is my cam decent?
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is my cam decent? i bought this car with cam already installed, its a comp cams single pattern 218/218 .563/.563 114lsa . i only drive it on the weekends, and dont get to the track very often, but find some races around town sometimes. so my question is, is this cam worth keeping or should i look into getting something more aggressive when i do my intake swap (LS6)? also, the car made about 365rwhp and tq w/ mac mids, lid, borla, carsound cats, pace MAF. but has since had a few small bolt on's like FTRA, ported Tb, etc.. i am looking to do an LS6 intake, ASP pulley, and PCM tune pretty soon, and was wondering if i should go ahead and replace the cam for some extra ponies. i would still like to maintain its mild street characteristics, but make more power. i see guys on here with bolt on and cam cars making over 430-440hp. i would be happy with 400-415rwhp. sorry so long, thanks! 
You probably won't be in the 400-425HP range with that small of a cam. A buddy of mine made 412 through an 4L60E w/ HPE's S cam and they're intake package(which includes a FASST intake and all bolt-ons). And another friend made 407 with a TSP 231/237 cam and all bolt-ons.
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i know i need to go bigger to reach the 425 mark.. my question would be, whats a good streetable cam that will put me there? one that i can run the A/C (for the GF) and not worry about idle problems or surging. i am getting it tuned anyway, so i may as well have it tuned for a new cam. suggestions?
Both of the car's I metioned are daily driven. Any cam can be driven daily if the tuner knows what they're doing. There are a number of people on here that daily drive both of these cams without any problems. I know of of another daily driven 6 speed LS1 making 422HP with HPE's "S" cam.
Since you are running cats, you'll want to stay with a smog friendly cam and not wreck the cats. You could gain a 10+ HP bump by going to a 224/224. I started with a 218/218 and went to the 224 cam. Very street friendly. The 224 cam, LS6 intake, ported TB and ASP pulley could get you to around 390 - 400 rwhp and you'll have an easy driving car too.
A cut-out might get you another 5-10 or more hp too.
A cut-out might get you another 5-10 or more hp too.
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From: Home of #3, NC
i want to do heads eventually, but thats waaay down the road, i am about to build a house. so no mods for me for another year or so. i was considering the TR 224, heard good things about it. i will also look into the HPE cams. thanks guys!
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i have to pass smog emissions in my county, so that will be an issue. hopefully with good tuning i can work that out though. 
Originally Posted by abadss
i bought this car with cam already installed, its a comp cams single pattern 218/218 .563/.563 114lsa . i only drive it on the weekends, and dont get to the track very often, but find some races around town sometimes. so my question is, is this cam worth keeping or should i look into getting something more aggressive when i do my intake swap (LS6)? also, the car made about 365rwhp and tq w/ mac mids, lid, borla, carsound cats, pace MAF. but has since had a few small bolt on's like FTRA, ported Tb, etc.. i am looking to do an LS6 intake, ASP pulley, and PCM tune pretty soon, and was wondering if i should go ahead and replace the cam for some extra ponies. i would still like to maintain its mild street characteristics, but make more power. i see guys on here with bolt on and cam cars making over 430-440hp. i would be happy with 400-415rwhp. sorry so long, thanks!
right now your setup is putting down a very respectable number and you still have room to grow with the added bolt ons.
personally i'd keep the cam and add the rest of the bolts and tune and enjoy your very streetable and smog legal car. dont get caught up in trying to one up the next man.
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From: Home of #3, NC
thanks jrp, i see your point. i guess the question boils down to, is it worth the money swapping the cam, or should i put that into some other mods? there arent too many other bolt on's i can do other than heads, and money is too tight for that. good sugestions guys, keep em' coming.
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Dude, take it from experienced poeple (Keep your Cam)
Nitrous is where it is for needed extra power, 5177 kit dry, hassle free, all the gadgets (FPSS, pressure guage etc...), all you need is a window box since you can't spray through shifts with M6, $600 and you have 125 hp at the push of a button.
Nitrous is where it is for needed extra power, 5177 kit dry, hassle free, all the gadgets (FPSS, pressure guage etc...), all you need is a window box since you can't spray through shifts with M6, $600 and you have 125 hp at the push of a button.
I agree with jrp and P-Z. You appear to have a pretty strong setup right now, I would personally get her on the bottle. You'll definitely appreciate the power, and you won't have to deal with emissions. Those guys will be left dazed and confused after you dust them a few times w/o a lope, going 
Its all in the personal preference....I say spray.
Its all in the personal preference....I say spray.
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From: Home of #3, NC
well i already do have the spare tire removed.... so a stealth/sleeper setup might be kinda cool. also, would spraying effect my choice of heads later on? i would think so, but nitrous is something i am pretty clueless about.
not really, heads don't matter much unless you're talking about FI. you might think about raising your compression a little bit, that would help you out. say to around 11:1. a good set of 5.3's would accomplish that for you nicely. i am not a nitrous pro either...it is something i am still in the learning process myself, but if you go over to the nitrous section you will find quite a bit of information.
