After MONTHS of delays and perhaps the wettest winter in California history, I'm FINALLY in the process of actually DOING my LS1 240SX swap. As a precaution, I'm replacing the oil pump and timing gear in the motor. So a cam swap might not be a bad idea at this point in time. I'm looking for a mild (and I mean MILD) cam for my motor. Comp cams recommends their 54-414-11 (XR269HR), but I'm wondering if a milder cam (like the XR265HR) might be better for my application. My cam requirements are as follows:

1. MUST PASS CALIFORNIA SMOG. I don't want to have to find someone to pay to smog my car, nor do I want to have to worry about finding that one tuner in the universe that can get a 225/225 cam to pass. I want something that will EASILY pass smog.

2. Smooth, stock idle. Maybe I'm the only one in the universe?

3. Good gas mileage. Believe it or not, improvements in MPG are actually a benefit of LS swaps into S13's. I don't want to lose this and have a car that I park most of the time because it uses too much gas.

4. Good drivability and broad torque curve. LS1 240s are already 12 second cars right out of the box. I don't need crazy to be fast. But it would be nice to have something that runs well in normal driving RPMs. Having to downshift on hills due to weak low end from a big cam is a BIG no-no for me (and tends to kill gas mileage).

5. Work well on relatively stock engine. I don't plan on extensive modifications right off the bat, especially after spending LOTS of money on the swap. Maybe I might get some 243 heads, headers, or an intake manifold at some point. But nothing too crazy.

6. Reliability. I want something that is easy on the valvetrain and that does not require frequent spring replacement. Something I can just drive and go. If I want to go hiking in the mountains from a remote trailhead, I would like to just be able to hop into my car and not worry.

BTW, if it sounds like I should just stay stock LS1 on the cam, please say so. If it is better for me to NOT upgrade the cam, let me know if you think it would be better to just spend my money on other upgrades.

 

GM Hot Cam or BTR stage 1 are good options. Cam motion has quite a few solid options as well. Titan 1 or 2.

 

The Hot Cam has enough of a lope to mess up emissions testing.
Anything that lopes audibly has a slim chance of passing the sniffer test.
You need a cam with 10* or more NEGATIVE overlap to idle smooth enough to pass.
The Hot Cam has -1/2* overlap, and it shows.

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...mog-check.html

 

also as I mentioned Cam motion has several offerings for daily driver type cams if you think the Hot cam is bprder line. The 216/220 116 would work well if you want a true sleeper. -14degrees overlap and very easy on valve springs.

 

OK, just read the above thread. One guy says his 0-overlap cam passes all the time. A few posts above it is mentioned that anything near zero overlap is VERY difficult to pass, and IF it does the idle will be at or above 800RPM. I don't think the OP wants the hassle of something working the ragged edge of pass/no pass. The cams with the best chance of passing relatively easily are the milder "truck cams"(never cared for that label) from BTR, Cam Motion, or EPS (and others).
OP, there ARE cams you can use to gain power AND pass smog, but they have to be stealthy, in that they must idle fairly smoothly(as you requested above). Such cams will give you more power throughout the present stock rev range. Just what you asked for....
On edit- Kinglt, you posted right when I posted this one! lol The cam you mention would be good. With that much LSA there shouldn't be much chance of any lope.

 

Why not ask the local tuner? He will know what will pass and what won't.

 

You want a cam thatll pass emissions, make more power without a doubt, we have 2 different ones available.
I could go on in length about what does and doesnt pass and why, but im just beating a dead horse.
We also have the oil pump and timing set you need as well.
So many lobes are available, its a shame to see you use such an old and weak cam. They wont increase the tendency for overlap either. Normally youll either get very low @.050 numbers or a wide lsa. Those are the ways to conquer overlap and reversion. I would recommend staying in the mid teens for intake and low 20s for exhaust, but build in a littl more lift, and itll make power without sacrificing emissions.

Email me if you want to know more!!

Thanks

 

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!

 

If you mean the tsp cam also note the engine used is the 5.3 with high comp, 799 heads, and nnbs intake.
They use that same engine to test alot of cams, but they are unrealistic results in a 5.3 which is how people are thinking. Somewhat misleading. You can go larger than that by a bit and make power without giving smog a reason to not pass you.

 

Interesting! Thank you for some good info! Until lately I always wondered which 5.3 they used for the tests. The late 5.3(LH6, 8, and 9) IS a much better engine than the earlier versions, and was able to really use that cam(and others)to good advantage, better than the LM7 could. Good compression and heads make a huge difference!

 

An LS6 cam could also work for you

 

But make it the EARLY one; 204/211, .525/.525, 116LSA.
You will retain more low-end torque than with the late one; 204/218, .551/.547, 116LSA.
In spite of what look like better specs on the late cam, the early version was more flexible in cam tests conducted by Hot Rod Magazine in 2013.
BTW, the early cam was also used for the LS2

 

Sometimes the aim of articles are just to sell parts.

The 02-04 ls6 cam does need longer prs...so if they ever used 7.400s they would lose some off seat duration and lift possibly.

I doubt youd make more anything with the 01 ls6 cam vs the 02-04. Properly set up of course.

 

All that article did was compare stock GM LS cams in an otherwise stock LM7 (early 5.3).
I doubt there was a sales motive in that piece, though I totally see your point as far as lots of other "comparo" articles are concerned.
That said, IF the late cam should have had longer pushrods, it would have lost lift. As it turned out, the late cam did put out more top-end power than the early one, but less lower-end power. The longer exhaust duration and 116LSA might have combined to make a late exhaust close to lose a bit of cylinder fill on the bottom end.

 

From what I have heard, the LS6 cam is not really worth the trouble or expense. I'm beginning to think that maybe I should pass on a cam and look elsewhere for more HP.

 

The late ls6 cam has a smaller base circle. The stock ls6 valves have a +.100 installed height so to use the stock prs and have correct geometry with the stock rockers etc, they had the smaller base circle. Supposedly about .050 but could be a little more. Or mayb its backward and the ls6 valves were made longer to match the cam.

Either way the 01 ls6 didnt make the power. Blame it on a tune maybe, but it had all the same components.

Either way, neither are available new, and some have been passed around more than a blunt at a bob marley concert. So that choice is on the end user. Plenty better cams out there that are new.

 

You would be ahead using an aftermarket cam that will idle smooth, yet give you more power throughout the rev band, as discussed further above. There a bunch of good cams that will do this. Factory cams won't give you much. Too many compromises to satisfy the general public AND the government.
A cam, combined with some 243/799 heads, will be the major contributor to your powerband. Don't lose hope!

 

WHOA! Simultaneous posts!
Yeah, I read that the LS6 valves were a bit longer to make up for the smaller base circle.

 

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.