Fannywoo

Hey there, long time lurker here but only now made an account. So I have an LS1 swapped 350z and I'd like to squeeze a bit more power out of it, which led me to the decision of throwing a cam in. its a 2002 5.7 with 241 heads and stock internals. Im FBO with stock vette intake, 42LB FIC injectors, sikky intake, Sikky headers, and MSD coils and spark plugs. My question is how much lift can I safely run in terms of piston to valve clearance with stock 241 heads. My tuner is saying not to go above .500" lift and not to go with Texas speed but that kind of conflicts with everything that I've heard from others. Also is it worth keeping the 241 heads as im debating sending them off to Texas speed for porting or maybe getting a pair of 243 heads. Im looking for some more power, a mean chop at idle, and relatively solid drivability in the low end as I do street drive it from time to time. Thanks for taking the time to read!

blackdak318

iTrader: (3)

I am also not a huge TSP fan but even then don't agree with the whitewash of "don't use them". I would run a TSP cam without any major concern. You can also 100% run well over .500" lift on what equates to an original LS1 (your engine). How much you can run depends on the specific cam and no matter what you should measure PTV during install. Just read and research on here and it will tell you a good amount of what you're looking for. The search function works very well. Most of the shelf "stage" cams should work just fine for your set up though. You decide how aggressive you want to get.

stockA4

The valve events of the camshaft dictate the piston to valve clearance in the engine specifically and predominantly the intake valve opening event and sometimes rarely exhaust valve on some super radical combinations, not the valve lift itself .500 vs .550 vs .600 it doesn't matter it's not going to hit the piston You need to match the valve springs to the camshaft by whatever the camshaft manufacturer tells you to get You also need a new tuner That is not a tuner. That is somebody that owns tuning software and likes money there's big old difference Read through all the stickies here and good luck

stockA4

I forgot to add there is no best Camshaft, that's not how this works There is however a camshaft that I would put in that car if it was mine.

I would do a GMPP ASA Camshaft In the Z, That's a real Chevy RACING camshaft used for showroom stock racing and it will be super reliable for all the miles you can put on it If installed properly and your z will sound like you stole the engine out of a NASCAR. It's meant to run on the GM LS6 springs. It's only 525" lift on mild lobes so it's just as reliable as your engine is right now but it will add an enormous amount of power and torque and of course sound.

01CamaroSSTx

iTrader: (3)

I like the idea of going with the 243's and I'm sure you could go .600 lift without running into P-V issues but duration matters more than lift. You could also determine what P-V you currently have and go from there. As for cam spec's I'd contact Patrick Guerra for a camshaft and tune so you're rated PG.

In Pat G We Trust!

gnx7

iTrader: (28)

Get a new tuner.... especially one that tells you not to much past .500" lift. That is simply stupid. 20 years ago I ran a 233/239 cam .600" lift on an LS1 with AFR205 heads and LS6 intake which made 440rwhp on 91 octane. I road raced it... street drove it, beat the **** out of it for 20K miles without issues in my '93 FD swap.




If you haven't ever dug into an LS engine here is great website to learn how to do all kinds of stuff with EASY to follow steps to change cam... do spring upgrades, etc:
https://ls1howto.com

Print out a couple copies of this and keep them in your tool box: (Torque specs)
https://ls1howto.com/index.php?category=1

You should build a box around the intake air filter to maximize cold intake air temps. That is free HP right there you are losing.
In addition the factory belt tensioner with higher RPMs the belt will walk off. Buy a billet adjustable tensioner. ICT billet makes one for $66.

Che70velle

iTrader: (6)

great info here!!!

grinder11

iTrader: (1)

BTW, awhile back TSP purchased their own Landis cam grinder, FWIW. Depending on OPs intended useage, and maybe even disregarding that, I am NOT a fan of GMs ASA cam. It is VERY OLD tech, like over 20 years, and if low lift is part of what the OP wants, Cam Motion, and several others can make that adjustment on the lobes. The ASA is also ground on a 110° LSA, and, well, enough said. I'd never consider it for my engine......

G Atsma

Exactly. Also true for the old Hot cam for the same reasons, though maybe to a bit lesser degree. Summit (and others) now have a cam very similar in spec to the Hot Cam, yet it is supposed to be way ahead on power and drivability.

Kjduvall

i vote cleetus mcfarland bald eagle N/A cam 227/234 .600/.600 111lsa 109icl. OP you never really said what you plan on doing with the car. like drift racing / auto x / drag racing / road coarse or just plain old badass chopping idle street fun ? that would help guys here understand what your after a little better, i made my vote based on good lope,nice power but not max effort and still very drivable once tuned good.

stockA4

I feel when building a swap vehicle like this the less parts one changes from OEM inside the engine the more impressive the outright performance of said swap is going to be while Still guaranteeing that you're putting something together That's not only more powerful but also more reliable than whatever engine you replaced.

Sure, I'd buy him the summit " stage 1 single plane cam" and the nice summit LS6 springs and some BTR 7.450" pushrods to go with it tune it out with a 7K RPM fuel cut and call it a day. This way in 10 years when he and his neighbors are tired of listening to the thing chopping the neighborhood in half every time he starts it He'll sell it to me and it will still be running great and I'll have my own nice swap to work and play on. Someday you guys will get my logic

Reread the OPs post, clearly in this instance whoever he believes is speaking truth and gets to tune whatever camshaft gets stabbed in this thing is going to have the real say and how well it performs anyways. The weight of the swap vehicle and it's new weight bias, The rear gear ratio and tire diameter, What flywheel did he use? How much does the drive shaft weigh? All of these things are far more important than hoe humming over a few thousands inch of valve lift or talking him into changing more parts inside the engine then necessary. Less is more here

Pulse Red

I have no idea what the "best" cam would be, but in my 5.7, I run a TSP 216/220 cam with .600 lift with ported 241 heads. Does everything I want and is great on the street. I wanted power down low and in the mid range, but it still revs to 7k. Been in there a few years now. I previously had the same heads with a Comp 214/216 cam and it was also awesome on the street and was in there for 10 years. My car is much heavier than yours, I would imagine you would go for a bigger cam.
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stockA4

Op do you like how when you drive the car now with it all stock You can run it at a thousand RPM in any gear and it won't buck?
say goodbye to that forever If you do a camshaft and you can't find someone to tune it that's not halfway knowledgeable with these try asking if they know how to set up an airflow histogram

stockA4

I really think the LS6 PowerMax 204/222 .551/.570 112+1 would break your brain if you tried it, my 6.2L could have turned the earth with it when I had it in there. What's your static compression ratio again man?

Pulse Red

I can do that, any gear, no bucking. Well tuned small cam though. I've never driven a bigger cam that can do it. Even my soft CamMotion 218/226 116+4 still had bucking.

Pulse Red

I thought I wanted more low down at the time I chose this cam, but to be honest, I think this is the sweet spot. It absolutely launches on street tyres, but can be driven like a baby carriage under 2500 rpm in very built up areas (which is what I'm surrounded by). I've been really happy with my combo, except I think I could get a bit more out of a bigger manifold / TB based on the dyno sheets.

This combo has 11:1 compression. Very mild.

grinder11

iTrader: (1)

To each their own. But there's no way I'd go to all that work to install a cam that mild. Intake duration and lift are stock LS6, only the exhaust is an improvement. But why the exhaust improvement with stock intake lobes? Not needed. The 112° LSA is the only real difference, and with an intake lobe that mild, it's just too much work for very little gain. Again, to each their own, and just my opinion.....

Summitracing

OP,

We've heard "what's the best cam" a time or 1,000

There isn't a "BEST" cam. There's always going to be get a little bit here and give a little bit there. The best thing to do to start with is to provide the details of the combo along with your goals and intentions. You've done a pretty good job providing those details in you're original post. As others have mentioned what will you be doing with the car when not street-driving it? Auto-X, road course, drift, drag race, etc.

When we say there will need to be some give and take you said it right in your original post.
With more info on the combo and goals, it'll be easier for the community to make recommendations.

To give you an idea of the info we like to have when making a recommendation check out the questions below. Some of these you've already answered.


- What is the year/make/model/engine or custom application?

- Estimated weight of the vehicle?

- What is the intended use of the vehicle? daily, Street/Strip, Strip, Auto-x, etc?

- What fuel do you intend to use or have available?

- Are you particular about the idle? If so, do you want it smooth and stealthy, Noticeable lope, or rattling windows chop?

- Are you looking for excellent driveability or are you ok to put up with some character?

- Regarding the engine. Is it all stock or have other upgrades been done or plan to be done with the cam swap? Those could be head work, new heads, new intake, headers, throttle body, etc.

- Auto or manual trans? If auto what stall converter and are you willing to change that to match the cam?

- What is the gear ratio and are you willing to change that to match the cam?

This should help the community get in the ballpark on a cam recommendation to best suit your combo and goals. Then we can fine-tune it from there

CGumina

I grabbed an LS6 Powermax Plus cam for the reason of it being a hair more spicy than the original Powermax (220/222, .570/.570, 112+2 LSA) for an LM7 that I started building a while ago, but now I find myself with the same starting point as the OP- LS1 with 241 heads. I've always had eyes on the SUM8720 cam as a "even slightly more spicy" option, but, the Powermax is done and paid for... The more I read, the more I think this cam is a good fit for a similar application (clapped out, gutted '69 Nova with 3.73's and a ~3,000 stall converter with a carb).

Glad to hear some people have liked that cam, so I'll also suggest OP looks at the Scoggin Dickey LS6 PowerMax Plus cam for this application

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

Cam Motion Titan 4 is a similar spec cam. Good midrange torque. Summit Ghost Cam is slightly smaller option.