After losing to a str-4, I have decided that I am going to cam my 2001 Camaro ss M6. But the problem is I don't know what cam would be best for my specific situation. I am 18 and don't have a lot of money so I was looking for a cam that isn't $400. also im not sure if I want to spin my engine past 6500 rpm for reliability reasons. should I be worried about this? Or do I not need to be worried about this?


Mods are slp lid, 3.73 gears, ported throttle body, slp cat-back exhaust, and long tube headers


TSP has a list of $200 cams for sale and I called and they recommended the 239/243 .651/.654 112.
This cam seems very big to me and im worried that power wont come on until 5500 rpm. This is the second smallest cam so I looked at the smallest next.


TSP has the 220/248 .581/.615 116 that is the smallest cam on the list but I am again worried about it being a complete slug before 4500 rpm


This list can be found here https://ls1tech.com/forums/sponsor-s...ters-more.html


The last cam I considered is an Slp cam with SKU: SKU: SLP-51014. Advertised specs are 236/236 .590/.590 112. This cam is about $300 at http://www.lethalperformance.com/slp...FSxn7AodlAcALw


Any expertise on these cams or recommendations would be awesome!

 

Any xam Wirth doing is worth spinning to 6500. With the right valve springs you'll have no worries.

 

on stock heads, I would stay in the 224-228 range intake and 229-235 exhaust with lSA around 112. most cams in that range will spin to 6800, have a fairly broad power curve, and still behave down low. below 224, you're leaving power on the table. above 230, stock ls1 heads will limit the cam.

pretty much any cam you look at is going to need springs.

if you can't afford springs, you could look at some drop-in cam options, but those cams will be around 350.

To do a cam and springs, you need to set aside a minimum $700. you have water pump gaskets, front cover gasket, coolant, front main seal, timing set (not recommended to put old timing set on new cam), a valve spring compressor tool (cheap autozone or napa tools wont work), and you'll want to do an oil change a few hundred miles later. then figure another 300-400 for a good tune to get the most out of the cam.

 

yea I was planning on buying that stuff too. I was just trying to save money where I can. Thanks for the info! what if I ported the heads on my car? I believe they are #243 heads? then could I run the 239/243 cam? or the 236/236 cam?

 

Just can't go wrong with a PROVEN 224 cam and even later if you upgrade your heads the cam will still work.

Only thing I don't really like as far as your build is that you running 3.73 gears. Kinda a waste imo.... install 4.10s and you'll be smiling all over again. Also I noticed you said you have lost some races.... well the truth is you might be shifting each gear each race at a different rpm. Invest in a shift light. You'll be surprised how much faster your car will feel shifting more consistently.

 

I think the reason tsp recommended that cam was because in the for sale thread you mentioned you wanted a pretty big cam. However here you seem worried about big cams so in order to figure out what you want we need more info. Is the car a DD and do you care about how it drives? If you drive the car a lot and want good street manners that cam is too big. the 220/248 on a 116 is also all wrong for a NA ls1 motor so throw that one out as well. The 236/236 is a possibility but again not ideal.

If you want a cam that will drive ok and make good power in the mid-upper rpm range keep overlap to around 8 degrees max 0-8 will all be a good choice. Overlap is calculated by (intake duration+exhaust duration)/2-(2*lsa) so a 239/243 on a 112 has 17 degrees overlap..... This cam is going to be a dog with a stock ls1 until 3500 where it will turn on and rip but its def a top end cam and street manners will not be good along with low end being terrible.

With that in mind here are a couple cams I found in the classifieds thats will fit your needs better.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-cla...nout-sale.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-cla...4-113-lsa.html specs on this one are 231/239 112lsa so 9 degrees overlap (close enough to 8).

at the end of this thread MRCLEAN says he has a 229/234 so i would pm him and see whats its all about. This one and the TV2 I thin are your best options.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-wan...d-new-cam.html

I understand not wanting to blow 400 on a cam BUT the extra 200 is well worth it than to get a cam that is all wrong for your intended uses. Just something to think about. A cam swap isnt cheap, after the cam you will have another 200 in springs, 40 in a timing chain, 100 in an oil pump, 100 in pushrods and then figure another 100 for coolant, oil and misc gaskets. Then you need a dyno tune which is usually around 450.

Those are all things that MUST be done with no corners cut or you will pay the price.

 

As someone that was young and dumb once don't buy the donkey dick cam. It will suck on the street unless your in the high rpm's. I would call Martin at Tick Performance or Cam Motion and have them set you up. The cams all cost about the same unless you buy a used one and then your never know what you will be getting. Putting a cam in is a lot of work so you want to be happy the first time. You will also need a tune. Good Luck.

 

Porting 243's is ALWAYS a good option. I would still think 236 is too much cam. So many people on hear overcam these engines, when all they need to do is breathe. With ported 243's, I'd be more in the 229-232 range. As you take the cam bigger, you'll start wanting to mill the heads also for compression, as you'll lose dynamic compression, which means losing torque in the low end and mid range, which is where you need it on the street.

There is a thread on here where Tony Mamo got close to 490 RWHP on ported 862 truck heads with a cam that is WAY smaller than you'd think for that kind of power

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...-490-rwhp.html


This thread

 

is this a daily driver? do you really want monster chop normal driving? the 224 is a great all around cam. drivability for yourself & a possibly future owner is something to consider. just my one cent.

 

I doubt the heads are 243s. Those comes off of the LS6. The 2001-2002 camaros came with 241 IIRC. You should have the LS6 intake though.

On a side note, what mods were done to the SRT-4. Stock for stock the SS will walk it all day.

 

Correct they should be 241 heads and LS6 manifold, unless previous owner/s did some part swapping. Now if the OP can pick up some nice used ones for around 350-400, would do it in a heartbeat. I love my milled 243 heads and Futral F13 cam combo on my 99 (M6 w/4.10s)

 

great post!! Don't overcam your motor. Most guys just buy a big cam just because of the hard hit they tend to deliver and make a good peak number but in reality they could had got a cam that makes power everywhere in the rpm band and drives great and easy on your springs, lifters etc....

 

OP,

The problem is people are over complicating a motor thats 18 years old.. keep it simple. Your wants in how you want your car to perform has been asked years ago and everyday.

Keep it simple.. i would not go any smaller than a 228/228 cam from TSP. If you wanted a bit more cam, look into a TSP torquer 2 232/234 or a speed inc SI5 231/237.

Those are good choices with endless results..

My first cam was the old X1 230/227... drove great. Never experienced any other cam. My current cam is a 233/239. Drives just as smooth.

 

I really like the SI5 as posted above ^^^^. I also think the Tick Performance SNS Stage 2 is a great cam.

SNS Stage 2
Standard Lobes: 227/235 | .61x"/.62x" | LSA110+3
Milder Lobes: 226/234 | .60x"/.61x" | LSA110+3

And for the guys that think big cams only make peak power, in some cases you are correct, but it's not true for everyone. I will attach my dyno sheets so you can see what the SNS Stage 3 looks like. The first pic is of my old setup with a 228/230 cam, same heads as now, and LS6 intake. The next pic is my current setup. There were a few other small changes as well going to the new setup, so please don't get caught up in the numbers/cams thing. The purpose of posting this is just to show the difference between smaller and larger cams and how the power behaves on the dyno. Notice the larger cam made more power throughout the pull.

 

Picking a cam based on price is like picking a wife based on her shoe size. ******* retarded. If your budget isnt big enough, WAIT! till it is, youll be much happier in the end. Now that that is over, may I recommend a Titan4 from cam motion, then a set of lunati or brian tooley dual springs and good pushrods. Factor a tune into your budget as well.

 

http://store.cammotion.com/the-titan4

 

What's the max you're willing to spend?