needdlex

Hey everyone,

I'm planning parts for my upcoming LS3 C6 coupe.

I don't know much about cams as I've never messed with one before. I'm looking to upgrade a daily driver to squeeze as much gas mileage as I possibly can.

I'll be changing out the intake with a snake charmer, adding headers, x pipe, and racing bullets in place of the stock mufflers. I know these will make better mileage and free up some power.

Here is my ultimate question: if I add an aftermarket camshaft and tune, will I increase my mileage, or take away the mileage I've added by doing the intake/exhaust?

Unreal

Large cams KILL mileage. Typically 3-4mpg hit. Then again, it depends on the size of the cam.

needdlex

I talked with a friend of mine today about them and he said to look for one that is slightly more aggressive than a factory cam. Slightly higher high points and longer flat spots will give more low end torque and not affect mileage very much.

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly I need to buy. I'm making a pick list of parts to buy later.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

CMY SIX

this is what I did, it is small and some will laugh, but the RPM range is HUGH and the low end around town is awesome, I like it better then stock and my mileage is almost unchanged, 1500 rpm in 6th before you had to drop a gear, now it gets right with the program. Comp cam xr265hr-15, it just cracked 401rwhp

needdlex

Awesome, thanks for the info. That's exactly what I'm looking for.

Unreal

I strongly suggest talking to a cam expert and not internet board people for cam specs.

HOXXOH

I can only assume you want to increase the mpg for economic reasons. If that's true, your biggest mistake is buying a Vette. The second biggest would be expecting a financial return on money spent for your list of mods.
The skinny pedal has about 2" of travel, so put a 1.5" block under it and learn to drive slower. The next time you need tires, get the hardest, narrowest, cheapest ones that'll fit and run at 40 psi.

jesse82nc

I average 13-14 mpg on e85 with a 629 cam on a 418 stroker And I drive about 300 miles a week.

cclive

The car gets such good mileage already, I can't see that there is much room for improvement. It's the only car on the road that will go 180 mph and get near 30 mpg on the highway. Spending money on a cam, it will be very difficult to ever recoup the money spent by saving some small amount of gasoline in the future.

jesse82nc

Assuming you drive 1000 miles a month, and gas costs $2.50 a gallon, a 1 mpg increase is a savings of $227 per year. A cam install usually runs about $2k, so that would be a ROI in 8 years 9 months lol. If you could get 2 mpg better, it would cut that in half.

Boomer111

For a bang in around town tq why not just go with 4:10 gear change. Assuming you have a MN6.

It will affect fuel mileage though, I still see 25mpg on trips averaging 75 mph for 600 miles.

While in Nevada it was 100+ for a few hours.

This way the engine stays virgin and no maintenance needed for top end.

Talking about replacing a mild cam here. No hp gain granted but performance wise some decent improvement and changes the cars fun factor.

needdlex

Thanks for the info guys.

I talked with a guy that's been a mechanic his entire life and he told me that I'd be better served just getting air into the engine and back out again. Putting a cam on it would be a pretty high dollar gamble as it might help, but the cost wouldn't be worth the small amount (if any) increased gas mileage.

(hmmm)

If you want better fuel mileage, you could add a Vitesse Throttle Controller. It has 2 adjustable modes. One mode gives you quicker throttle response, and the other mode is for increased fuel economy.
The Vitesse changed the drivability immensely. I now would not want to do without it. It really makes the car even MORE fun to drive. I suggest that you add the Vitesse regardless of what else you do to your vette.

KW Baraka

I would say go with something like this --->> http://www.lingenfelter.com/product/...l#.V8OjxjZOnVI

You'll need valve springs that can handle .650" lift.

KW

Joe_G

You are not going to get increased gas mileage from a larger cam. It will be a waste of your money. The Vette is pretty optimized for fuel mileage from the factory, no mod is going to help it. Headers add power across the board but when you are going for mileage, as HOXXOX noted, a block under the gas pedal is about the only mod that will work.

I have a Prius which gets 50 mpg and that makes me happy. A Vette can't compete with that and frankly even a Tesla can't when you figure their cost of entry.

When I want to go fast, I drive my Vette.

Different horses for different courses.

needdlex

My goal is to squeeze the most out of the car as I can. You guys have more knowledge about this than I do, and the consensus seems to be "no", which I'm okay with. Swapping out the intake and mufflers (possibly headers) will make a big change in noise. Since this is going to be my daily driver, I want to keep it as pleasant as possible. I know swapping out cams throws all of those into a whole different class.

I really appreciate the info and reasons behind them. I see Vitesse Throttle Controller being talked about quite a bit around here and I'll look into them.

Joe_G

My thread on how the mods overlay might be of interest to you. Some decent discussion and dyno results included herein.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ast-heads.html

needdlex

That is exactly what I needed to see.

I didn't even think about where the power starts coming into play at about 4500. I rarely get that high while on the highway, and if I do, it's only for a second or two to pass a car.