T-rex cam or Hotcam
T-rex cam or Hotcam HEY whats up i am looking to through a cam into my 99 Z28 M6. i am still debating which cam to put on. i want a nice sounding, streetable, reliable cam that produces power can u help me make my decision? thanks i appreciate it
theres a big difference between those two cams. the t-rex is a very radical cam that will make excellent power but require periodic valve spring changes.
the hot cam which gets flamed on this site by most makes decent power and wouldnt require valvespring changes. the t-rex will definately out power the hot cam. it all depends on your goals. i would pick something like a texas speed 224 or their new tsp 228 they will both kill the hot cam in power and have better drivability. hope this helps! also check out the new chevy high performance magazine this month it has a test of an ls1 with the hot cam in it and also with gmpp ls6 heads made 510 hp and 469ft torque! this is engine horsepower though dont get confused with rearwheel horsepower.
the hot cam which gets flamed on this site by most makes decent power and wouldnt require valvespring changes. the t-rex will definately out power the hot cam. it all depends on your goals. i would pick something like a texas speed 224 or their new tsp 228 they will both kill the hot cam in power and have better drivability. hope this helps! also check out the new chevy high performance magazine this month it has a test of an ls1 with the hot cam in it and also with gmpp ls6 heads made 510 hp and 469ft torque! this is engine horsepower though dont get confused with rearwheel horsepower.
Launching!
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 295
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs
There's quite a difference in the Trex and a hotcam... They'll take you in entirely different directions. I think you need to decide what your goals are, and do a little more research on the cams, because these two cams are at radically different ends of the spectrum.
my goals are to make my Z28 run 11's with what i have now a cam and headers probably get a different intake 2. i am thinking of putting a small dose of nitrous into my Z. BY SMALL SHOt i mean about 100 shot to 125 shot the most. i also want it to be streetable and reliable. if u guys know of a better cam that would be good for me by all means let me know
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
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 so i should go with a hotcam then? i dont want a wild cam just something that will give me power and sounds nice. is the hotcam good for nitrous? i have heard the hotcam b4 and i like how it sounds. but i heard alot of guys on here say that they dont like it and a few that do.
Honest with yourself As G.O.T stated....wouldn't even consider a T-Rex for any kind of street driving where you are looking for dependability/streetability. The T-Rex is a bad to the bone/hard core cam. It makes gobbs of power and has the sound....but this is for all out folks who are on the ragged edge on the street and for racing apps. Call Thunder Racing and they'll tell you.
You may look into a TR 224 / 112. With your Stick car you will see a good power increase, use a set of long tubes to take advantage of the better flow, and wa-la...you should be happy. The 112 will give you the sound your looking for (you didn't have to say it...we all know where your comming from I think) and it will give you a streetable and dependable fun ride.
All the sponsors here are excellent to work with. We all have our fav's. Call them up, be honest about your wants and needs, and they'll help you.
Have Fun,
Kev & Brando
You may look into a TR 224 / 112. With your Stick car you will see a good power increase, use a set of long tubes to take advantage of the better flow, and wa-la...you should be happy. The 112 will give you the sound your looking for (you didn't have to say it...we all know where your comming from I think) and it will give you a streetable and dependable fun ride.
All the sponsors here are excellent to work with. We all have our fav's. Call them up, be honest about your wants and needs, and they'll help you.
Have Fun,
Kev & Brando
Do you mind changing valve springs? The hotcam can use LS6 valvesprings because of its low lift. Thos springs wont have to be changed very often, if ever. If you dont mind changins springs more often (like every 20K miles or so) there's a whole world of possibilities out there. The hotcam has a reputation for sounding alot meaner than it actually is. Many other choices will produce better power, while maintaining streetability. Alot of people who are not looking for radical cams look into something like a TR224 or TR228. My current pick would be a Futral cam, after seeing how my buddies car came out. Either a F4 or F11 (224 and 228 i believe, mid and midhigh lift). Look around and put some more research into cams. You can even lookinto some split or reverse split cams since youre planning on juicing the car.
-T
-Tony
-T
-Tony
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 508
Likes: 0
From: Bloomfield, NM
i think these guys pretty well got it covered. once you get that cam though you may want to upgrade your suspension and rearend, and you will probably want to switch your exhaust, or get an electric cutout. lots of stuff will help get you into the 11's, so dont get too radical with the cam. good luck though!
took me a minute to realize that was me! 
just call me god next time, jk
As G.O.T stated
just call me god next time, jk 
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 308
Likes: 0
From: Mission Viejo CA
Most of these guys will think the Hot Cam is for whimps but like you I want something very streetable and reliable that will pass a sniffer test. Currently my best run is 12.3 in the 1/4 at like 114 MPH and I am stock with a 90 dry shot of Nitrous, so you can get there from hrere. I fully expect to get into the 11's with the mods that are sitting on my work bench waiting for my time to free up.
I have Patriot Stage II heads, 30# injectors, COMP CAM 529/534/218/224/114+4, LT Headers, high flow CAT's, hardened pushrods, 1.7 roller rockers, SLP ported oil pump and double roller timing chain. This week I picked up a Vig 2800 converter with a Transgo shift kit, FAST 78MM Intake and last but not lease a ported and polished TB. If after that I still feel like I need more I will up the Nitrous a bit more.
I have Patriot Stage II heads, 30# injectors, COMP CAM 529/534/218/224/114+4, LT Headers, high flow CAT's, hardened pushrods, 1.7 roller rockers, SLP ported oil pump and double roller timing chain. This week I picked up a Vig 2800 converter with a Transgo shift kit, FAST 78MM Intake and last but not lease a ported and polished TB. If after that I still feel like I need more I will up the Nitrous a bit more.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 653
Likes: 0
From: Mannheim, Germany
I have a hot cam waiting for me to install it.
You have to consider you individual situation but here's why I got the hotcam:
I LOVE my car but it's not my whole life.
I don't have the money or a second vehicle to be putting in a cam that I KNOW is going require valve springs every so often.
IMO this is the minimum you need for a proper cam install:
ls6 oil pump
timing chain
cam
springs
hardened pushrods
gaskets
to make any power, you need:
headers
header back exhaust
Now that it's all said and done, I have all the miscellaneous stuff and I'm up to about 1600 dollars and that's a lot more than I wanted to spend. any other cam besides the ls6 or hotcam would have costed 300 more AND require periodic valve spring replacements. The hotcam makes within 10hp of these "far superior cams" everyone talks about. It idles rough but that's what I want. Do a search and you'll find TONS of very strong opinions
You have to consider you individual situation but here's why I got the hotcam:
I LOVE my car but it's not my whole life.
I don't have the money or a second vehicle to be putting in a cam that I KNOW is going require valve springs every so often.
IMO this is the minimum you need for a proper cam install:
ls6 oil pump
timing chain
cam
springs
hardened pushrods
gaskets
to make any power, you need:
headers
header back exhaust
Now that it's all said and done, I have all the miscellaneous stuff and I'm up to about 1600 dollars and that's a lot more than I wanted to spend. any other cam besides the ls6 or hotcam would have costed 300 more AND require periodic valve spring replacements. The hotcam makes within 10hp of these "far superior cams" everyone talks about. It idles rough but that's what I want. Do a search and you'll find TONS of very strong opinions
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,010
Likes: 0
From: Winchester, VA
TR224 or the TSP224 I am going with the TSP224 112lsa The specs are a little better than the ls6 cam, and is a very reliable and streetable cam. The hotcam was designed for the lt1, and was changed verry little for the ls1. The LS6 which is better than the hotcam IMO was specifically designed for the lsx engine. The only drawback with that is the lack of power through the band. It is a top end cam. Either the TR or TSP 224's are probably your best bet. Call TR and TSP and talk to them.
Fry
Fry
TECH Addict
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,826
Likes: 0
Actually I have heard of people getting 50k+ miles on the Hotcam and springs. I doubt they need to be changed much more often than stock springs. It is very low lift, and in my opinion a well thought out cam. I do feel that it should include something that resembles installation instructions, and recommendations for re-tuning. That being said, the Hotcam is an awesome street cam. And it produces excellent track times.
And to all you Hotcam haters out there:
Hey moderators, or whomever can do it, you really need to add this GIF to our smiley list!!!
And to all you Hotcam haters out there:
Hey moderators, or whomever can do it, you really need to add this GIF to our smiley list!!!
