ExpatMedic

So, we installed a Brian Tooley 2 cam in my 09 CTS-V and lost roughy 60rwhp.

Before the cam, I was making ~630rwhp, now I'm making ~560rwhp. Car still runs and feels amazing, so I took it to the track to verify - sure enough, I lost about 6mph in the 1/4 and 3mph in the 1/8.

We were expecting ~670-680rwhp, based upon what other V's are picking up with this cam.

I'm running CAI, upper/lower pulleys, cooling, stock exhaust, and E85.

Here's what we know:

1) Cam specs appear to be in spec, as we verified with a degree wheel. It's verified to be installed 'dot to dot'.
2) All cylinders are within 5-10psi of each other during compression test
3) Took an ohm meter to the plug wires - all around 600 +/- 30
4) Dyno graph seems to follow original dyno, just 'shifted down'. It is interesting to note that my peak torque is higher than my peak HP. Based on other graphs with this cam in the V, peak torque should be slightly lower than peak HP, just like the stock cam.
5) It allowed us to add a LOT of timing on the dyno w/ no knock. In the graph below, the lowest HP # (557rwhp) is on pre-cam timing, the highest HP # (605rwhp) is after adding a ton of timing. 638rwhp was my pre-cam dyno.

The fact that it allowed us to add a ton of timing led us to believe that the cam was off (off a tooth or ground wrong) or that I had a dead cylinder. Now that both appear to be within spec, I'm starting to come up at a loss.

Going to check the cats for ***** n giggles. Any other suggestions?

03EBZ06

You said nothing about the specs on either cam, so senseless to speculate.
You want a wide LSA, quick ramp cam and lots duration for exhaust.
Last time I used a TFS cam, 1999, I threw it in the trash.
Comp Cams rules, plain and simple, no matter who puts their names on it.
Get yourself something from comp and get the job done right.

Let me guess, slow ramp cam with narrow lobe. Boost changes?
if you monitor the boost on the dyno curve, that will let you know how much boost u are likely spitting out the exhaust lobe due to overlap.

What are the before and after cam specs exactly? A friend of mine
knows alot about those caddy's. If you post up, I'll ask him.

ExpatMedic

Most people will probably scoff at the specs, as it is an 'odd' looking cam, but they generally seem to work well in this platform.

BTR 2 cam: 227/242 .614"/.592" 122+6 LSA (overlap -10) - Spec'd by brian tooley, ground by comp cams (in batches)
Stock LSA cam: 198/216 .480"/.480" 122.5 LSA (overlap -24.5)

For comparison, a *really* popular cam for the LSA platform is the GT9, which I personally feel has too much lift for a long life/daily driver:

GT9: 215/247 .629"/.656" 121 LSA (-11 overlap)

I lost about 3/4 to 1PSI with this cam.

Exidous

iTrader: (11)

Even though you are still getting -10* overlap, maybe your springs aren't seating the valves fast enough and pressure is running out the exhaust. Just an idea as I didn't see a mention of springs.

Brian Tooley Racing

iTrader: (13)

This cam has made over 700 rwhp on various dyno's even beating "faster" ramp speed and higher lift cams. Since these cams are ground in batches by COMP CAMS they're less likely to have errors in the final product. One of the cams from this batch made over 700rwhp. There's clearly something wrong, but it's very unlikely to be the cam.

Whistler

iTrader: (46)

The cylinders are within an acceptable variance of each other, what were your cranking compression numbers?

ExpatMedic

Between 140 and 150 (3 @ 150psi, 2 @ 145 psi, 3 @ 140psi)

I'm a mile high, so those numbers should be very much in spec - even slightly high (gauge dependent).

I agree with Brian, something is wrong. I suppose we could debate the cam specs, but I very much doubt thats the problem, considering how well other LSA's are doing with it for being a relatively 'mild' cam. The only outlier with my setup is that I am at high altitude, but I can't see why that would make a difference.

KCS

iTrader: (20)

I'd bet there's something else wrong. Clogged cats or issues with the intercooler are becoming more and more common. I would start by pulling the spark plugs to see what they look like and make sure the cats aren't breaking up.

ExpatMedic

Cats I will check today. Intercooler/IAT2 temps are low, especially on the dyno.

03EBZ06

He never mentioned the advance ground in his old cam. I think that is too much advance in the cam, 6 degrees.

Case in point: I had a blower car in past, making 12-14psi. I degreed the cam in, which was ground 4 advance. I found it about 1/2 degree off at 3.5, so I advanced it another 2 degrees on crank gear. Car did not make good power and did not run smooth no matter. I later retarded the cam 2 degrees and you would not believe the amount power I gained from that and I do mean across the board.

Is it possible to get to a point on the advance that cylinder is compressed and reversion occurs? Realizing you made 700hp with something else, I see your point.

To OP: I have Brian's TFS235 heads on my car and I would not buy anything else ever, so have confidence in him.