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Don't currently have a positive displacement blown ride. I've had many starting back in 2005. For a while there, my fun ride (2008 Vette with LS3) and my work ride (2005 stepside Silverado with 6.0L LQ4) were both TVS 2300 supercharged. Vette ran 10's, truck ran low 12's. Truck had three different PD blowers with four different cams and three different LS engines. Vette had two different cams other than stock while I had it. Bought another 2013 Vette and it also had a TVS2300 (Magnuson Heartbeat) with all the goodies. I probably have 350K+ miles of seat time behind PD blown TVS engines. My front drive TVS2300 on my truck had over 250K miles on it before needing bearings.
Not sure my experience and recommendations would make anyone else happy, but I'm pretty sure I can put something together that would make me happy and live a long and entertaining life.
When I come up with the cam specs I use, I start with how much overlap I'm willing to tolerate for the intended purpose. In my case, it's always a street ride. I want as much power as I can get without compromising drivability, fuel eco, or reliability. In my trucks, towing was also a consideration.
For a fun street ride that doesn't have to tow for a living, I'm going "0" on the overlap....max.
As far a lift goes, several engine building gurus have stated that once you go over .620 lift, wear hugely increases on valve tips, rocker arms, valve springs, and lifters. If you don't mind increased wear levels and decreased time between parts replacements, higher lift does make more power. Personally, I want to build it once and then just enjoy it for many years and many thousands of miles. If it makes 10 hp less above 6000 rpm, so be it.
On the intake duration side, the longer the intake valve is open, the lower the boost. That's assuming the exhaust side isn't restricted. Less boost = less intake air temps. When you compress air, it heats up. 10 degrees less intake air temp = 1% more power (per Magnuson). That's why I'm not a fan of the intake durations in the "teens". Yes, you can still make power and yes, it does lower overlap and helps with drivability.
On the exhaust side, I'm not a fan of the huge I/E splits you see on most blower cams. 2 degrees more exhaust duration = 1 more degree of overlap. Once you get over mid to high 230's on the exhaust side, more just gets you more overlap. Yes, you can make more power, but it takes away from the bottom end. I'd rather have more power in an RPM range that I actually use. How often are you above 6000 rpm on a street car? Do you notice a few HP on the very top end?
The only reason I would ever use a bigger blower cam is if I wanted to limit low end power. That would be assuming I didn't have sense enough to modulate the right hand foot pedal. Boost/power is totally adjustable with your right foot....unless you over cam it. Then you might as well have put a centrifugal blower on it....
Cam chop is highly overrated. I've raced cars at the strip that were not only loud, they chopped almost like Pro Stock cars. Couldn't even hear my car idle. But I kicked most of their asses!! You can have a tuner make a mild cam sound hairy, if chop is what you're after. I think both cam chop, along with burnouts (laying a patch in 60s lingo) will eventually become a thing of the past. While laying rubber may look cool, its all wasted power, while cam chop is wasted gas. My HO....
Cam chop is highly overrated. I've raced cars at the strip that were not only loud, they chopped almost like Pro Stock cars. Couldn't even hear my car idle. But I kicked most of their asses!! You can have a tuner make a mild cam sound hairy, if chop is what you're after. I think both cam chop, along with burnouts (laying a patch in 60s lingo) will eventually become a thing of the past. While laying rubber may look cool, its all wasted power, while cam chop is wasted gas. My HO....
i have an LS3 with a kong 2650, frankenstein stage 2 heads and this is the cam i have. just finished putting it together recently. have yet to get a full tune. had fuel pressure problems last week at the dyno.
mine too is a street car/daily driver. not SBE.
i'll be curious to see what you pick for a cam. i'm shopping for a cam as well.
That one has at least 13 degrees and could have up to 18 of overlap. They don't tell you the exact specs, so you're guessing. If you want a lumpy, lopey, stinky, shakey, fuel eating, ill mannered rig, that would be an excellent cam to use. Unless you have way more cubes than stock, that one would be a pain in the *** on the streets. The world's best tuner wouldn't be able to tame it to have decent street manners. You'd need a higher stall converter too.
The beauty of the supercharger you're using is that you don't need a cam like that to make really good power.
This is the information I am looking, I am open to cam suggestions, What I am looking for is to pick up some use able street power/Road course track days. I don't want to be excessively hard on the valve train/motor. I would like it to sound like it has a cam with out a high idle and a lot of lope, wasted fuel and smell.
I don't think you can go wrong with either the GPI or BTR offerings. Both of them are the leading companies when it comes to rectangle port heads IMO. I know a few people who used BTR stage 3 PDS blower cams on their LSA setups and they've always been very tame and streetable. I've been in both manual and automatic CTS-Vs with these cams and they drive fantastic.
A BTR PDS Stage 2 Torque Cam or GPI SS2 PD blower cam will drive even better.
I don't think you can go wrong with either the GPI or BTR offerings. Both of them are the leading companies when it comes to rectangle port heads IMO. I know a few people who used BTR stage 3 PDS blower cams on their LSA setups and they've always been very tame and streetable. I've been in both manual and automatic CTS-Vs with these cams and they drive fantastic.
A BTR PDS Stage 2 Torque Cam or GPI SS2 PD blower cam will drive even better.
There you have it. BTR stage 3 is it. I tried. Do they have a stage 4? 4 is better than three. Right?
Honestly This is the first forum, that I read people not pushing the GPI or BTR cams most say to go with their stage 3 or 4 offerings. I do appreciate the different ideas and opinions. The LS9 cam looks like a fairly popular choices as well.
Honestly This is the first forum, that I read people not pushing the GPI or BTR cams most say to go with their stage 3 or 4 offerings. I do appreciate the different ideas and opinions. The LS9 cam looks like a fairly popular choices as well.
The LS9 cam has two, and only two, things going for it. It's cheap. I haven't seen prices on them in years. They may not even be cheap any more. You used to be able to buy it for around a hundred bucks. It is easy on the valve train mainly because the lift is anemic. The duration, especially on the intake side, is also anemic. With the absurdly wide LSA, it's also going to be substandard below 5000 rpm. I'm pretty sure a stock LS3 cam is better under 5000 rpm. Whether n/a or supercharged.
So above I posted the BTR Stage 3 Torque Cam V2, I made a mistake and don't have the V2 I have the original, Can you tell me if this is a decent cam and how it compares to the GPI Stag 2 PD cam I linked to above.
I also sent Blower to Kong for porting and ordered a NW 103 TB.
So above I posted the BTR Stage 3 Torque Cam V2, I made a mistake and don't have the V2 I have the original, Can you tell me if this is a decent cam and how it compares to the GPI Stag 2 PD cam I linked to above.
I also sent Blower to Kong for porting and ordered a NW 103 TB.
If you already have the BTR cam, run it. With overlap at around "0", manners/drivability should be good with a decent tune. It has enough duration to make good power. Also, lift isn't extreme so valve train life shouldn't be compromised. I'm sure the GPI cam would fit some circumstances. I wouldn't use it because of the big overlap numbers and higher lift than I'm comfortable with. I don't think it's a good fit for you either.
Hey guys,
SO I am getting ready to start the work and I am still struggling with Cam selection. The BTR PDS Torqumax Stage 3 that I posted in Post #35 is the one I am leaning towards at the moment since I have it, But I would hate for $400 ( Cost of new cam ) to make my car un enjoyably. I am looking for a well running enjoyable car with good manners, with a proper tune do you guys believe that is achievable?
Thank you
PS NW 103 and ported Kong SC have been added.
