I'm trying to find a nice cam which would give me maxium power w/o doing springs etc just slapping the cam in and tuning.

I was looking at the TSP tsunami, torquer v3 and Magicstick 3 <think this one requires springs though. Can anyone tell me which one would be best for a bolt on ls2. I'm not use to the cam sizes in LS motors this is all sort of new to me so any advice to me is better than what i know.

Can someone tell me max. Lift/Duration for stock ls2 valvetrain?

 

BTW I'm aiming for as close to 500rwhp as possible.

 

you are looking at a very small cam then sleepers exc. a .551 .551 224 224 is the biggest you can go without losing sleep (or a motor)

 

You want close to 500-550 rwhp but don't want to change the springs?

500 to 550 rwhp from UNported LS2 heads would call for a super charger or a turbo along with its supporting mods (better injectors, air to air intercooler, etc). And again better springs would be recommended as boost can cause valve float in the upper rpms...

To be honest (and this may hurt your pride a little). You will not be able to do 500 to 550 rwhp naturally aspirated (N/A) with stock heads and springs (definitely not springs).

To get more power out of a LS based motor (Cathedral or Rectangular port) you increase lobe lift and duration on the cam so that more air can flow through the heads (along with porting the heads or replacing the heads with a set that is ported). At stock lift (around .550") the Stock LS2 heads don't flow anywhere near what is needed to produce 500 rwhp N/A. You might be able to get 500 fly wheel horse power (fwhp) with a cam that has stock lift and larger duration, but not Rear Wheel horse power (rwhp).

And the LS2 manifold is not one of GM's best (actually I think the stock LS1 flows better, LS6, L76, and LS3 definitely flow better). Now if you get the manifold ported it will give you a good gain (I keep meaning to get mind ported but can never find both time and money).

If you really want to get around 500 to 550 rwhp N/A you are going to need ported heads, ported manifold, larger injectors, better fuel pump, a big cam, Headers, and a good tune, and a better radiator (for engine longevity).

Some simple choices
A: find a shop that can port your heads and manifold (and have new springs installed after porting). Have the shop install and degree the cam and port the heads and manifold along with tuning (not cheap, but works out in the long run).
B: find a shop that will offer you a core discount on your parts and order ported heads and ported or aftermarket manifold (with this option you may be able to go to a LS3 top end setup).
C: Buy the parts you want and then sell of your old heads and manifold to a shop that ports heads and manifolds.

With B or C you could look into a Ported LS3 manifold and ported L92/LS3 heads and pair it up with something like the LG G6X3 (There are others that have good LS3 performance cams but LG's was the first to come to mind).

If you want to stay with the Cathedral port for the LS1/LS2 you can go with a Ported LS2 manifold or a Fast 92 matched up with a set of Trickflow, ETP/RHS, AFR, Dart, or other high end ported heads and a large cam (There are multiple combinations out and about that are known to hit 500+ rwhp with the supporting mods ie headers, cold air, injectors, etc).

Ironically the amount you will spend on parts, installation, and tuning for a 500+ rwhp N/A setup is around the same amount you will spend on a 500+ rwhp FI setup.

It all boils down to what you plan on spending for what you want and the compromise that you will eventually make. IE to either spend what is needed to get what you want, or to settle for what you can get with the money you have to spend. Also do you want the car to be shop for a while or do you want it done in a day or two and go about your every day life.

Oh yeah if you do go ahead and get a 500+ rwhp set (FI or NA) you will also need to look into upgrading the driveline (cluch, half shafts, drive shaft, etc). Especially if you plan on getting into it alot (LS2 clutch is probably good to around 450 rwhp).... That probably why I stopped in the low 400 rwhp range (it starts to get expensive real quick).

Good luck

 

you can make 500+ with a 200 shot only less than $1,000 will get it done. But if you want it all motor be prepaired to lay down $4,500-$5,000

 

IMO, stay out of the motor if you will not change the springs. You need slow ramps and not to increase the rpm range if you stay on your stock springs. You might be able to use the GM Hotcam or some very soft lobes (softer than Xe) from Comp. Even then you are risking valve float or valvetrain failure.

 

Thanks guys for all the info, I appriciate it all. I planned on swaping to ls3 heads/manifold in the near future thats why i didnt want to crack open the ls2 heads right now save me time and money just waiting to do the complete headswap on em. I have the tools to do the porting myself I Ported the Manifolds/heads on my other cars before so thats no biggy.

About the Driveline Already ordered a New clutch setup exedy SingleDisk, Fidanza Flywheel and some ARP flywheel bolts and PP bolts, and a Remote clutch bleeder to save me a headache.

Would you say going to A&A Procharger would be cheaper? wouldnt that still require some sort of head work though?

 

IMO you cant beat a good head, cam n2o combo. You would need springs with any aftermarket cam and IIRC you need them if you go F.I. too. The ones in my heads are PRC doubles rated to .660" lift

 

Procharger doesn't require any headwork. You might change the springs, but if you are keeping the boost low and just aiming for 500 - 550 RWHP, they should be fine unless they are high mileage.