disco192

As an outsider looking in at the LS1 aftermarket community, I just thought I would post my $.02 on this topic.

I have seen alot of companies selling their "signature" cams (T-Rex, magic stick, G5X3) simply because of who runs the quickest ET and it kinda makes me laugh.

Its not all about the "quickest drag car." There is ALOT more to a drag car than the cam. Getting the fastest "cam only" record is all for bragging rights and for selling cams.

You are better off copying their suspension and drivetrain setup than copying their cam if you are looking for ET.

Dont look ONLY at dyno's either. A dyno wont tell you how it will respond in between shifts.

Max HP helps out a bunch because when racing, you dont spend much time under 4k rpm anyway, but those cars are running 5k+ stalls and are by no means street cars. Converters under 3500 rpm will benefit with a cam that makes power at that level and will actually lower your ET vs a HUGE cam that will lag until it hits its powerband.

All im trying to say is, dont fall into the trap of buying a cam simply because its the fastest ET or makes the most power on a dyno.

Buy a cam because it fits your driving style and lasts as long as you want it to. Steeper lobes and rediculious lift are gonna be hell on springs and lifters and RPM is gonna be hell on the bottom end. You cant have your cake and eat it too.

Sorry, just had to let that out. I know Im gonna get flamed from the sponsors, but bring it, im ready

goober35

iTrader: (1)

Most of us know what u are talking about. I agre with you on max power is not everything. What counts is under the curve.

With that said i drove a 4400 stall on the street and it drove fine.

THE BIGGER THE CAM IS THE BIGGER THE STALL YOU WANT ( I CANT TURN OFF THE CAPS)

trymy347

I hear ya, what id like to see is someone that had a tr 224 and went to lets say an x3 and see some track results.

WOT

iTrader: (1)

Again??? Deja vu!

disco192

I posted it in another thread.... just thought it deserved its own... sorry for the re-post for those of you who read it last time.

-Stu

WOT

iTrader: (1)

No apologies needed bro. I was just ribbing ya. It is actually a good post that ALL newbies should read. I have been following the LS1 cam development since the beginning and see a lot of truth in what you stated. It bothers me when I see young guys with a nice (daily driven) car that shoot for the moon with there first cam. They read the board for awhile and make blind purchases not being fully aware of what they are getting into. Some of these new cams are great for racing, decent on the street, but deserve a lot of attention once installed. Chasing dyno numbers, wanting the fastest car around, and lets not forget the bragging rights is what drives many. I know more than a few that have chose this route.

I wish some of these new enthusiasts who want a fast car were paying more attention to suspension, weight reduction, part matching, and practice. But then again, I guess that isn't as cool as telling your friends that you got the new "Godzilla" cam???

dazman

I've owned 4 ls1's . 3 f-bodys. 1 y-body. had a cam in everyone of them. everything from the hotcam to the g5x-2. if you want somthing that drives like a honda then get a honda, as for me i'm sticking with my huge cams, and SPINNING past everyone else

what cracks me up is that people think that a .600 lift cam is big... hahaha what do you think a nascar cam is? or some of these sbc guys running .730 cams making 650 rwhp. when you start out with a .500 lift cam and go to a .600 then that is only a 20% increase.

i love the feel, sound, power from a big cam and i guess that is why most people buy them. sound..... power.... feel.... win

rant off

mike

mikemodano9c

i love people that state the obvious...

show me the money!!!!!!!

this thread = zzzzzzzzzzz

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Well said. Many people think .600 lift is a lot bigger than a .550 lift - that's only 50 thousandths, or the same as a spark plug gap. And that's valve lift; the cam it's self is only about a third of that.

gollum

iTrader: (1)

Big cams really help LS1.com sponsors make more profits. Most of these sponsors recommend these big cams because they know you will also need more performance parts (profit)to make that big cam streetable, rear gear, stall converter, tuning, etc.

It's all about profit "screw the consumer".

gollum

iTrader: (1)

"darn" That Big Cam Was A Big Mistake !

mikemodano9c

it could also be that they want to design parts that make our cars faster...

gollum

iTrader: (1)

People could care less that you or I have a big cam.

gnx7

iTrader: (28)

did someone rain on your party and the reason why you are acting like this? - directed at Gollum.

Cams make power... and in LS1's they make a big increase over stock cams. Second to cylinder heads I'd say the camshaft is the most important part in your engine.

My friend ran a 225/225 112LSA and a 233/239 112LSA cam with ported 5.3's, LS6 intake, ported TB, LT headers. Difference was about 1.5mph in the 1/4... but the driveability was day and night with the smaller cam. Slight cam surge with the larger cam, but overall his liked the smaller cam. It also made a ton more torque in the low to mid ranges and he stated driveability was better. On a plus note for the bigger cam he said he didn't blow the tires off as easily and in the upper RPM range it screamed.

90% of the subscribers to this website only drag race anyway.... so these big cams suit their needs.

-Mark

disco192

Im not saying big cams are bad... hell I have a pretty big cam in an LT1... I think you guys are missing the point of my post.

jermzz

iTrader: (18)

This is just another thread in the grand scheme.... Do what makes you happy. There is enough sound clips, opinions and articles on all the popular cams out there for even the most uneducated bafoon to make a cam selection and pretty much get what he was looking for. There's threads on pros and cons, what other parts you'll need to upgrae and even estimated power increases for every damn part you can think of on the forums. Granted every car is different, but not to a major extent. And personally I would look at numbers from forum member cars and time slips before I ever believed anything from a sponsor...

Whats good for the sponsors is our need for competition. There's always someone better and faster, so were never really never satisfied with what we have. Perhaps performance parts will compensate for our inability to drive. heh heh

WOT

iTrader: (1)

I think that a few have misread the post that disco has made. Hell, maybe it was I that misread it. I don't know.

But I do feel that there a a lot of younger guys that chase ofter these bigger cams don't fully understanding their place in the market. Correct me if i am wrong, but that was the way I was reading it. I simply replied along the same lines because I know some younger guys that have fallen into this area. I simply agree that there are other ways to make a car faster. By no means was I trying to knock the signature cams I think it was called. I run one myself. I love a big cam. It fits my needs in my drag car. I am always trying to follow the latest versions and see where things are going. But it does disturb me when I see a someone who has a daily driven, 7 year old F body, with high mileage running one of the largest cams out there. There is a market of cheap F bodies now that a lot of younger guys are getting there hands on. They see the latest craze and chase after it. It is only my opinion, that taking an older motor that has more than likely been beat on, throwing a T-rex in it, and spinning it to 7000 rpms isn't a great idea for the daily driver.
Don't get me wrong, I love many of the big cams. But instead of just looking out for myself and my needs, I wish there was a little more caution and education passed on to the new guys. I enjoy helping anybody by looking at what is best for their needs.

PS.
No need to get fired up and start ranting guys. There is no flaming intended here on my behalf. I am just trying to look out for some.

jrp

iTrader: (16)

this has been discussed many times before. hell, i think we all should just stick with the stock cam seeing as how Magnus ran 10.9 @ ~119

yes there will be people who are suckered in by the numbers and just want to be in the "in" crowd. those people will continue to throw money into there cars paying no mind to the overall combo while those who are smart will pick the correct conglomerate of parts for there application.

NC98Z

iTrader: (1)

What aftermarket cam gives the best torque increase? I have seen alot of cam tests that are after the almighty HP. I drive a stock Z28 A4 2.73 like alot of other people I know. We don't go to the drag strip and most of our driving is done below 2,000 rpm. I believe my car turns about 1800 at 65mph. I put a lid on it and it had a flowmaster on it when I got it + all the free mods. I don't know if a rear gear change would make this thing more fun to drive or if a torque convertor would wake up the car better. But if someone knew what kind of cam has that "hot cam sound" but is really a torque monster just waiting to get loose I might be tempted. I had trouble reading your cam chart post but the text held alot of good information.How can say a 233/233 torque cam idle decent and still pull 14 inch of vac? But another cam requires
that you need a stall?

dazman

....and we also never went to the moon.... and there is a hole at the N.pole that leads to a whole new civilization.... and there was a carburator that gets 100 miles to the gallon and runs off water but the government stopped it.... and the pentagon was hit by a missile (with U.S.A.on the side of it) not a plane....ITS A CONSPIRACY I TELL YOU!!!!!!!

if you want to go faster then fast then you will need a big cam, and guess what, you will need an intake too, and heads, and oil pump and timing chain and springs, and a stroker bottom end. or you can just get a little cam and go slower. hell, its not that hard..... big cam - go fast... small cam - go slower then fast.... no matter what which way how when you want to say it, if you dont have a HUGE cam then you will be in the back of the pack when the hammer drops.

NOW.... is this saying that small cams go slow.... no... just slower then fast.


mike