Chevy406

iTrader: (12)

I have a '99 C5 which I use as a daily driver for my 100 mile commute. It currently makes 380 rwhp with typical bolt-ons and a 226° Patriot cam. This combination was OK for the past 10 months, but naturally I now want more. I have pretty much settled on a pair of PRC 5.3 stage 2.5 heads with 64cc chambers and .040" gaskets for 11:1 SCR. I have played around with the DCR spreadsheet, and per one of Patrick's posts, trying out different ideas to keep intake duration below 230° @ .050", and keep .050" overlap 7° or less. I've got an idea on a smaller version of the Torquer V3, but I am a little hesitant about using an LSK lobe in my daily driver.
Let's hear some thoughts (or better yet some real world experience) on using LSK lobes in daily drivers. I would also be interested in the performance difference between an LSK cam and XE-R cam with similar duration. Maybe TSP will include such a comparison in their upcoming dyno cam testing.

Brian Tooley Racing

iTrader: (13)

100 mile commute and LSK lobes? No way....talk to Eric Koenig about some engines he's torn down with LSK lobes in them. Everything in the valvetrain is beat to death. We've used cams with lesser lift and lesser ramp speed and made more power, it's not all about how fast and how far you can open the valve, there is A LOT to be said for valve train stability. We've made killer power with Extreme Marine lobes, so has Eric Koenig....something to think about.

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

Great lobes for racing, but not for high mileage commuting. XFI lobes are superb in this regard. They have very fast ramps, but don't kill the valvetrain. You can even use a beehive spring with them (like a PAC 1518 or Comp 918). Can't say that about XE-R lobes. Extreme Marine lobes (as stated) are good too. There's not enough long-term evidence to recommend the newer LSL lobes. My all time favorite high mileage lobe that still makes good power is the Comp XE high lift lobe. These typically come in the .560-570" range.

Chevy406

iTrader: (12)

Excellent feedback Brian and Patrick. Deep down I knew the answer, but it is so tempting to push the envelope for that extra few horses. The reality is, this is my daily driver, and it needs to remain dependable and keep decent mileage. But the XE lobe is just so run-of-the-mill sounding, and I already have a 226° .585" Patriot cam in the car.
Looks like a 224°/230° XFI lobe at 111°+2 would have me at 8.6 DCR with 5° overlap... I need to research the extreme marine lobes too.

Ryan L

This cam really seems to be gaining in popularity. I was one of the first ones here to swap one in an LS1 (LS6) after seeing great results in an LS2. That was only a few months ago and I know of three others who have installed the 224/230 XFI since then. Mine is on a 113+2 and Patrick G hooked up the specs. Click my sig for sound clips.

gtorep

iTrader: (18)

I currently run the Thunder Trak cam with LSK lobes in my DD GTO, but I only drive 10 miles to work everyday, and as stated above its still very hard on the valvetrain. In my most recent case, mileage made my springs weak, missed shift, valves floated, valves got bent. Kind of wished I had stayed with the Tr230/224...

Shawn MacAnanny

iTrader: (12)

Lol i'm running 236/236 on LSKs and i plan on driving it daily. About to buy a set of dual .660 springs as an extra set and a crane spring tool as i plan on replacing them every 10k or so. Ill be putting in new lifters and rockers when i do the heads too. I dont see a problem with it but then again i really dont know all that much about valvetrain wear related to lobes.

PREDATOR-Z

you could also use XE-R/XE combinations, I run XFI/XE-R with gread results and no ill effects if you run proper springs at proper heights. I do a 85 miles commute average / day

KMS.1320

iTrader: (1)

I have run a 227 LSK lobe, which measured out to be 228.7 with .644 lift with stock rockers, for just over 10k miles now in 18 months. Shifts are at 6500 and when the weather is nice, those happen almost daily. I am pulling the engine this winter to go with forged rods/pistons so I can spray it, and a new top end package. I'm sure the guy designing my new cam won't use LSK lobes but I can guess the ramp speeds won't be much different. I have been getting more valvetrain noise lately it seems, just slightly, but I do have the stock rocker arms. Don't be scared of them if you don't mind valvetrain maintenance (checking springs, good rockers, good lifters, thick wall PR's, like brian said, making the valvetrain stable.. etc) but if that concerns you, go with something else.

Chevy406

iTrader: (12)

Awesome feedback from folks whose opinions I really respect. I appreciate you guys taking the time to share your experiences and advice. Ryan, I like the sound of your Z06, and your dyno graph looks good - what heads are you running? I didn't know people were already running a 224/230 xfi grind. It just kind of jumped out to me as an intersting duration vs lift. I am starting to narrow down to at the most XFI lobes or possibly an XE-R combination. But I want to hear more lope than Predator's 117° LSA. I know it's kind of adolescent of me, but I want some lope.

Ryan L

Nothing is wrong with XER, but it seems like the XFI may gain a few ponies based on the extra lift. The XFI specs better matched my LS6 heads versus the XER. I am running a stock LS6 motor, BTW (Z06.)

If you want more info in the 224/230 XFI cam, below are a few threads to check out.

113+2 LS2 (first one installed that I know of)
https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamometer-results-comparisons/876558-patrick-g-designed-camshaft-c6-a4-results.html

113+2 LS6 (mine)
https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamometer-results-comparisons/906564-2003-z06-cam-only-432rwhp-400rwtq-guess-cam.html

117 (+?) LS1
https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamometer-results-comparisons/922738-02ss-a4-w-comp-xfi-224-230-117-a.html

111+1 LS1
https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamometer-results-comparisons/945183-cam-only-numbers-pat-g-226-232-a.html

113+2 LS2
https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamomet...m-results.html

A couple of guys on corvetteforum.com are running the cam, but they didn't start any threads.

112+2 LS6
2000FRCZ19 from CorvetteForum.com gained 53rwhp over the stock LS6 cam.

Omegalis

Patrick, is there something inherent in the XE-R lobes that beehive springs don't like, the PAC1518 is rated to .650" lift on their site so assuming it isn't lift since from what I can see XE-R lobes typically run under .650" lift

PREDATOR-Z

No, it is not the lobes, it is mostly install issues. Springs have to be installed at correct height. Also there is a matter of "effective" valvetrain mass. Beehive were designed with light valves in mind. I have run .612 lift on 918s for 25K miles with 0 issues.
Four things poeple pay attention for trouble free performance:
1- Valvetrain geometry
2- Proper preload
3- Proper install height
4- Distance from coilbind

Hardtop

iTrader: (3)

Does anyone have any examples, and results with cams using the extreme marine lobes?

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

The XE-R lobes are super fast off the seat. They only need 49 degrees to go from .006" to .050". XFI intake, LSL and LSK lobes are slower at 50 degrees. XFI exhaust lobes are slower at 52 degrees and XE high lift lobes are closer to 54 degrees. At 49 degrees, the XE-R lobes get lots of valve bounce and make lots of valvetrain noise. To control the harsh opening and closing, Comp recommends using a dual valve spring for the XE-R lobes. Primarily for the enhanced pressure when closed compared to beehive springs. 918 and 1518 springs are not always successful of controlling XE-R lobes but they seem to do better with the newer XFI lobes. Valve weight has something to do with this too. Hollow stem 2.0" Z06 valves are easier to control than aftermarket stainless 2.02" and 2.055" valves. Stock 2.0" LS1 valves are not exactly light either.

LS1 BU

iTrader: (13)

Sounds like the only advantage of the XFI lobes than the XER lobes is that there is a little more lift. I'm thinking of switching from by current LSK lobes to XER or XFI. My valvetrain seems to be a little noisey with he LSK lobes. I also don't want to change springs every year.

Does anyone have a lobe chart for the LS1 XFI lobes.
Tried search and could not find.

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

Not the only advantage. The XFI lobes also have more valvetrain stability and are quite a bit faster from .050" to .200" lift. That means more valve curtain area under the curve and more power.

Chevy406

iTrader: (12)

Let's see if this cut/paste of the XFI lobes will stay formatted... Thanks for all the info Ryan and Patrick. I am pretty well sold on the XFI lobe. Once I finalize my head selection, it will be time to pick the cam.

.050" Lift .006" .200"
202 0.585 252 128 Comp Cams XFI Lobes
206 0.590 256 132
210 0.595 260 136
214 0.600 264 139
218 0.605 268 143
224 0.609 274 149
230 0.612 280 154
236 0.615 286 159
242 0.621 292 165
212 0.580 264 135
218 0.590 270 141
224 0.600 276 147
230 0.604 282 152
236 0.607 288 158
242 0.612 294 163
248 0.615 300 169

Good catch LS1 BU... fixed it now

LS1 BU

iTrader: (13)

Looks like you acidently posted the XER instead of the XFI.

EarlSS

Seems there are good results when you combine XFI intake lobes with XE-R exhaust lobes.