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surging and bucking with my MS3 is TERRIBLE!

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Old Apr 11, 2007 | 11:11 PM
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Unhappy surging and bucking with my MS3 is TERRIBLE!

i installed an MS3 and some PRC heads...and so far the car is ok...
it hauls *** dont get me wrong....but its street manners are a MAJOR PITA...so much so that I contemplate swapping cams...

if i am not above 2k RPMS, the car bucks and knocks and surges like a bitch...
(by the way I have a textralia exo skel and 4.10 gears)

Let's say I am in a parking lot and I take it up to 3k RPM and then let off the bitch wants to "jump" across the parking lot...WTF...its really annoying...

Is this the tune?? I had it tuned by a reputable tuner, but god dam...this is awful!

ALSO, when I come to a red light after about 5 minutes of driving, the rpms fluctuate from 1500 to 300, car stalls 3 out of 10 red lights if i dont feather the gas and brake with my left, which is dangerous BTW...

How would a 228 or even a 224 fair in this car? What would I gain and lose by swapping cams...my current numbers are in my sig...

THANKS!
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Old Apr 11, 2007 | 11:21 PM
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I would say the problem lies in the tune. Take it back and tell them how rediculous it is to drive. People are driving t-rex's with much better street manners than this
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 12:54 AM
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Definitely the tune. A lot of tuners only tune wide open, and maybe a little bit of the rest of the rpms. Some upload a generic tune for the setup if it is the same as something they have done before. Best thing to do, is find someone who will spend time on your car, and knows what they are doing. My car was tuned by my friend Mike, s/n in sig. He is just as **** about my car as he is his. When you can find someone like that, stick with them. My car drives like stock, except with a ton more power.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 03:28 AM
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It's 100% tune. There are quite a few people who have large cams, MS3/MS4 and TREX and the like who have good driveablility. Especially considering you have the gears. I don't do my own tuning, and frankly only have the slightest clue about it, but I do know that the bigger cams take a little work to get the driveability down. Don't give up yet.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 03:49 AM
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Hell, I've got a 230/236 with 570/576 in an LT1 and I don't have surging like that. It's the tune.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 06:56 AM
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Cams like that can be very cranky, its gotta be retuned
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 07:06 AM
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Chalk it up to another big *** cam that doesn drive well. Most of it may very well be in the tune, but keep in mind that you can only tame a cam like that so much by tuning. There is only so much you can do when you are dealing with 15 degrees of overlap. Most of the people that will tell you how streetable it can be dont own a cam like that. the cams behavior is ground into it and can not be fully tuned out. Most of the bad behavior should be able to be tuned out. Didnt Formatto tune your car?

FWIW I run a 232/236 and made the numbers in my sig, and my setup is extremely streetable and it doesnt even have a good tune. For me personally anything as large as a Magic Stick is just to big on the street for my taste.

There are plenty of guys making huge power with small cams.

Last edited by brad8266; Apr 12, 2007 at 08:02 AM.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 07:06 AM
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My MS4 gives me NO grief at all. Tune it out.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 07:36 AM
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+500 the tune is where its at, find a reputable tuner and your problems will be solved.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 07:44 AM
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who tuned it?
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 07:55 AM
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Originally Posted by brad8266
Chalk it up to another big *** cam that doesn drive well. Most of it may very well be in the tune, but keep in mind that you can only tame a cam like that so much by tuning. There is only so much you can do when you are dealing with 15 degrees of overlap. Most of the people that will tell you how streetable it can be dont own a cam like that. the cams behavior is ground into it and can not be fully tuned out. Most of the bad behavior should be able to be tuned out but the fact that you are an auto is going to make is less drivable than the same cam in a manual. Didnt Formatto tune your car?
Go re-read the first post....

I had Chad at Green Light Motorsports tune my G5X3 (very close to MS3) car. I had no bucking, no surging, and I am an auto. Your problems lie all in the tune. Yes your cam is bigger then what most people would consider streetable but the problems your having now would probably still be showing their face even if you had a 224/224 cam with a shitty tune in it.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 08:01 AM
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yeah my bad about thwe auto thing, lol. I missed that part.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 08:09 AM
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The tune makes all the difference with these larger cams, ask them to retune it. Theres no reason for it being that bad
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Ericbigmac83
The tune makes all the difference with these larger cams, ask them to retune it. Theres no reason for it being that bad

+1...get them to tune on the street.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 08:54 AM
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Just call Jeremy and tell him what you're experiencing. I'm sure he'll help you out.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 10:34 AM
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Originally Posted by erikthegoalie
i installed an MS3 and some PRC heads...and so far the car is ok...
it hauls *** dont get me wrong....but its street manners are a MAJOR PITA...so much so that I contemplate swapping cams...

if i am not above 2k RPMS, the car bucks and knocks and surges like a bitch...
(by the way I have a textralia exo skel and 4.10 gears)

Let's say I am in a parking lot and I take it up to 3k RPM and then let off the bitch wants to "jump" across the parking lot...WTF...its really annoying...

Is this the tune?? I had it tuned by a reputable tuner, but god dam...this is awful!

ALSO, when I come to a red light after about 5 minutes of driving, the rpms fluctuate from 1500 to 300, car stalls 3 out of 10 red lights if i dont feather the gas and brake with my left, which is dangerous BTW...

How would a 228 or even a 224 fair in this car? What would I gain and lose by swapping cams...my current numbers are in my sig...

THANKS!

your tune is off.... also... learn to Heal/Toe.... it has been an invaluable lesson learned with my 408 and 250/255 110 LSA cam... the idle will always catch itself but just to be safe just hold your toe on the brake and tap the gas with your heal or with the side of your foot... its really quite easy once to get the hang of it
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 10:39 AM
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I have the MS3 in my auto and the MS4 in my M6, it is all in the tune, sounds like you don't have a very good tune, both of my cars have very good street manners with those cams.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 11:01 AM
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Its the tune. It wont be smooth as glass at 1200 rpms but it certainly shouldnt be doing what its doing. Big cams do have characteristics and good tunes hide most of it down low but there will still be a little hint of it.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 11:19 AM
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who ever tuned your car did a shitty job. I DD my T-rex and it doesn't surge or buck.
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Old Apr 12, 2007 | 11:36 AM
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Hey guys, thank you for the replies...

Jeremy Formato tuned the car. He is very well known througout FLA- some of you probably have worked with him first hand. I trust him, and his abilities, but the tune is not on yet, a tune that cost me $450! (including dyno time).

I am fully aware that the cam is quite large for the street. But when I see people DD T-rex cams and MS4's (both larger than the Ms3), it bugs the **** out of me.

I DO NOT mind a bit of a rough ride from time to time as WOT makes up for it...but wrestling with this car everytime I drive it sucks *****.

WHen I had Jeremy work on it, we did about an hour of dyno time (5 pulls or so), and a little under an hour of actual street tuning. We went down some roads, and through some parking lots...all the while the dam thing wanted to stall, etcetc... Is this amount of time adequate for a cam of this nature?

I hope no one gets the wrong idea here, I am not bashing JF in the least. He works on cars 100x crazier than mine...I just need to ask others so I have some idea of where I stand...and what my options are!

Keep em coming
E
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