I'm looking to swap to another cam that might be more optimized for my application, I know there's a lot of variables to take into consideration. Here's i what I currently have.

1998 LS1 block w/ 200k miles
stock bottom end
Ported PRC stage 2.5 5.3L heads milled to 60cc
GMLS .051 head gaskets
TSP Torquer V2 Cam on 114 LSA
Unported FAST 92mm Intake and TB
80lb FIC injectors
1-7/8" TSP headers and true duals full length

M6 t56 Magnum close ratio and 3.73

Cam on 114 LSA was recommended to me by my engine builder and 80lbs injectors by my tuner, said it would give me more hp headroom down the road to grow and that it would help to :idle like stock"
The car drives great for the most part, I don't have other cars in my area to compare it to as far as drivability. I've ran this setup since early 2018 for about 45k miles and nothing drivetrain related has broken.
I basically want my car to get back some more torque down low in the rpms for street driving since that's what 95% of my usage is. I rarely take it past 5k. But if possible, I'd still like the high end power, however I learned I'd much rather prioritize low/mid end usable torque,. its a weekend cruiser at most so not a DD. Also not super worried on how hard it'll be on valvetrain.
My Tv2 cam likes to stay above 2000 rpm, thats where it starts getting more responsive on the throttle and it wont surge or buck until below 1300 rpm. It only made 390 whp @ 6300 on a dynojet but that was when i still had 1-3/4 and a very restrictive y pipe setup.
So far I've been looking at

Tick SNS TorqueMax stage 2 227/235 .618/.605 110+3 lsa
TSP Torquer V4 231/234 .629/.617 111 lsa
TSP stage 2 228/232 .600/.600

I'm open to more recommendations, I'm not an expert by any means and what cam specs will determine what I want. figured I'd ask here and get some ideas before I start making phone calls to vendors
I'm not looking to change heads at this point, maybe run a thinner gasket. I'm not sure what the compression is, but its proooobably a little more than stock.

 

Ok my .02
First the bigger cams won't be better down low.
And 80 lb injectors? Nothing against FIC but per my some what local tuner the rebuilt fuel injectors are not "calibrated" like the stock GM injectors.
My 67 Nova with a LS2 sleeved to 427 cubes using stock GM LS3 42 lb injectors did 495 rwhp on the chassis dyno. 225I/230E .610 lift 114 cam. Ran and drove like a champ.
As you said above talk to cam folks directly with full details on your engine/trans combo.

 

Your current TSP Torquer V2 on a 114 LSA is a great cam, but the wider LSA is likely the main reason you're missing that low-end punch. Your builder was right; a wider LSA helps with the "idle like stock" feel by reducing valve overlap, which is excellent for drivability but often sacrifices some low-RPM torque compared to a tighter LSA cam.

 

Don't know your engine size, but it really doesn't matter. Going with 80lb injectors would be like trying to stuff 4 hot dogs down a 1 year old babies throat. My built 600hp LS7 427 runs stock 42lb LS7 injectors. 80lbs......Just WOW!!

 

I wouldn’t change cams unless you’re just looking for something to do to the car. I don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze, especially if you’re happy with how the car currently drives. I’d upgrade to 4.10 gears instead.

 

I liked my SNS Stage 2 a lot. Chose it specifically for torque, my car is heavy with sound deadening and a sound system and with the stock 2.73s it needed the midrange torque to actually do something that resembles being quick. But below 2000 rpm it'll buck more than the Torquer v2 on a 114 LSA.

However, I tend to agree that you're doing a lot of work for what is likely very little change. The Torquer v2 on a 114 only has 5 degrees of overlap and should honestly drive a lot like stock down low. If it drives good and it just "feels" gutless down low, Dusty is right, put more gear in it and it'll make a world of difference in how the car feels. 4.10 or even a 4.30 since you don't daily it.

 

I would look at a Summit Stage 2 High Lift Truck Cam. I already know what you are thinking, but ignore the truck part of the description and look at the specs. It'll make great lowend and still have a good power band.

 

I agree about gears. Will greatly help low end and low speed driving.

If you definitely want to change cams though, decide where you want your power. The below video shows the truck norris vs the btr ls1 stage 1. The truck norris has awesome bottom end but the ls1 stage cams are better up top.


If you prefer the top end power i recommend the hot rod cam (217/23X, 114lsa) or the red hot cam (221/24X, 113). Both of these have less lift than the ls1 stage cams and can use .625 springs.

If you like the low end torque, they just released the v3 truck cams. The stage 3 v3 truck cam matches the truck norris down low but has more too end and a little less overlap. 213/22x, 109 lsa

 

Thanks, You're probably right on the injectors, but my tuner at the time, is a very reputable tuner in south Texas, so I took his advice. Now that I'm in Virginia, I'm getting funny looks when I bring it up lol. I have to admit, when I was first buying parts for my car, I wasn't too knowledgeable on cams and valve events and how it affected power and drivability at certain rpms. now that its all put together, I realized what I want. Power down low.

that's what I figured, this cam is amazing for what it is and got lucky on how it drives with the parts I threw at my car at the time. At the time, I just read what worked for most people, and copied their homework. But now that I drove it, I could do without all the power up top. If I could keep it the way it behaves now with an added boost of bottom end torque, I'd be set!

its a regular stock bottom end ls1 5.7L, injectors were recommended by a reputable south tx tuner, but I no longer live near there now.

that's what I'm afraid of, re do a lot of the work with little results. I had 4.10s before, and while they were a blast, I didn't care for my car to be roaring down the highway for an hour on the days I took it to work and back. I upgraded to a strange s60 and had the 3.73s installed. 4.10s didn't match up well with my od close ratio gears(.63 6th gear) on my magnum f for my type of commute. sure I can swap od gears out or change exhaust setups, but that's another conversation.

Thanks, I only considered the tick cam when I watched Chris Sullivan's YouTube video on his ws6 before he sold it. He made pretty good power on stock 243 heads. I may have to go back to 4.10s then, 4.11s since I have the s60 now. They were fun af but the shifting frequency was obnoxious lol. I would have to rethink my magnum f od gears tho and swap them out to help a little with highway commutes.
I'd rather not re do all that work and have very little return. Now that I became more familiar with valve events, kinda wish I went a different route or maybe a tighter lsa
I do wonder if my low end torque would be worse if I didn't have my 5.3 heads on.

Thanks, I'll check em out

 

You're just a small cam type of guy, don't wanna shift often, don't wanna be at higher RPMs on the interstate. I get it. In that case changing the cam might be a solution.

To pump up low end power, IVC needs to be early. And specifically for real down low stuff below say 2500 rpm, overlap needs to be kept in check. More overlap usually bumps up torque, but mainly in the mid-range and above where the overlap helps the exhaust pull the next intake charge in. Under a certain engine speed it just contaminates the intake tract and kills some power.

I'm no cam guru at all, but you do have good compression already (My math says like 11.11:1 if someone wants to check me on that) Cometic 0.040 would bring it to 11.44:1, the WS6 store gaskets which are 0.046 would bring it to 11.26:1

I may be misinformed (I blame this site lol) but with your stock head gasket, your quench isn't doing you favors; to help bottom end torque you drive DCR up, but too high and it struggles to run on pump gas without reduced timing or better fuel. The smaller cams with earlier IVCs bring DCR up, so you might run into this issue. Not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of.