Hello all,

I'm trying to pick a camshaft for my newest project. For some background, I'm currently running a stock displacement LS1 with AFR 205cc heads and a Futral F13-114 cam. While this setup makes great power and revs very nicely, I've found it to have a little bit of low-end surge on the street which I don't like.

I'm pretty picky about this sort of thing.

For unrelated reasons I'm swapping motors, this time going to a 427. My head choice is probably a Trick Flow 235. Depending on gasket choice it will somewhere between 10.5:1 and 11:1 SCR.

Anyway, here's my question: I'd like to pick a cam that will provide really, really good driveability on the street. And although the car will be tracked, I don't care about high rev range or max power; I'd rather have something that is very reliable and smooth. That said, I don't want to leave power on the table that won't affect driveability. Consider me conservative but not insanely so.

After some research, here are the options I am considering. I threw the stock LS7 cam in there for reference:

• GM LS7: 211/230, 595/595, LSA unknown, designed for 1.8:1 rockers
• Katech K-Spec: 229/229, 575/575, 116LSA
• LG G5X1 or G7X1: no specs given
• Trick Flow: 238/242, 595/595, 112LSA

I'd like to say that the reps from Katech, LG and Trick Flow were all very helpful and patient with my questions.

My sense is that the Katech cam might be a bit conservative, and the Trick Flow a bit aggressive. The LG cam has had some good reviews and is supposedly very close to stock driveability. But to be honest I'm not that familiar with how to spec cams on the 427/Trick Flow 235 setup. Again, I really want something that will be essentially identical to stock Z06 driveability. Lope at idle is okay, but surging is not.

One more thing: since I'm going for a mild cam that won't make a ton of high-end power, a suggestion I've had is to actually re-use my AFR 205cc heads. It's been suggested that the smaller ports will work a lot better in the lower range and will basically outflow the mild cam at the high end. My setup will probably tail off anyway around 6,500 RPM so optimizing for peak HP isn't that important to me.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

-ch

 

The G5X1 is a bit small and I agree the GM and Katech cams are too small. The AFR heads 205s will become a restriction in the high rpms, I'm guessing by around 5500 it will be noticable. I like lots of torque too, but you're going to gain alot from the extra cubes and your car weighs less than 3,000 lbs so I would hesitate to kill the top end.

This guy did something similar to what you are talking about. You'll have a few more cubes too.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/corvette-...irst-pull.html

 

I am building a TSP 418 with AFR 205 240/244 cam very close to your Trick Flow Cam... still a week off from starting it.

 

Our CheaTR LS2 cam will provide you with exactly the performace you are after especially with the AFR 205's. That cam was actually designed around those heads. You will have completely stock drivability with great midrange and topend power. The specs are 215/230 .629"/.595" 117 LSA. I think you would be suprised at how well those heads will work on your combo.

Thanks,
Shane

 

Shane:
The LS2Chtr was not developed for a 427. Sure it will work, but he can run a bigger can and still have zero surge.

-ch
The extra cubes of your 427 will suck-up the overlap in a cam. A 232/232 114 is as small as you need to go. At 4* overlap, it is a very small cam for a 427. That's basically using the cam you have now, but using it on a much bigger motor.

 

I know that the CheaTR LS2 was not designed specifically for a 427. I installed the first one. However, it will work great on any motor with those heads in particular.

Sure, you can put a much bigger cam in there but I believe people have this natural tendency to over cam everything. I have some customers using this cam in 400+ inch motors very happy with the drivability it offers. Everyone's idea of stock idle seems to be different...

If you are interested, I also have a couple of very stealthy grinds not on our website.

Thanks
Shane

 

I can't help with your cam choice, but I will say this...streetability sometimes has more to do with the tune than the cam. When I had my cam put in, I had a $400 dyno "tune" done. The car bucked, seeked idle, stalled, and wasn't very "streetable" even with an M6.

Then I purchased HP Tuners and found out for my $400 I got a PE only tune. I tuned it myself, and now it drives almost as nice as stock with the mods in my sig.

Gerry

 

Excellent point. If you have the ability or have access to a talented tuner, almost any cam can be made to behave. It just takes the time and effort to develop the tune.

Thanks,
Shane