Mild cam for LS1?
Not true for us. We are working on a new style ls hot cam. So we know what its like to "aim for mediocrity" so to speak. Our attention to detail seems to be what is needed.
If you saw the difference in the 01 to 02 tune youd see what would have helped. A little timing would have picked it up. I dont think they spend all day tuning and tweaking to wring out all the power. A few hot runs and thats it, esp for a magazine test.
If you saw the difference in the 01 to 02 tune youd see what would have helped. A little timing would have picked it up. I dont think they spend all day tuning and tweaking to wring out all the power. A few hot runs and thats it, esp for a magazine test.
I like you guys' approach on this. There is so much said on these boards about BALANCE; A nicely ported(NOT hogged out) head, a decently spec'ed cam(NO shake'n'bake), and an intake large enough to feed the whole works (NO 55gal plenum). Surprising how much performance one can get from such a setup.
I also live in Cali, so know first-hand what limitations exist here. Not as much fun, but things are still doable with some effort in the right places.
I also live in Cali, so know first-hand what limitations exist here. Not as much fun, but things are still doable with some effort in the right places.
I think the problem is that people want more radical loper cams, so that's where the R&D dollars go. There just aren't alot of mild cams out there, and the ones that exist are old designs (like the Comp XR265HR) that do little beyond draining your wallet of unwanted cash. A cam upgrade is a significant expense and requires time on my part to do it. So it is probably better for me to just pass unless I am okay going bigger than I want to go.
I think the only reasons a lopey cam would fail smog is, 1) ANY audible lope will alert the tester letting him know something's NOT stock, and 2) said lope, being a miss of sorts, would cause a sniffer fail due to unburned fuel/air.
I would think a smooth-idling cam is burning clean enough to not raise any flags, and therefore PASS. My .02....
I would think a smooth-idling cam is burning clean enough to not raise any flags, and therefore PASS. My .02....
A cam I've always wondered about, that is quite common, is the good ole' 212*/218*, .550"/.550" (Though .600" is available!) with a 114*LSA, which gives -13* overlap. On YouTube, this cam goes the gamut from a HotCam-style lope to a very-near-stock idle. And these samples were on 5.3 engines. This shows that there is a lot to gain or lose in the tune. This cam would run smoother in a 5.7, as more displacement can handle duration more smoothly. Not sure that's worded right, but you get the point.
Main point here, get a good tune!
Main point here, get a good tune!
Last edited by StorminMatt; May 14, 2017 at 04:28 PM.
I see they have a 218/222 with .586/.578. Too bad not available on a wider centerline.
Even the now old and gentle GT2-3 has .571/.578.
I agree with other posters that the "mild" Cam Motion cams seem to have lift that is too low as LS1 engines love lift. There may be a reason for their choice there though. My Cam Motion 218/226 cam which is no longer sold has higher lift and is very mild compared to the majority of cams. I would actually recommend that for a car like yours but it would need some tune work to be really stealthy based on the work done on my car.
However based on my experience, I agree with the recomendation of tech@WS6store, this TSP 216/220 cam on 114 - 116 lsa should be an excellent choice. I would go 114 which is -10 overlap, same as my current cam but I've found that is not completely stealth in my car so you may need 116.
Knowing what I do now, to try and retain the previous power I had (I dropped nearly 25 hp going from a Comp 216/220 to the Cam Motion Cam) and the low down for my heavy car (not a consideration for your car or things like older Camaros and Corvettes) I would probably choose this TSP cam, though I don't know who actually manufactures it and if the lobes are quiet and smooth like Cam Motion.
However based on my experience, I agree with the recomendation of tech@WS6store, this TSP 216/220 cam on 114 - 116 lsa should be an excellent choice. I would go 114 which is -10 overlap, same as my current cam but I've found that is not completely stealth in my car so you may need 116.
Knowing what I do now, to try and retain the previous power I had (I dropped nearly 25 hp going from a Comp 216/220 to the Cam Motion Cam) and the low down for my heavy car (not a consideration for your car or things like older Camaros and Corvettes) I would probably choose this TSP cam, though I don't know who actually manufactures it and if the lobes are quiet and smooth like Cam Motion.
Last edited by Pulse Red; Nov 10, 2017 at 04:03 PM.
I have listened to your Hot Cam, just for anyone that is curious, while its always hard to tell in videos, just comparing it to my Cam Motion cam, mine seems much more mild. Different car to mine and different aim for the cams though I would imagine.
Thanks for that info, I wasn't aware that TSP actually manufactures their own cams, I knew they used to be Comp based. I wonder how their lobes compare. I've not seen their newer stuff used down here in Australia (seen heaps of their earlier Comp manufactured stuff though).
I have listened to your Hot Cam, just for anyone that is curious, while its always hard to tell in videos, just comparing it to my Cam Motion cam, mine seems much more mild. Different car to mine and different aim for the cams though I would imagine.
I have listened to your Hot Cam, just for anyone that is curious, while its always hard to tell in videos, just comparing it to my Cam Motion cam, mine seems much more mild. Different car to mine and different aim for the cams though I would imagine.
I did a quick read on that Cam Motion cam and it appears it is designed for GM LS2 springs or similar. I recall note even the old TR 220 cam with .550 could not use those springs as the lobe was very aggressive.
Last edited by Felix C; Nov 10, 2017 at 04:59 PM.









