hi i have a 2001 ws6 M6 ,it has SLP lid and long tube Texas Speed headers with 3 in. exhaust all the way out,& 4:10 gears. car is just hwy driven never raced. i am wanting to do a cam swap and was wondering how big of cam i should use??? also should i replace the valve springs if its a mild cam??? car has 99k on the clock. i have read alot and understand it isnt a cheap up grade!!! thx for any and all advice being im kinda new to the ls world.

 

What cam you should with is entirely up to you, your goals, future plans, etc...Call some of the big vendors on here and they'll get you in the right direction

 

What is your budget? Valve springs and supporting items for a large-ish cam swap can be half the cost of the cam or more. If you are going to be on the highway most of the time and not racing, overall the car will likely be more efficient with the stock cam or a larger stock cam like a used LS6. But I'm not your mother and I love the sound of a cam with a little lope..I went with the most aggressive cam(still working within my stock long block constraints as well) that wouldn't break LS2/6 valve springs. Those things are cheap($50-$60 for a set). The way I see it is that if you aren't pulling the heads any time real soon, much past .550" lift is somewhere between marginal and waste. Flow on the factory heads just doesn't increase much past .500" so throwing a .620" donkey stick in there is not worth the valve springs IMO. Now I say that not to insult others...when I have saved enough $$(or enough ***** and hubris to grind on them myself) to get the heads worked and go with some more robust valve springs, I will have a donkey d!ck cam of my own!

Keep in mind that many decent-sized cams(the ones you can "hear") will have some surging at low RPMs. I think you have that covered with the 4.10s but still you may find yourself downshifting a bit more into 5th or even 4th if the highway isn't moving too quickly. Cost of doing business and if you have the man transmission you should relish the extra chances to grab a gear anyway. Mine is 222/228 @ 112+3 and about .560" lift. Decent low end and explosive compared to stock LS2 cam at WOT above 3K. Surges a bit below 1500RPM at light/part throttle but a) I'm teaching myself to tune at the same time so some or all of this is likely my fault and b) there's no fun down at 1500RPM anyway!

I think your car came with the LS6 intake but confirm please?

BTW the thinking behind the lopsided duration(more exhaust) is that I can't find long tube headers for LS in a CJ..yet. You've got some nice headers but also slightly less displacement and a little less flow on your(241/853/etc.) heads so I am thinking something more even..maybe a 224/224 with same lift.

This may be obvious to you but worth saying I think..you may have the LS6 intake but still would not have the LS6 valve springs stock..the LS1 valve springs are not good for anything over the stock cam, period.

Good luck with your project.

 

Thx mercier, this is some great info you have shared, i havent set a budget ,but i know i will need a nice size one to replace it all!!! I dont want the huge donkey stick..lol.. I just want a good sounding cam to make my car sound good, but i think i will at least be replacing the cam , lifters, timing chain, and, push rods,& springs if i decide to tear into it!!! Thx again!!!

 

There's a ton of cams out there, I would ask a vendor because it sounds like you need some guidance. As posted above I would replace the timing chain, pushrods, springs, injectors, LS2 trays...224/224 seems to be a popular choice. As long as the car was taken care of the mileage is fine and there's no such thing as a "cheap" upgrade unless your doing your own work. Its always something w/ these cars.

 

Speak with Martin over at Tick. From what everyone else says, the mans not only friendly, but has a wealth of knowledge on cams and ls applications. Tick's a great company that's not too big for their britches like some others have become. They've got my business for life just based off my last two purchases from them last year. When I'm done saving for my turbo set up I'll be calling martin for a cam recommendation for sure.