Cam Help/Suggestions(Cam Motion vs BTR)
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Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 638
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From: Michigan
On the with the factory style manifold, the 236 cam definitely outperformed the 232 cam. Overlap is the same on both cams, so they should drive pretty similarly. It gave up a tiny bit of midrange for a little more top end.
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,861
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From: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Personal experience: My LS3 has a stage 4 cam and I absolutely love it. With a 6 speed and 3.91 gears, it absolutely rips. I'm still running factory heads and intake too, and I haven't even had a dyno tune. My peak power comes in at 6430 RPM, but I'm also 30 C.I. larger in displacement, so an LS1 should peak even higher. Made 450 at the wheels and has run a best of 12.45@114, but I'm still getting used to launching the car, so I'm sure that will drop. It weighs in at 4015 lbs. with me in it, too.
Spinning a stock LS1 bottom end to 7,000 and beyond? I wouldn't trust the rods to survive long and when one finally does let go you'll have a windowed block that'll make for a nice table stand or shop ornament.
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The only thing I want to add is, run as much compression as you can. That helps quite a bit with a cam that size(depends on how much overlap you have)
Last edited by Che70velle; Dec 31, 2022 at 01:26 PM. Reason: Removing spam.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,288
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From: Central Cal.
Is there a reason you want to go with a stage 4? They run really good, but you need all the supporting mods to really make it work, compression being one of them.
I'm "guessing" that there's probably going to be a 10-15hp difference between the stage 3 and 4 cam, not 20-30. For reference, Holdner has done a bunch of tests with different stage 1-4 cams, and up top, there's really not that big of difference between each.
Personally, I'd take 10-15hp less up top for better drivability, street manners and better low end.
I always like to cam an engine on the conservative side. When I talked to Nick at BTR I was trying to decided between a stage 2 and 3. After talking to him, telling him what I wanted, he pushed me towards a custom cam that was like a 3.5ish.
I had dealt with him a lot through the shop I worked at for years, had a good relationship with him and trusted him.
Even with the 16 degrees of overlap, the car actually drove really good, but it had all the supporting mods.
It peaked about 6700rpm and carried out till 7400 or so and never fell off a cliff w/ a LS7 lifter, stock rocker and shimmed BTR springs.
I ended up going twin turbo and left that cam in it because I absolutely loved the mid-high rpm pull it had. I ended up lifting the heads, (they had been milled .045ish) and went with the TFS as cast.
My manifold vacuum dropped at idle and I had to increase the idle speed from where it was at and had to take some fuel out of it at lower speeds. I attribute that to me loosing close to a point of compression.
Anyhow, I didn't mean to derale your thread, just wanted to give my experience.
I'm "guessing" that there's probably going to be a 10-15hp difference between the stage 3 and 4 cam, not 20-30. For reference, Holdner has done a bunch of tests with different stage 1-4 cams, and up top, there's really not that big of difference between each.
Personally, I'd take 10-15hp less up top for better drivability, street manners and better low end.
I always like to cam an engine on the conservative side. When I talked to Nick at BTR I was trying to decided between a stage 2 and 3. After talking to him, telling him what I wanted, he pushed me towards a custom cam that was like a 3.5ish.
I had dealt with him a lot through the shop I worked at for years, had a good relationship with him and trusted him.
Even with the 16 degrees of overlap, the car actually drove really good, but it had all the supporting mods.
It peaked about 6700rpm and carried out till 7400 or so and never fell off a cliff w/ a LS7 lifter, stock rocker and shimmed BTR springs.
I ended up going twin turbo and left that cam in it because I absolutely loved the mid-high rpm pull it had. I ended up lifting the heads, (they had been milled .045ish) and went with the TFS as cast.
My manifold vacuum dropped at idle and I had to increase the idle speed from where it was at and had to take some fuel out of it at lower speeds. I attribute that to me loosing close to a point of compression.
Anyhow, I didn't mean to derale your thread, just wanted to give my experience.
