done modding. A better rear is in the future, just not right away...just like the cam. I am looking at options right now, could be winter before I even do the cam...

All I am looking for in this post is how the cams will work. Not whether they are right or wrong, or if I should do this or that...If I wanted more experts to suggest specs, I would have asked for that.

 

And fwiw...I have seen way too many 224/228 cammed cars that ran like total "dog poop" and would never use that cam! A close friend has a dyno shop with a dynojet and does tuning...I really do not like that cam!

 

Lol that is a complete generality. I said a 224 228 on good lobes... Like I said above it could be worlds different than another 224 228 cam on different lobes.

I can see you fail to grasp the concept at all and are going to continue to base your cam decision on internet emotion, so carry on.

FWIW a good builder wont spec you a cam based on what you're "going to do".

 

Why not?? Why buy a cam for what the car is now and change it when I get better? Why not buy the cam I know will work for whatever I decide to do later and just build up from there? Your lack of logic is tiring! Why replace the cam several times when I can buy the right one once and move on...

 

or you could get the other stuff first, then get the cam lastly...

 

Just a little fyi tidbit that 227/235 on lsl lobes from. Comp is one mean ****. I had a 236/242 112lsa in my 6 spd, and put the 227/235 110lsa 110icl with .614/.621 lift and OMG moredriveability and more power. Just my $.02

 

You need to figure out the logic for yourself, then it will actually mean something rather than asking someone to hold your hand.

I've wasted sooo much time trying to help people who immediately turn away from what I've told them til I'm blue in the face (from real world experience) and end up listening to some other unqualified source. Then I wait til down the road and they are never happy with the setup. It's like watching a train wrech in slow motion.

When someone has demonstrated that they are not going to listen anyway, I dont think its smart to spend time explaining something they dont want to hear.

 

Shelf cams are also designed by cam designers not pre-schoolers. There was a thread here a while back where people were asked for their custom cam specs. LOTS of people with cams from the same vendors had identical specs. Coincidence? Doubtful. I attribute it to a "shelf" cam designed by that vendor that has proven itself, and he suggests it to his customer. Cams have been around for 100 years or more, nobody is re-inventing the wheel. With all these vendors here at my disposal I chose a shelf cam, a proven one, and have been happy so far with the results. I do not need that warm and fuzzy false feeling when I lay down at night thinking nobody else in the world has my one of a kind, ground breaking, never been done, custom grind

 

I agree 100%