Need Cam suggestion..
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12 Second Club
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Pa
Need Cam suggestion.. I have a 2002 firehawk with just about all bolts-ons except pullies, and t/body..My Hawk also has NOS 100 shot.. was looking for a little bit more. would like to get a mild cam that puts out some nice HP numbers and is good for everyday use and philadelphia traffic. only street race the car 6-12 times a month. also how would the reliability be after cracking open the motor, she still is under warr..
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 563
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From: Deer Park
Re: Need Cam suggestion.. First off- if you are spraying it- the warranty is gone. If you install a cam the warranty will most definitely be shot. You might as well kiss the warranty bullshit goodbye and flog the ******* car like it was meant to be. It's a Firebird, not a pristine GNX.
Now- as for the cam, I would go big. You'll kick yourself in the *** later if you don't. Decide on how much lope you can live with, and go from there. The smalllest cam I would go with if I were you is a 224/228-.585"/.585"-114. Personally, I would go much bigger than that. The power is addictive and all it takes is getting your exhalted Firehawk's *** kicked one good time by a kid in a plain jane old stripper lowly Camaro- then you'll be out looking for more.
Do it right the first time and stop with the warranty BS. Oh- and I would pawn the SLP headers off on someone else and pick up a good set of LT's.
Not trying to be a dick- just straight forward. Food for thought- take it for what it's worth.
Now- as for the cam, I would go big. You'll kick yourself in the *** later if you don't. Decide on how much lope you can live with, and go from there. The smalllest cam I would go with if I were you is a 224/228-.585"/.585"-114. Personally, I would go much bigger than that. The power is addictive and all it takes is getting your exhalted Firehawk's *** kicked one good time by a kid in a plain jane old stripper lowly Camaro- then you'll be out looking for more.
Do it right the first time and stop with the warranty BS. Oh- and I would pawn the SLP headers off on someone else and pick up a good set of LT's.
Not trying to be a dick- just straight forward. Food for thought- take it for what it's worth.
Re: Need Cam suggestion.. "lowly Camaro" haha, the formula is just an overpriced Camaro 
I don't have any personal experience with any of the big cams, but I hear a lot about driveability problems and broken springs with them.
I don't have any personal experience with any of the big cams, but I hear a lot about driveability problems and broken springs with them.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 563
Likes: 0
From: Deer Park
Re: Need Cam suggestion..
"lowly Camaro" haha, the formula is just an overpriced Camaro
I don't have any personal experience with any of the big cams, but I hear a lot about driveability problems and broken springs with them.
I don't have any personal experience with any of the big cams, but I hear a lot about driveability problems and broken springs with them.
In case you couldn't tell I was being a smart ***. My sarcasm was directed at his pride in his Hawk. As far as the broken spring issue- there are many many people with LS1's running .580"-.600" lift in daily drivers without any problems. The only instance that could have brought you to this conclusion is- some time ago, Comp Cams had a bad abtch of 918 springs. These were causing quite a few problems. This was resolved and I haven't heard of an instance since the blue stripes came out. I have had the blue stripe 918's on my car with a .588" lift cam for 18 months and over 20K miles.
Re: Need Cam suggestion..
First off- if you are spraying it- the warranty is gone. If you install a cam the warranty will most definitely be shot. You might as well kiss the warranty bullshit goodbye and flog the ******* car like it was meant to be. It's a Firebird, not a pristine GNX.
Now- as for the cam, I would go big. You'll kick yourself in the *** later if you don't. Decide on how much lope you can live with, and go from there. The smalllest cam I would go with if I were you is a 224/228-.585"/.585"-114. Personally, I would go much bigger than that. The power is addictive and all it takes is getting your exhalted Firehawk's *** kicked one good time by a kid in a plain jane old stripper lowly Camaro- then you'll be out looking for more.
Do it right the first time and stop with the warranty BS. Oh- and I would pawn the SLP headers off on someone else and pick up a good set of LT's.
Not trying to be a dick- just straight forward. Food for thought- take it for what it's worth.
Now- as for the cam, I would go big. You'll kick yourself in the *** later if you don't. Decide on how much lope you can live with, and go from there. The smalllest cam I would go with if I were you is a 224/228-.585"/.585"-114. Personally, I would go much bigger than that. The power is addictive and all it takes is getting your exhalted Firehawk's *** kicked one good time by a kid in a plain jane old stripper lowly Camaro- then you'll be out looking for more.
Do it right the first time and stop with the warranty BS. Oh- and I would pawn the SLP headers off on someone else and pick up a good set of LT's.
Not trying to be a dick- just straight forward. Food for thought- take it for what it's worth.
Re: Need Cam suggestion.. Sarcasm doesn't translate very well through a message board, just in case you are wondering.
For some reason, I had this feeling that the higher the lift the cam, the more you have to worry about spring maintenance. Changing spings every year or so may not be a big deal to you, but some people would consider that a very big deal!
For some reason, I had this feeling that the higher the lift the cam, the more you have to worry about spring maintenance. Changing spings every year or so may not be a big deal to you, but some people would consider that a very big deal!
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Re: Need Cam suggestion.. Yea, Colonel had some info here recently that the MTI stealth cam, which has .581 lift, should be changed every 2 years with mild driving, or every 18 months with hard driving...if I were you I would stay with a smaller lift if you can get away with it.
Since you're considering a larger cam, I imagine you don't have emissions requirements. If so, a TR224 114 is the biggest cam that is known for sure to pass the sniffer test.
As far as warranty, I agree with bodhi. However, if you do still want to prevent your dealer from knowing you have cam, the 02+ ls6 cam is the logical choice. You can get it for cheap, and no one will be able to tell you have a cam until 4k+ or so. It has the same powerband as stock below this, but pulls much farther (~6.5k+) and harder than stock above this. Just some food for thought.
Since you're considering a larger cam, I imagine you don't have emissions requirements. If so, a TR224 114 is the biggest cam that is known for sure to pass the sniffer test.
As far as warranty, I agree with bodhi. However, if you do still want to prevent your dealer from knowing you have cam, the 02+ ls6 cam is the logical choice. You can get it for cheap, and no one will be able to tell you have a cam until 4k+ or so. It has the same powerband as stock below this, but pulls much farther (~6.5k+) and harder than stock above this. Just some food for thought.
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11 Second Club
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,311
Likes: 2
From: loudoun county,va
Re: Need Cam suggestion..
does anyone have any input about the slp cams.. 234/228 .576/.571 112 i live near slp and would probly have them do the install..
224 is a good cam...
mine comp xer though..
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,070
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From: Further South than Hell
Re: Need Cam suggestion.. Shoot, changing springs every 18 month, BIIIG Deal. With the right tools it is a snap (Litteraly), I'm going with the Stealth (220/220 .581/.581 115lsa) because it combines good idle and broad power curves.
Re: Need Cam suggestion.. Why do people bash SLP? I've purchased most of my bolt-ons from them, including LT headers, and couldn't be happier. Their quality, deilvery and customer service is excellent, and installation of their products are a breeze (well the LT's were a bi**h, but fit great). Also, with their products, my warranty has remained intact. I know many other f-body owners with mods similar to mine, from SLP and others, and there's no difference in performance at the track. Sorry about the long post but SLP is 
IMO.
IMO.