Cam change worth it?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Tucson AZ
Cam change worth it? Hello, I've been stocking up parts for a h/c/i build on my bolt on 98 z28 6 speed and I have a question. I picked up a 224/228 .551 114 lsa cam with the intention of running it with stock 243 heads and an ls6 intake. But things have changed, now I have a fast 92/92 and I sent the 243s off for a prc stage 2.5 porting. So do you think that cam is leaving a lot of power on the table compared to a 227/233 .58x 113 lsa cam? That's as big as I would like to go at this point but if it's not worth it I will just run the original cam.
Car has 1 3/4 long tubes duals dumped before axle a lid and frost tune right now. Plan to use it as mostly street car and hit the track half a dozen times a year. Want it to be streetable and since I already have PAC-1218 springs I want to keep the cam small enough to work with those. Thanks!
Car has 1 3/4 long tubes duals dumped before axle a lid and frost tune right now. Plan to use it as mostly street car and hit the track half a dozen times a year. Want it to be streetable and since I already have PAC-1218 springs I want to keep the cam small enough to work with those. Thanks!
I personally would consider duals especially for safety and them being more durable.
Sell your springs and get a set of duals from Prc or lunati makes a set in the $250 range.
This opens up the cam choices quite a bit. I have a very street friendly cam in my ls1 GTO but wish I went a bit bigger. 228/230 .588/.592 112+4 LSA which would work with the singles but I use prc duals in my stage 2.5 5.3 heads milled. Your cam is similar
Imo If you are having the heads CNC ported and have a FAST you should get duals and a larger cam to take better advantage of the additional flow capability. Pretty safe to say you will make 400+ rwhp pretty easy with your cam or anything larger whatever you decide
Sell your springs and get a set of duals from Prc or lunati makes a set in the $250 range.
This opens up the cam choices quite a bit. I have a very street friendly cam in my ls1 GTO but wish I went a bit bigger. 228/230 .588/.592 112+4 LSA which would work with the singles but I use prc duals in my stage 2.5 5.3 heads milled. Your cam is similar
Imo If you are having the heads CNC ported and have a FAST you should get duals and a larger cam to take better advantage of the additional flow capability. Pretty safe to say you will make 400+ rwhp pretty easy with your cam or anything larger whatever you decide
Last edited by Peetyz; Jan 4, 2016 at 09:12 PM.
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0
Brett Foote Prc stage 2.5 5.3 59cc milled heads with a ported fast 85/85 combo. Started as a fast 78 but opened it up 85, ported it, then added ported 85 TB. Your 92/92 should flow well stock or ported. You should get your goal pretty easy. I was on a stingy Dyno for my numbers and my heavy a$$ GTO trapped 116. Best 1/4 was 12.4@116 but a terrible 1.9x 60ft. It had 11's with right launch and prep.
I wouldn't think the current 224/228 cam is leaving a lot of power on the table compared to the 227/233 unit. If you can't stomach to waste the money, just want a fun reliable street car and don't care about squeezing every last hp out of it, I'd keep what you already have and enjoy it. Or if losing out on a little cash isn't an issue, buy the 227/233 cam and try to sell the 224/228 cam for whatever you can get out of it. The PAC 1218 single springs are ideal for either of those cams, but I would personally use the titanium retainers with them. Lightweight valvetrain is key for reliability and longevity. Remember, you need to match valve springs to the cam. There is such thing as too much valve spring, which is not good. A stiff spring like the PRC .660 lift dual spring mentioned above is not an ideal spring for a .551 or .580 lift cam. Lower lift cams like these do not need the added stress and pressure of them dual springs. Actually, the stiffer the spring, the quicker it'll wear out and more likely to cause wear elsewhere. Sorry, but the .660 dual springs is not good advice for your current cam. I advise contacting Brian Tooley at BTR regarding this.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,802
Likes: 331
From: Wilmington, De
Do you have a cam card for the cam? You just want to verify that the spring will tolerate the open/close pressures that the camshaft will demand. I'm sure you'll be fine, but it is better to verify. .660 dual springs are going to be overkill, and it is still bad to overspring an engine like it is to underspring one.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
From: Tucson AZ
I matched the springs to those cams. I just was worried that my first cam was leaving a lot of power on the table but it sounds like it will get the job done and I will stay where I'm at.
There isn't much difference at all between those two cams. Not enough to warrant a cam change, but that's just me. You're already going to pick up more HP an TQ with the ported heads and FAST setup. You're going to need a re-tune anyway with the ported heads and FAST setup. Why do you not want to go bigger. Even something like a 232/238 111 LSA cam will be a vast improvement, and with proper tuning will drive well and provide plenty of lower RPM fun.
This is just my opinion, but unless you're willing to make a bigger leap in duration, then it's not worth it. With the ported heads and FAST setup, and a re-tune, you're going to pick up probably 50+ HP with your current cam.
I agree with Rise of the Phoenix. Unless you're going make a bigger leap in duration, I don't think it would be worth it. But that also depends on your pocket book.
This doesn't exactly pertain to the OP. I went from a 231/234 .642/.598 112 lsa cam to a 227/230 .625/.600 111 lsa cam and picked up 5 to 10 whp and 5 to 15 ft. lbs. everywhere from 3500 to 6500 rpm (same shop, same dyno, same tuner). This was due to different cam manufacturer and different style lobes though. Regardless, smaller, less aggressive cam resulted in more power and torque throughout the entire rpm range.
This doesn't exactly pertain to the OP. I went from a 231/234 .642/.598 112 lsa cam to a 227/230 .625/.600 111 lsa cam and picked up 5 to 10 whp and 5 to 15 ft. lbs. everywhere from 3500 to 6500 rpm (same shop, same dyno, same tuner). This was due to different cam manufacturer and different style lobes though. Regardless, smaller, less aggressive cam resulted in more power and torque throughout the entire rpm range.
If you do the cam change, are you going to do it yourself? If so, you won't be out too much money, just time. You could sell your current cam to offset the cost of the new cam. Outside of that, you'll need new gaskets and such, but that's not very expensive. Regardless of what you do, you're going to need a re-tune.