rbobryk20

damn now i am re-interested in a cam... Sorta shrugged off the idea considering the alterations in the way the car would drive and the gas mileage. but now that ppl have stated 112mph traps w/ out the bad driveability, i am all ears open. My car has high mileage and i am going to do some refreshing and now a small cam sounds good for a summer project.

I have heard a few cams thrown around in this thread.... LPE 211/219, comp 502, crane 210/224, comp 218/224,and obviously the hotcam.... WHat i would like to know is, are one of these grinds somewhat superior to the others w/o giving up on economy.... any of them have anything that makes them special or technically better than the others. I always hear the hotcam is old tech... but are there any new tech cams that are comparible sized that will dominate the hotcam on the street/strip and dyno?

engineermike

Crane 210/224 all the way. Frank95Z's times can't be beat. It will make the same or more power than the Hot cam, but idle much smoother. The Hot cam's slow ramp rates give it alot of overlap for the duration.

slamm69

iTrader: (1)

I see the hot cam package in summit for $530. That seems pretty cheap for the package deal which is cam,1.6 roller rockers,valve springs,valve caps,valve keys,and shims.But would this cam kill my mileage?And being on limited budget would any one say to stay away from the hot cam and definitely go with one of the newer grind cams?Are they really going to be that much better?The way people are talking up the LPE and crane cams I fill I would be happier with one of them but they would cost a little more if you wanted rr,springs,ect.Are they worth the extra $ for a po boy?

White_LightningZ

iTrader: (1)

Hows the gas mileage compared to before? I have always wondered if smaller cams will give excellent gains for a DD while getting much better mpg than bigger cams.
It seems to be true - which is great news.

C_Rules

iTrader: (7)

The gas mileage is about the same. I havent noticed any difference but my car's gas mileage has always been low. especially once you get it under half a tank i guess thats do to the design of the tank itself. plus i havent driven it a great deal sine i got everything done. i'll know how good or worse the gas mileage has gotten soon enough though. living in nyc doesnt help either.

SStrokerAce

iTrader: (2)

I would say in this order: LPE 211/219, Hot Cam, LE1 is where you want to be for the small cams out there. That's smallest to largest but also a setup up in power and RPM with each one. The LPE 211/219 is a good upgrade from stock, still a little small for my taste. The HotCam is seemless and a cheap and easy setup. The LE1 cam was designed to improve on the HotCam in all respects, more TQ everywhere and more power so the average power is better and it's still a easy cam to drive anywhere at anytime.

FWIW overlap is not a bad thing even in "sleeper" or small cams.

Bret

slamm69

iTrader: (1)

How much more power would the LE1 make over the HOT CAM?The price for the whole kit has really caught my eye.But I would rather make the right choice the first time.I know you really know your stuff so please chim back.....

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Bret there is the guy that grinds the LE cams so yeah you could say he knows his stuff. I don't think you will get a LE1 without going with LE heads. PLEASE do not do the HOT cam based on the price. It is a mediocre package at a good price which is what drives it's popularity. If you get truely adequate springs rather than the maginal ones in that kit all of a sudden the price is more inline with what it would take to do a better cam.

slamm69

iTrader: (1)

Thats what I needed to here.I dont really know alot about any of the cams mentioned but I trust the knowledge that you are telling me.Seems you know alot more than I.So any info is very usrful in my decision.And like I said I DONT WANT TO DO THIS TWICE.Brett's got the name,but you seem pretty sharp yourself.

slamm69

iTrader: (1)

One more thing,is the HOT CAM the same cam that came in the Vette lt-4 motors?

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

No the stock LT4 cam was smaller than the HOT.

slamm69

iTrader: (1)

Decisions,decisions,decisions,DAMN......

SStrokerAce

iTrader: (2)

The Le1 cam is probably 15hp over the Hot Cam with keeping the same TQ curve at the low end which is the hard thing to do. Then when you put ported heads on it, you get a really big advantage.

Bret

87Lt1Monte

iTrader: (1)

I run the LPE 219/219 525 525 lift cam shaft on a 383 ci lt1 with stock heads pocket porting and bigger valves and i run the superram intake. little compression. I run high 11's with this VERY streetable setup i can take this car anywhere.

slamm69

iTrader: (1)

Hey 96 it seems you really are trying to push people away from the HOT CAM set-up.Could you give me some reasons why.I understand what you have allready said but is there any thing else that you could inform me of?I have read alot of your other replies on other threads so I know you have been around the LT-1 scene more than I.The reason I am asking is because I see alot of other racers loving there HOT CAM.It seems even Bret doesnt dog it as much as you.I am asking with all due respect.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

IMO it's popularity is based solely on it's popularity. A long time ago it was the only game in town so people used it, then the magazines started pushing it and it's popularity grew DESPITE the fact there are cams that can give you more power with equal drivability. The popularity is also aided by GM offering a "kit" which includes springs that may have been fine with the LT4s lightweight valves but are marginal for the LT1s valves so you should upgrade those before you even install the kit. The rockers are OK but if you want more later they have a short slot speced by GM limiting safe lift with them to about .550 I believe which is enough for the HOT cam but most other cams will be over that with those 1.6s, seen a few people wear those rockers out as well but usually with harder than average use.

You must realize MOST people will defend whatever they already did as having been a good choice, this means if when they were new they put that cam in before doing research and learning about the huge variety of options out there they will still swear it is great even when the guy in the other lane goes faster with similar mods but a more modern grind.

The HOT cam does work, hands down there are more LT1s with it than any other GMPP or aftermarket cam, I just think that gets MISTAKEN for meaning it is great far too often. For the effort and other expense involved in a cam swap though I would look to get a modern grind that can squeeze out more power without necessarily being "bigger". Just off the top of my head figure what $50 in fluids, $100 in gaskets, $100 springs, $250 for rockers, that is $500 right there and that is a very basic and bare bones list, at that point you can go with the HOT cam for what $180 or thereabouts or most other cams including custom cams starting arround $250. The HOT cam itself is cheap but such a minor part of the total cost why not take advantage of some modern technology? Some of the small Comps(smaller than the HOT) I have seen perform wonderfully as do the other Crane/GMPP.

slamm69

iTrader: (1)

I appreciate the info it seems the KIT itself is a little lack-luster,marginal springs,marginal rockers,ect.Maybe I'll spend my hard-earned $ on better parts. Seems that would be a wise choice.I dont want to regret the choice and wish I had ran a different cam.THANKS

soud alqallaf

HI IM

SOUD ALQALLAF

this is my car corvette LT-4 1996 ...
this is very very very fast car ......the car is street hot rod
the horse power is more 750 HP+++
this is supercharger and nitrous the engine is 383.

Wheels 17 X 11.This is my tire (Nitto) NT555R Extreme Drag Radial Tire
315/35R17

The Exhaust System is B&B Tri-FLOO 3"tubing.

If you want any question send my ?
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2308941

98silverz28

iTrader: (6)

sorry for the hi-jack... but do you usually gain gas mileage with a cam as long as it has the right tune? cuz i drive about 70% hwy and im only gettin like 17 mpg (a4, 3.23) and i usually cruise around 70-75

License2Ill

iTrader: (1)

I third this, ZZ3/4 cam idles close to stock, fuel economy barely changes and offers a strong difference in power over stock.

And if you want to get nitty gritty the lift for duration is higher than most aftermarket cam. It is the most lift for the smallest duration that you want to build gas efficiency and maximize its power. The stock cam does not do this, and the ZZ4 simply gives you a ton more lift without changing the duration too drastically from stock. I'm going with 1.7rr in my upcoming rebuild and keeping my ZZ4 cam, gas on it has been close to stock. IMO its the little GM profile that could. Haven't seen any aftermarket deliver more lift for it's duration. It's split profile will serve me well after I maximize it's power and spray NOS.

I also second the notions of the LT4 kit, I saw no real "up" in the upgrade to using it's timing set, and I easily took that money towards a GEN1 double roller and with the extra cash left over added an electric water pump.

The LT4 does give duration which yeilds horsepower but it's lift for duration is very unimpresssive and is similar to a non-roller hydraulic cam. The point of going roller was to offer more lift!!! Also the "hotcam" is a single pattern. Yawn, aggressive ramping and tighter lobes, impresses me more than anything else. Even if its a relatively small cam it reflects efficiency, its bigger and in my opinion it's evil counterpart is the GM 847 another classic GM profile with tuff to beat ramping with similar lift returns per their duration figures.
Ideally the best is to run a solid roller they offer the best lift figures per durations but the pupu platters that make them never start at small durations they are huge cams to begin with.
Don't get me wrong duration does build HP but high lifts per smaller durations, builds HP AND efficiency, choose the little bastard that gives you the most lift per the duration figure ballpark you want to be in, and know ahead of time that it won't be the most popularly used cam. Look at the specs closely and compare. Lobe seperation is a factor I like it as tight as possible but it isn't a must do, wider seperations offer smoother idle and a wider power band, but when your dealing with smaller duration idle is not bad so you can afford to go tighter than your average cam when dealing with smaller durations. I haven't looked at cams in awhile but the last time I did Lingenfelter had some nice small cams ground with plenty of lift and fairly tight LS.