Perfect Driveability LS3 Cam?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Perfect Driveability LS3 Cam? Hi guys,
I'm thinking about putting a more daily driver friendly cam in my LS3 with the following mods.
1 3/4" extractors
twin 2.5" cat back exhaust
fast lsxr 102mm intake manifold
nick williams 102mm throttle body
comp dual valve springs, comp pushrods 7.4" and currently has a comp 227/243 cam.
I rarely rev the car over 6000-6500rpm, so power above this point is of no concern.
I would like it to have perfect or close to perfect street manners.
I also have 4.11:1 diff gears so don't really need heaps of torque down really low in the rev range.
What sort of cams would people recommend with the above requirements?
I'm currently looking at something like a Vengeance Racing stage 1 cam (223/231 115+3) or maybe a thunder racing TruTorq Level 1 cam (219/224 115)
Probably leaning against the smaller cam at this stage, as I don't see the need to give up torque at lower revs to gain a little over 6000rpm?
Thanks for the help
Benno
I'm thinking about putting a more daily driver friendly cam in my LS3 with the following mods.
1 3/4" extractors
twin 2.5" cat back exhaust
fast lsxr 102mm intake manifold
nick williams 102mm throttle body
comp dual valve springs, comp pushrods 7.4" and currently has a comp 227/243 cam.
I rarely rev the car over 6000-6500rpm, so power above this point is of no concern.
I would like it to have perfect or close to perfect street manners.
I also have 4.11:1 diff gears so don't really need heaps of torque down really low in the rev range.
What sort of cams would people recommend with the above requirements?
I'm currently looking at something like a Vengeance Racing stage 1 cam (223/231 115+3) or maybe a thunder racing TruTorq Level 1 cam (219/224 115)
Probably leaning against the smaller cam at this stage, as I don't see the need to give up torque at lower revs to gain a little over 6000rpm?
Thanks for the help
Benno
Here is cam test that may help you, I would suggest having a look @ Lingefelter's spec'd camshaft.
I've always run Cathedral heads so I've no camshaft LS3 experience, seems that LS3 heads make the cam choice very fussy as you are describing.
http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...son/index.html
I've always run Cathedral heads so I've no camshaft LS3 experience, seems that LS3 heads make the cam choice very fussy as you are describing.
http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...son/index.html
Here is cam test that may help you, I would suggest having a look @ Lingefelter's spec'd camshaft.
I've always run Cathedral heads so I've no camshaft LS3 experience, seems that LS3 heads make the cam choice very fussy as you are describing.
http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...son/index.html
I've always run Cathedral heads so I've no camshaft LS3 experience, seems that LS3 heads make the cam choice very fussy as you are describing.
http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...son/index.html
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
I am going to spend some time on the tune and see if it can be settled down a bit, so I will probably decide from there. I do really enjoy the current cam when going for a drive on the weekend or entering in motorkana's etc, however even then, I rarely rev it over 6000rpm much, so tend to think I may be better off with a smaller cam anyway?
Cheers
Benno
If you are HPT & want to forward a log of the surge & buck as well as the tune file maybe I can see something. Shoot over a PM & will send you my email.
What is the LSA of your existing cam? Or do you know the overlap?
What is the LSA of your existing cam? Or do you know the overlap?
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Cam is 113lsa by the way. Its a comp lsr grind. Not sure of the overlap?
Cheers
Benno
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
Hopefully your tuner can sort out the kinks, I swapped out my cam as the buck & surge under 1800 rpm in lower gears was brutal. To many compromise's in the tuning for my liking.
I've a very good link that gets into some pretty good detail why the LS3's don't need big cams & what happens technically.
I've a very good link that gets into some pretty good detail why the LS3's don't need big cams & what happens technically.
FWIW: The best cam I ran in my 403 with WCCH Stage 2 heads was a 230-240 111+0. It made 530/480 and drove prefectly thanks to the spot on tune by Ed Hutchings.
The cam I run in the 427 now is not much different and either is the drivability. I can leave it in 6th gear on the highway and pull cleanly from 600RPM (yes, six hundred) when I get in traffic. Also thanks to the tune by Ed. That's even with a heavily modified FAST 102mm matched to a NW 107mm TB.
TECH Regular
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
From: Cherry Hill, New Jersey State
This must be almost perfect tune
My car is 4.0845" bore with 3.622" stroke with milled L92 heads (0.010"), stock LS3 intake and TB 102mm & LT headers (1 3/4") & cam of 227 / 239 LSA 114 + 0; after tuning it still surge at 1500 ~ 1800 rpm, but after that it suddenly jumps with a power that my tire start spining hard which i do not like it espically in town between trafic lights.
Your cam is very powerfull to get over 500 rwhp & 480 rwtq
My car is 4.0845" bore with 3.622" stroke with milled L92 heads (0.010"), stock LS3 intake and TB 102mm & LT headers (1 3/4") & cam of 227 / 239 LSA 114 + 0; after tuning it still surge at 1500 ~ 1800 rpm, but after that it suddenly jumps with a power that my tire start spining hard which i do not like it espically in town between trafic lights.
Your cam is very powerfull to get over 500 rwhp & 480 rwtq
TECH Junkie
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3,092
Likes: 11
"currently has a comp 227/243 cam"
IMHO that 16 degree split between the intake and exhaust duration is the reason it does not drive all that well. I would knock some duration off the exhaust side and I bet the driveability will increase quite abit and make it easier to tune.
IMHO that 16 degree split between the intake and exhaust duration is the reason it does not drive all that well. I would knock some duration off the exhaust side and I bet the driveability will increase quite abit and make it easier to tune.
TECH Regular
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
From: Cherry Hill, New Jersey State
I'm planning to travel to a tuner who is good and dyno the car, to fine tune the engine. The vaccum for the braks is very poor which affect the breaking, i think it is from cam
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 433
Likes: 1
However I don't think it is the cam.
Your cam is similar to mine if not a little smaller.
In fact I was very surprised, if not a little disappointed, how smooth our LS3 drove. I expected it to be a lot lumpier at idle than our old LS1 fitted with a Speed Inc Comp Cam 228 228 .588 .588 13, however it was almost identical.
For the LS3, I believe there are better choices available today. Something in the range of ~220° intake and ~230° with lift in the .600" range and 111° + 3°. You don't need a big overlap cam anymore to have a fast car. A big overlap cam usually is the cause of surging at 1600 rpm. Who wants that?
Sure, the big overlap cams will show nice peak dyno numbers everybody likes to brag about but if you look closely at the torque curves, most of these cams suck in the 3500-5500 rpm range where you spend 90% of the time during WOT acceleration runs. What this means you can jump out to a comfortable lead and hold it over a car that makes more peak HP at 6500 rpm. A big, flat torque curve is preferred over one that peaks at a high RPM.
Peak HP means nothing in my book.
I'm running the Vengeance stage 2 with great success. Very nice street manners, it can lope along at 1200rpm, idle 850. Big flat torque curve with no dips and peak hp by 6000. With this cam they made 470 to the wheels in a setup like yours without the fast.
TECH Regular
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 486
Likes: 0
From: Cherry Hill, New Jersey State
My engine broke
The tuner discovered that the tuning was made in very bad way. The A/F ratio was made 11.1 till 1600rpm, then after 1600rpm it is 12.8.
Also, when trying to tune it, the engine started very unusual way, after that cooling water start to go low level and heat start raising very dramatically, however there is no leak observed. It was decided to teardown the engine after detailed inspection that didn't revealed any source of leak.
We discovered that the cylinder wall thickness between two sleeves observed of cracks in three location that water cooling is leaking to the oiling system. The tuner says it is knocking the engine expirenced.
It is very bad. Now im looking for new iron block.
The tuner discovered that the tuning was made in very bad way. The A/F ratio was made 11.1 till 1600rpm, then after 1600rpm it is 12.8.
Also, when trying to tune it, the engine started very unusual way, after that cooling water start to go low level and heat start raising very dramatically, however there is no leak observed. It was decided to teardown the engine after detailed inspection that didn't revealed any source of leak.
We discovered that the cylinder wall thickness between two sleeves observed of cracks in three location that water cooling is leaking to the oiling system. The tuner says it is knocking the engine expirenced.
It is very bad. Now im looking for new iron block.