I amd wanting to put a cam in my car but i really dont know much about them other then they get a lot of power when installed,

i was looking at the magic stick 4 for abotu 400$ and i know install is porbaly gunna be expensive becuase i will need a dyno tune and do i need to buy adition parts with the cam i have been hearing about springs and otehr things liek that can you help me out ? and if you have a cam let me know !

Thanks - Adam

 

Cams vary greatly in what they do, I'm still somewhat new to LS1's (though I'm trying to buy one), but from what I've gathered the Magic Stick 4 is a fairly wild cam, and wouldn't be the best idea if this is your daily driver. A 224 cam may be a safer bet.

 

I have a DD and I specifically wanted a cam for nice power boost (nothing outrageous), nice idle, and great street manners (in the end it's give/get relationship). I had Pat G custom spec something for me. MANY guys on this site (more than I can count) have the TR224 cam as daily driving cams with great results. Good luck.

-J

 

Ok few quick questions,what year f-body, A4 or M6, how much power are you looking for or a specific quarter mile time you trying to hit, is it a daily driver, any current mods to the car? This info will help a ton...

 

caminsky was does the 224 mean is it just the name of the cam?

98z28mass: yes this is my daily driver and a4 ,new intake and cat back slp loudmouth i have now idea what quarter mile time im looking for ,because i havent ever taken it to the track yet but im definetly looking for a nice HP increase maybe around 30-40 hp

thanks guys and can you tell me wut all the number meanse with cams is it the size of the lob and the bigger the better right?

 

Generally it's like this... cam specs will appear like shown:

aaa/bbb .ccc/.ddd eee+f

aaa = intake duration (how long intake valve is opened)
bbb = exhaust duration (how long exhaust valve is opened)
ccc = valve lift of the intake valve
ddd = valve lift of the exhaust valve
eee = Lobe Separation
fff = degrees of advance ground into the cam (if applicable)

that's a ROUGH outline of the numbers, I would read the CAM FAQ sticky if I were you, LOTS of good info there. Here it is:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generation-iii-internal-engine/327734-cam-guide.html

And bigger is not ALWAYS the better choice for a cam, IMO. Take a long look at your goals for the car, and be honest with yourself as to what you want it to do. I don't know much about A4s and matching stalls and whatnot, so I can't help you there, sorry.

-J

 

wow that was alot to read but i read most of it and read through the install porcess and everythin and i understand alot more then i did and im thinking the Tr224 is my best bet

but what do you mean abotu matching stalls? is that somthing for when installing the cam?

 

That's an automatic trans issue, and to be honest, I have absolutely no idea both A) how a stall works, and B) how to match the stall for the cam you wanna choose I just have to worry about a clutch and gears if need be. "From what I understand" you want to match the appropriate stall to the cam you want for best driveability/power. You will have better luck searching in the automatic transmission section, good luck.

-J

 

A stall will put you in your cams powerband. That's why its important. If you have a cam that make power at very high revs, you want a stall that will get you to that rev-range quickly.

This is a complex topic, and a couple of posts in the newbie section will not give you all the info you need. Read up on this site and others, try to understand how an engine and transmission works, then you will be able to make an educated decision.

One word of advice, and its been repeated here in a few of the forums(internal engine, etc) be smart about your expectations and what you're willing to live with. Big numbers are all well and dandy, but often the cams that make them suck to live with...especially true with an automatic that you can't rev as high. A 224 cam is a great option for a daily driver. The heads you choose/eventually upgrade to will also greatly impact the direction you want to go.

 

Keep in mind that you'll need to replace the valve springs and pushrods while you are in there. If you've got some mileage, consider replacing the oil pump too. A cam swap isn't just a cam swap, there are other things involved.

 

yeah i am already looking into pushrods and vlavesprings i wil probaly end up buying a kit from somwhere with all that in it

 

The Cam FAQ is way too steep of reading for a newb (as you found out). Go here and look at the "Selecting a cam that's right for you" section to start off.

http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=23

However, you could just get Pat G from Thunder Racing to walk you though every little step of the way, part numbers and all of everything you need. Look up his username. Link in his sig for more info. I'd look for a sponsor in your area to install and tune it after that.

I'm stopping at lid, intake, headers, cutouts, cam and N2O. Then, fix stuff when it breaks and appearance mods. Car should be fast as hell for a daily driver right there.

 

so go with a 224 cam?

 

Cam swaps are a sensitive subject as you have probably found out from all of these posts. First off, I would say that the Magic stick 4 is not a good daily driver cam. Many reasons on that, will ride rough, needs a high stall, will wear on the springs, retainers, lifters and other valve train components faster. Another thing to watch out for when selecting a cam is am I going to do heads? Are you going to keep the same rockers or upgrade to a higher quality rocker, possibly a roller rocker instead of a tap rocker? Will you need to change your pushrod length? Will your compression be in the correct range? Will there be enough valve to piston clearance or will you need to fly cut the top of your flat top (assuming they are stock) pistons? Will you upgrade your timing chain and sprocket? Oil pump? New lifters (especially if you have 60k+ miles on them already)? Will my bigger valves/rockers fit under my stock valve covers? If you indeed do a head and cam package, will you put out enough power to break your transmission? Your drive shaft? Your differential? Your axles? Your shocks and springs? Will I twist the body (after all it is a unit body car)? You need to know the answers to all of these questions before you click the "Buy now" button for that cam shaft.
Personally for me, I am going to do a head and cam package this winter, but when I do mine, I’ll be replacing the oil pump, lifters, pushrods, rockers, all gaskets, timing chain and sprocket, torque converter, and possibly the water pump at the same time. I already have sub frame connectors welded in with beefed up rear control arms, pan hard bar and front strut tower brace in. Past that I will fix the tranny, differential and drive shaft as the problems come.

 

eah im goign with a 224

and yeah i am changin out the push rods and valve springs and probaly the oil pump becuzes im above 60 k on the clock

 

doing the work yourself???

i don't know where you're located but speedinc does cam installs for $1,400 everything included.

- Cam
- Springs
- Pushrods
- gaskets/seals
- crank bolt
- oil
- A/C recharge
- and DYNO tune

that price is a smokin' deal for parts/labor/tuning.

www.ls1speed.com

if you're having the work done elsewhere, then they can atleast get you parts at a good price and get you in the right direction as far as the cam is concerned... they'll most likely agree that the 224 would be a great starter/daily driver cam.

 

will the tr224 have a nice lope or smooth idle?

 

Depends on the LSA. 114 will idle better than a 112.

 

I think generally you see automatics go with teh 114 and manuals go with the 112.

You can also adjust the idle by raising it a few hundred RPM's.

 

See sig.

This is a very popular 'starter' cam. Works well with stock heads and tune. No issues on my daily driver at all. Makes good power, and really pulls hard up top.

No matter what you are going to want to upgrade the springs and pushrods.

Just a suggestion, but maybe you should look into getting a smaller cam like this one and then plan on doing a head and cam swap later. Despite what a lot of people think, the best thing to do is set a performance goal, get the heads to get you to that goal, and finally match a cam with whatever heads you want. This would be a good time to upgrade to a bigger cam like the MS4 or T-Rex (although I have seen plenty of people running the MS4 as a DD on this site)