GM Hot cam questions
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
GM Hot cam questions I did a bit of searching and either I wasn't used the correct phrases or it hasn't been talked about much.
The car and mods
01 Z-28 A4 3.23 factory gear other than leather fully optioned up. Being an 01 it has the LS6 style intake without the EGR. Has Kooks smaller headers-because it is stock displacement and not boosted. This was an attempt to try to keep some back pressure as it also has the Kooks off-road y-pipe and the SLP LM exhaust. SLP Flow Pac. DiabloSport Predator hand held tuner. MSD wires & NGK spark plugs. While not installed, a 160 T-stat is planned.
Not looking for anything crazy. The idea is something drive-able and street-able. A little lope won't be minded. Just don't want anything that sounds like it is about to die at idle. The idea of the Hot Cam is nice because it is still a GM part. I am right in thinking while nothing crazy this cam would give a nice bump in HP-especially considering the mods the car already has? If I am not mistaken, the stock rocker arms are a 1.7 ratio, with stock heads could 1.8's be ran with the hot cam?
Lastly the car has a stock torque converter. Would upgrading to something around 2500 RPM stall help realize more performance with this cam? Again not looking for anything crazy. While I am not expecting it to get 25 MPG, I would like not to be sucking down the fuel like mad. Looking for something bearable on the street.
Thanks for any info.
The car and mods
01 Z-28 A4 3.23 factory gear other than leather fully optioned up. Being an 01 it has the LS6 style intake without the EGR. Has Kooks smaller headers-because it is stock displacement and not boosted. This was an attempt to try to keep some back pressure as it also has the Kooks off-road y-pipe and the SLP LM exhaust. SLP Flow Pac. DiabloSport Predator hand held tuner. MSD wires & NGK spark plugs. While not installed, a 160 T-stat is planned.
Not looking for anything crazy. The idea is something drive-able and street-able. A little lope won't be minded. Just don't want anything that sounds like it is about to die at idle. The idea of the Hot Cam is nice because it is still a GM part. I am right in thinking while nothing crazy this cam would give a nice bump in HP-especially considering the mods the car already has? If I am not mistaken, the stock rocker arms are a 1.7 ratio, with stock heads could 1.8's be ran with the hot cam?
Lastly the car has a stock torque converter. Would upgrading to something around 2500 RPM stall help realize more performance with this cam? Again not looking for anything crazy. While I am not expecting it to get 25 MPG, I would like not to be sucking down the fuel like mad. Looking for something bearable on the street.
Thanks for any info.
since you must upgrade springs there are better cams available than the hotcam. figure out what your goals are & call a few sponsors. tr224 is a good all around cam, i would also look at 228 & theres a 228/230 585 lift thats about the max i'd go for a daily driver. goodluck. just my one cent.
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
The Hot Cam comes with springs. The car currently is a consistent 12.5 car. The goal would be 11.9's or about as close to 12 flat as possible. As said the goal would be a street-able car. That was why the mention of around a 2500 stall. A 3200 or bigger stall seems a bit steep for a street car. The car isn't likely to see a lot of track time. Some but will be street driven more than anything.
there a great thread called converter education. im conservative and everything i've read says dont go less than 3k stall. (for ls1) most of the board guys say 3600. may 2004 super chevy ls1 do's & donts says 3200 if memory serves. i went with a baby cam 2002 ls6 & i regret it now.
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
I read an article saying the GM Hot Cam gave an avg across the board bump of around 24 HP, I think on a basically stock LS1 and at the top end, an RPM this car is not likely to ever see I think it was a 49 HP bump. I did quick search and found it. The 49 HP was at 6200 RPM. Not going to be going there much.
http://www.carcraft.com/howto/ls1_engine_cam_install/
http://www.carcraft.com/howto/ls1_engine_cam_install/
you should be able to search or ask sponsors to find a dyno chart for the cams i mentioned to compare. if your not going to rev above 6k rpm then take a hard look at the tr224 & compare to your hotcam.
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
Now I think I have more questions then before! LOL. The one thing that nobody has really said anything about or discussed. I understand that people are saying there are "bigger" better cams out there than the hot cam. But what about using those 1.8 rocker arms with a hot cam? The higher ratio rocker arms in sense make it seem like a bigger cam if I am understanding things correctly.
The biggest thing about using the Hot Cam is it is a GM part. Would be pretty cool I think for one to say they hit high 11's using all GM internal parts. And at the risk of sounding completely lost as I have not posted here a lot, I quick glanced at most of the sponsor list trying to figure out what the TR is in that cam mentioned. Somehow I don't think we are talking Tire Rack, LOL.
The biggest thing about using the Hot Cam is it is a GM part. Would be pretty cool I think for one to say they hit high 11's using all GM internal parts. And at the risk of sounding completely lost as I have not posted here a lot, I quick glanced at most of the sponsor list trying to figure out what the TR is in that cam mentioned. Somehow I don't think we are talking Tire Rack, LOL.
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
I think I should add that sticking with the 3.23's is what is in mind. Not looking to go 3.73's & not much value seen in swapping from 3.23's to 3.42's.
A guy on here made great power and had a beautiful torque curve with the hot cam, I forgot what heads he had on it, but still if it's what you want then get it. Just don't get your hopes up for some record breaking numbers or anything, and absolutely get a stall converter, Check out FTI or North Texas Converter or one the other sponsors to get you squared away. Converters are like clutches, if you want a good one it's going to cost you, but after all this is an expensive hobby.
The hotcam is fine if that's what you're set on. It will give you a nice bump in power and sound good. There are better cams without going crazy but the hotcam is better than nothing.
You will need a stall for sure and I would stick with the stock rockers.
You will need a stall for sure and I would stick with the stock rockers.
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
A guy on here made great power and had a beautiful torque curve with the hot cam, I forgot what heads he had on it, but still if it's what you want then get it. Just don't get your hopes up for some record breaking numbers or anything, and absolutely get a stall converter, Check out FTI or North Texas Converter or one the other sponsors to get you squared away. Converters are like clutches, if you want a good one it's going to cost you, but after all this is an expensive hobby.
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
I make 381 rwhp/ 373 rwtq on stock heads. I think my graph is in the thread provided. I got 24.5 mpg with 4.10's in the car and the 6-speed. For a fun weekend type car, I have enjoyed the combination. Has been in in for 11 years and about 25,000 miles.
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Staging Lane
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From: Western Chicagoland Burbs
Being an auto with 3.23's, getting 21-22 mpg highway would be acceptable. Even 20 MPG wouldn't be frowned upon.
I did a bit of searching and either I wasn't used the correct phrases or it hasn't been talked about much.
The car and mods
01 Z-28 A4 3.23 factory gear other than leather fully optioned up. Being an 01 it has the LS6 style intake without the EGR. Has Kooks smaller headers-because it is stock displacement and not boosted. This was an attempt to try to keep some back pressure as it also has the Kooks off-road y-pipe and the SLP LM exhaust. SLP Flow Pac. DiabloSport Predator hand held tuner. MSD wires & NGK spark plugs. While not installed, a 160 T-stat is planned.
Never go with smaller headers if funds allow it bigger will always make more power on a stock ls. Back pressure is a myth, the fact is you do not want back pressure in the system. What you DO want is scavenging velocity meaning the ability of exhaust to siphon itself from the engine with no obstruction. Too big of a pipe can hurt velocity and cause the loss so many people associate with "back pressure." in reality however this take a HUGE pipe and so I wouldn't worry about it. Also drop the handheld they just increase timing and give a few extra ponies, not worth it considering the negative effects blindly turning up timing can have. Also drop the 160 t-stat idea, unless you live in a very hot climate. Ls engines like to run on the warmer side. Too cold is not doing them any favors, I run a 180 in mine and thats soley because in south florida its damn hot. In the winter when i want heat fast I hate it.
Not looking for anything crazy. The idea is something drive-able and street-able. A little lope won't be minded. Just don't want anything that sounds like it is about to die at idle. The idea of the Hot Cam is nice because it is still a GM part. I am right in thinking while nothing crazy this cam would give a nice bump in HP-especially considering the mods the car already has? If I am not mistaken, the stock rocker arms are a 1.7 ratio, with stock heads could 1.8's be ran with the hot cam?
Nothing wrong with an aftermarket cam core and depending on the type of core I'd actually rank the material better than what gm uses. The hot cam has .525 lift and around 0 degrees valve overlap. This will make a nice mild lobe but the lift will kill power. The point being is with modern cam technology the hot cam can be vastly out performed while not giving up anything. If you want a mild lobe with good power look into and EPS 222/226 113+2 cam. This will keep power low and useable all while blowing the hot cam out of the water and will also drive better to boot. It has -2 overlap so will still have a mild lobe. Anything over -6 overlap will be audible and anything over 0 will really start to sound nasty. Once you get past 6-8 degrees overlap you will start t sacrifice drivability. My cam comes in with 3 and drives ALMOST like stock. Incase you're not familiar with how to calculate overlap you can do so by taking the average of the intake and exhaust duration specs and subtracting 2*lsa. so the eps above would be 224-226=-2 when you get into aftermarket cams most approach the .600 lift mark so the 1.8 rockers become unnecessary and can cause issues. I would just do as others said and upgrade the stock trunions.
Lastly the car has a stock torque converter. Would upgrading to something around 2500 RPM stall help realize more performance with this cam? Again not looking for anything crazy. While I am not expecting it to get 25 MPG, I would like not to be sucking down the fuel like mad. Looking for something bearable on the street.
As others stated here a stall will actually do more for your car currently than just a cam would. With some practice and a good suspension you could easily hit your 11 sec target with just a good stall and no cam. With that said you don't want a big cam so the need for a huge stall isn't really there. It will perform better than a slightly smaller one but there isn't a need so much as a want in that sense. Circle d make a 3200 converter for $400 that will work very well with that small eps cam. It will drive very nicely, be reliable, and still make damn good power. Imo anything under 3200 is a waste even on a stock car
Thanks for any info.
The car and mods
01 Z-28 A4 3.23 factory gear other than leather fully optioned up. Being an 01 it has the LS6 style intake without the EGR. Has Kooks smaller headers-because it is stock displacement and not boosted. This was an attempt to try to keep some back pressure as it also has the Kooks off-road y-pipe and the SLP LM exhaust. SLP Flow Pac. DiabloSport Predator hand held tuner. MSD wires & NGK spark plugs. While not installed, a 160 T-stat is planned.
Never go with smaller headers if funds allow it bigger will always make more power on a stock ls. Back pressure is a myth, the fact is you do not want back pressure in the system. What you DO want is scavenging velocity meaning the ability of exhaust to siphon itself from the engine with no obstruction. Too big of a pipe can hurt velocity and cause the loss so many people associate with "back pressure." in reality however this take a HUGE pipe and so I wouldn't worry about it. Also drop the handheld they just increase timing and give a few extra ponies, not worth it considering the negative effects blindly turning up timing can have. Also drop the 160 t-stat idea, unless you live in a very hot climate. Ls engines like to run on the warmer side. Too cold is not doing them any favors, I run a 180 in mine and thats soley because in south florida its damn hot. In the winter when i want heat fast I hate it.
Not looking for anything crazy. The idea is something drive-able and street-able. A little lope won't be minded. Just don't want anything that sounds like it is about to die at idle. The idea of the Hot Cam is nice because it is still a GM part. I am right in thinking while nothing crazy this cam would give a nice bump in HP-especially considering the mods the car already has? If I am not mistaken, the stock rocker arms are a 1.7 ratio, with stock heads could 1.8's be ran with the hot cam?
Nothing wrong with an aftermarket cam core and depending on the type of core I'd actually rank the material better than what gm uses. The hot cam has .525 lift and around 0 degrees valve overlap. This will make a nice mild lobe but the lift will kill power. The point being is with modern cam technology the hot cam can be vastly out performed while not giving up anything. If you want a mild lobe with good power look into and EPS 222/226 113+2 cam. This will keep power low and useable all while blowing the hot cam out of the water and will also drive better to boot. It has -2 overlap so will still have a mild lobe. Anything over -6 overlap will be audible and anything over 0 will really start to sound nasty. Once you get past 6-8 degrees overlap you will start t sacrifice drivability. My cam comes in with 3 and drives ALMOST like stock. Incase you're not familiar with how to calculate overlap you can do so by taking the average of the intake and exhaust duration specs and subtracting 2*lsa. so the eps above would be 224-226=-2 when you get into aftermarket cams most approach the .600 lift mark so the 1.8 rockers become unnecessary and can cause issues. I would just do as others said and upgrade the stock trunions.
Lastly the car has a stock torque converter. Would upgrading to something around 2500 RPM stall help realize more performance with this cam? Again not looking for anything crazy. While I am not expecting it to get 25 MPG, I would like not to be sucking down the fuel like mad. Looking for something bearable on the street.
As others stated here a stall will actually do more for your car currently than just a cam would. With some practice and a good suspension you could easily hit your 11 sec target with just a good stall and no cam. With that said you don't want a big cam so the need for a huge stall isn't really there. It will perform better than a slightly smaller one but there isn't a need so much as a want in that sense. Circle d make a 3200 converter for $400 that will work very well with that small eps cam. It will drive very nicely, be reliable, and still make damn good power. Imo anything under 3200 is a waste even on a stock car
Thanks for any info.