Will my cam work well with boost?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 134
Likes: 1
Will my cam work well with boost? I recently bought my 04 gto with an lq9 6.0 swap. I knew it was cammed but the owner didint know what cam it had when I bought it. After replacing the clutch and rear main seal I saw the back of the camshaft from the rear of the engine. I looked up the part number stamped and found it was a Howard’s cam
Here’s the specs:
howards cam rattler
Cam Style:
Hydraulic roller tappet
Basic Operating RPM Range:
2,200-6,500
Intake Duration at 050 inch Lift:
226
Exhaust Duration at 050 inch Lift:
234
Duration at 050 inch Lift:
226 int./234 exh.
Advertised Intake Duration:
275
Advertised Exhaust Duration:
282
Advertised Duration:
275 int./282 exh.
Intake Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.525 in.
Exhaust Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.525 in.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.525 int./0.525 exh.
Lobe Separation (degrees):
109
My question is, will this cam work well with my centrifugal supercharger that I’m installing? Or will it hinder any performance?
Here’s the specs:
howards cam rattler
Cam Style:
Hydraulic roller tappet
Basic Operating RPM Range:
2,200-6,500
Intake Duration at 050 inch Lift:
226
Exhaust Duration at 050 inch Lift:
234
Duration at 050 inch Lift:
226 int./234 exh.
Advertised Intake Duration:
275
Advertised Exhaust Duration:
282
Advertised Duration:
275 int./282 exh.
Intake Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.525 in.
Exhaust Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.525 in.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.525 int./0.525 exh.
Lobe Separation (degrees):
109
My question is, will this cam work well with my centrifugal supercharger that I’m installing? Or will it hinder any performance?
It will work just fine in your street car. Run it!
What kind of Centri? What kind of power? And do you have any drivetrain upgrades? If not, I'd run it no problems at 10 lbs. and under. Just be nice on launching the car if stock parts are still there or you'll be ordering new and very expensive upgrades.
Dan
What kind of Centri? What kind of power? And do you have any drivetrain upgrades? If not, I'd run it no problems at 10 lbs. and under. Just be nice on launching the car if stock parts are still there or you'll be ordering new and very expensive upgrades.
Dan
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 134
Likes: 1
It will work just fine in your street car. Run it!
What kind of Centri? What kind of power? And do you have any drivetrain upgrades? If not, I'd run it no problems at 10 lbs. and under. Just be nice on launching the car if stock parts are still there or you'll be ordering new and very expensive upgrades.
Dan
What kind of Centri? What kind of power? And do you have any drivetrain upgrades? If not, I'd run it no problems at 10 lbs. and under. Just be nice on launching the car if stock parts are still there or you'll be ordering new and very expensive upgrades.
Dan
Is the car running? If so, was it tuned? Does it run well?
If you're unsure, a Tune is always worth looking into if you don't know. I'd have no problems what so ever running that setup on my GTO. Just be careful with sticky tires and hard launches!
If you're unsure, a Tune is always worth looking into if you don't know. I'd have no problems what so ever running that setup on my GTO. Just be careful with sticky tires and hard launches!
That cam is NOT going to play nicely with a small blower like the powerdyne....its got 12 degrees of overlap. Lot of boost out the tailpipe and you likely will have to pulley down to make decent boost.
I'm not loving that cam for a centrifugal blower car personally. While you are in there doing the SC install, I would install something a little more boost friendly. Your current cam is an N/A grind and it will work don't get me wrong it's just not completely ideal for your projected setup. The difference between a good running car and a great one lie within the details and this is an opportunity to compliment the blower with a cam that has the appropriate valve events.
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TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,291
Likes: 3,616
From: Central Cal.
I agree! I over-generalized. The LSA is only one factor in figuring overlap, which, as you said, the more there is to a point, the better blowers like it!
I completely agree with everything said above, almost 
He's wanting 500 HP! IMO, it's not worth it unless 1, he has the extra money to invest in not only a $400 PLUS Cam. Now he needs a spring kit and pushrods. Now, he could buy an over the counter Howards cam or similar of course and still use the same VT, but still, is it worth it for $500HP Or 2. He Loves to work on cars as well as spend money. It's a street car, 6 ltr, cammed GTO with a goal of 500WHP. It will run perfectly fine for those needs.
I've already been there. 2004 GTO. LS1 with an N/A cam. Forget the overlap. D1SC, sounded great at idle, ran like a beast for 28K miles at 8PSI. Decided to up things and that when it lasted 50 miles. lol.
Good luck with whatever you do!
He's wanting 500 HP! IMO, it's not worth it unless 1, he has the extra money to invest in not only a $400 PLUS Cam. Now he needs a spring kit and pushrods. Now, he could buy an over the counter Howards cam or similar of course and still use the same VT, but still, is it worth it for $500HP Or 2. He Loves to work on cars as well as spend money. It's a street car, 6 ltr, cammed GTO with a goal of 500WHP. It will run perfectly fine for those needs.
I've already been there. 2004 GTO. LS1 with an N/A cam. Forget the overlap. D1SC, sounded great at idle, ran like a beast for 28K miles at 8PSI. Decided to up things and that when it lasted 50 miles. lol.
Good luck with whatever you do!
I completely agree with everything said above, almost
He's wanting 500 HP! IMO, it's not worth it unless 1, he has the extra money to invest in not only a $400 PLUS Cam. Now he needs a spring kit and pushrods. Now, he could buy an over the counter Howards cam or similar of course and still use the same VT, but still, is it worth it for $500HP Or 2. He Loves to work on cars as well as spend money. It's a street car, 6 ltr, cammed GTO with a goal of 500WHP. It will run perfectly fine for those needs.
I've already been there. 2004 GTO. LS1 with an N/A cam. Forget the overlap. D1SC, sounded great at idle, ran like a beast for 28K miles at 8PSI. Decided to up things and that when it lasted 50 miles. lol.
Good luck with whatever you do!
He's wanting 500 HP! IMO, it's not worth it unless 1, he has the extra money to invest in not only a $400 PLUS Cam. Now he needs a spring kit and pushrods. Now, he could buy an over the counter Howards cam or similar of course and still use the same VT, but still, is it worth it for $500HP Or 2. He Loves to work on cars as well as spend money. It's a street car, 6 ltr, cammed GTO with a goal of 500WHP. It will run perfectly fine for those needs.
I've already been there. 2004 GTO. LS1 with an N/A cam. Forget the overlap. D1SC, sounded great at idle, ran like a beast for 28K miles at 8PSI. Decided to up things and that when it lasted 50 miles. lol.
Good luck with whatever you do!
The cam will work, but you maybe losing 30 ponies.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 134
Likes: 1
Hey guys im back. sorry its just that i got accidentally unsubscribed from seeing new messages. I checked today after about a month!
what you guys are saying is absolutely right! i have the car running perfectly, installed an intercooler, bov, and did a bunch of small fixes, Then i installed boost gauge...
Im not making any boost! i get 102 kpa which translates to a whopping 0.12 psi!!, Id hate to swap a cam at the moment but it looks like something ill have to do soon, whats a good cam for boosted cars, im thinking of selling the power dyne with all intercooler piping and bov as a kit , run n/a for a while so i can save up for a good cam for boost along with an lsa blower, then i hopefully can reach my goal without breaking anything.
what you guys are saying is absolutely right! i have the car running perfectly, installed an intercooler, bov, and did a bunch of small fixes, Then i installed boost gauge...
Im not making any boost! i get 102 kpa which translates to a whopping 0.12 psi!!, Id hate to swap a cam at the moment but it looks like something ill have to do soon, whats a good cam for boosted cars, im thinking of selling the power dyne with all intercooler piping and bov as a kit , run n/a for a while so i can save up for a good cam for boost along with an lsa blower, then i hopefully can reach my goal without breaking anything.
Last edited by Javi7808; Nov 5, 2018 at 04:29 PM.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 134
Likes: 1
Trust me I’ve checked everything, from pressurizing the intercooler to 30psi to check for leaks, bypassing intercooler all together,then removing vacuum line to bov so it stays shut, then removing bov all together and running straight to the throttle body, each time I logged it with an obd scanner to find MAP readings of kpa along with a mechanical vac/boost gauge. Each time I had 102 kpa of pressure in the manifold. The blower definitely works and pushes a lot of air. I guess the cam I have really is keeping me from building boost idk.
Trust me I’ve checked everything, from pressurizing the intercooler to 30psi to check for leaks, bypassing intercooler all together,then removing vacuum line to bov so it stays shut, then removing bov all together and running straight to the throttle body, each time I logged it with an obd scanner to find MAP readings of kpa along with a mechanical vac/boost gauge. Each time I had 102 kpa of pressure in the manifold. The blower definitely works and pushes a lot of air. I guess the cam I have really is keeping me from building boost idk.
i seriously do not see it being the cam. Even if it was a limiting factor you’d still get a few psi. What supercharger are you using?
Can you delete the blow off valve temporarily? You’ll need to do process of elimination. Maybe the blower is too small for your engine but I doubt that would keep you from seeing at least a little boost. Are you using a 2 bar map? Is the ve table scaled for higher than 105kpa? Are you using a boost guage? Are you running real rich? What’s your timing at? Who’s tuning it? Can you by pass the intercooler? Do you have an intake leak? A lot of aftermarket intakes require you use flatter bolts in the valley cover. If you don’t it holds the intake up ever so slightly. I had this happen to me once not knowing. Did you block off all of the vent vacuum ports or put check valves in the ones that need it? My throttle body had a fitting that connected a hose from the valve cover to the throttle body for crankcase evacuation. I had to block that off and vent the crankcase into a filtered catch can. Can you post pics of your install and setup?
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 7,192
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From: Ohio
The Rattler is one of my favorite cams. It sounds amazing but tuning it takes a lot of effort.
There's a Rattler cam sitting in one of my supercharged 5.3 projects right now. Its not the most efficient for boost, but its VERY easy on the valvetrain and the noise it makes is amazing.
For 500 horsepower, I would probably run it for the time being and upgrade later if you feel the need for more.
Its not going to keep you from making boost. You have an issue elsewhere.
There's a Rattler cam sitting in one of my supercharged 5.3 projects right now. Its not the most efficient for boost, but its VERY easy on the valvetrain and the noise it makes is amazing.
For 500 horsepower, I would probably run it for the time being and upgrade later if you feel the need for more.
Its not going to keep you from making boost. You have an issue elsewhere.