Is this a good combo??

With the proper build, is Hotcam a good cam to run with a SC?

 

A couple of question your going to have to ask yourself:

1. What type of fuel do you want to run.
2. What compression are you going with.

I've been doing some research on this.
For me, compression is too hight (12.5:1) torun a supercharge with 91 octane on mine.

 

Nathan Plemmons brought this up a few months back. I still stand that the hot cam isn't the best solution for a blower, but he had some very valid points to make regarding his support of the Hot cam.

I simply say this. Open a Jegs or summit magazine and look at the blower cams. The are all low lift with an a$$ ton of duration so that the pressure can build in the chamber. the Hot cam is the exact opposite of this. It offers lots of lift and moderate duration. That is not to say it won't work... but I don't think it will give optimum efficiency.

 

look at the blower cams. The are all low lift with an a$$ ton of duration so that the pressure can build in the chamber. the Hot cam is the exact opposite of this. It offers lots of lift and moderate duration

 

As it stands, the stock LT1 compression and bottom end are not a good idea for SC... I would not push more then about 6 PSI through it.

 

There are a few people around who have done this series of modifications. Here is what I can tell you.

1. Most people who do this are uneducated and blow their motor into a million pieces. Tuning and sanity are the key. Even when properly set up you are seriously pushing the envelope on the stock bottom end. You have to be VERY careful.

2. Those who do pull it off make absolutely insane horsepowr. 500+ rear wheel is no problem at all.

3. No matter how much you can argue the point, people will tell you it won't work until you just do it and prove them wrong.

For the people who say that the LT4 Hot Cam is not optimized for a blower, I say who cares. Neither is the stock cam and you still see a very nice performance increase. By maintaining high lift and short duration you keep your street manners. Sure you might not make as much power as a "blower cam" but you will still see a very healthy gain. For a turbo you need a certain type of cam profile to ensure proper exhaust behavior, for a supercharger it doesn't matter. You are creating positive pressure in the intake manifold, this will create more power REGARDLESS of the cam profile.

Think about this, longer durations cost driveability, they chew up low end torque. Running a supercharger draws some power from the engine in order to turn, think of running with the A/C on all the time. This also chews up HP. So if you put a "blower cam" in the car along with a blower you have just dealt a major blow to the driveability of your engine TWICE. Sure you'll make ridiculous top end power, but its really only useful on the race track. Would you rather have 600 horsepower at 6000 RPM's and no low end, or would you rather have 500 horsepower and a whole lot more torque and street manners?

There isn't a "right" answer, you just have to ask yourself what YOU want to do with the car. Is the Hot Cam optimal for a supercharger? No. Will it make more power with a supercharger as opposed to N/A? Absolutely.

For what it is worth I have contacted several companies that specialize in supercharging and told them my extensive list of modifications. None of them were the least bit worried about running a relatively low boost setup on my car. Naturally I couldn't run 15 psi, but they all felt confident that a 6 psi setup would show very healthy power gains without damaging anything, provided of course that it was PROPERLY set up and tuned.

 

The lobe seperation of a cam plays an important role with blowers and turbos. You actually want to run a cam with a high numerical lobe sep. Cams are made between 104 and 118 lobe sep. A cam with a 104 lobe sep would bleed alot of it's boost right out it's exhaust, vs a cam with for example with 115. In other words you want to keep the overlap as small as possible. As you all know by now, at's all about pumping air. With a blower or turbo, you want to take advantage of all you get.

 

I totally agree with Nathan in that you must decide what you want out of your Vette. It all comes down to drivablity or all out performance, it's really tuff to have both. Myself, I drive a vert and building a 500 hp plus engine doesn't make sence, but a nice 425 hp power plant can be driven comfortably on the street and that equates to just a head, cam and exhaust upgrade. I have never had a super charger, and I'm sure they have their issues. I do worry about longevity and I'm not sure about just popping on a blower and expecting it to last more than 50K. I'm rambling so I'll sign off.

 

If you are going to change the cam, put the right one in... IMO cam selection is one of the most important factors in performance. Talk to someone that builds blower motors all the time. Get multiple opinions and do your homework. Changing cams is not an easy afternoon job, you'll want to get it right the first time.

You CAN run tons of boost on stock bottom end, just depends how long you want it to last. Of course a bad tune is going to make a 5PSI kit blow up just as fast as a good tune on 12 PSI.

Give Greg at Blowerworks a call. He does this stuff all day long...

 

just my 2 cents...
as you sound unsure about the SC.
I mean with doing it right you are looking at about 7-10 grand.
you should consider N20.
it is just as effective if you do it right.

I am in the process of buying a wet system. I am buying all the safety items and then having it tuned. aka purge, fuel cutoff, progressive n20 controller etc etc... and then later on this summer i will install a larger cam with a nice exhaust opening.

i am only doing 100-125 shot. but with all the safety features and tuning you are looking at about $1500. not to mention not constantly running 500 hp to save you gas.

I mean if you have the $ and the time go with the SC but if not go with the N20.

good luck your friend
Sean '


def give greag at blower works an email! hed be the only dude id trust doing my SC for an LTx

 

Ugh... N2O... they call it the "cheater" for good reason.

The last time you punch the gas, and no gas comes out, you really look like the fool.

It is cheaper... but I just don't trust the stuff.

The SC option looks so much better, and, implies a dedication to true performance, not just going fast for that run.

 

well i mean i used to think the same way.. either way unless its NA isnt it cheating as well?

i mean my car has gotten beaten by a couple of supped up hondas and I can brush it off and say they are just hondas and i have a corvette but in the end they still beat me. and thats they way i feel now. i mean if you win you win and its all fair game unless you are messing with their car. but i respect your feelings.

I am just afraid of all the probs with high boost. aka bottom end fuel supply, gaskets, and price.

if you do it much props deserved

 

I see both ends of it, but I have to side with Andy. For me, I want the power available all the time without having to fill the car with anything but gasoline. For low E.T. though there is nothing cheaper than nitrous. There isn't a right or wrong answer, it all depends on how you want to use the car.

 

Coming from your years of experience with FI and Nitrous?

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...45&forum_id=87
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1074994
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1065617

Also coming from your experience with Greg?

 

hahaha hardly!

im just saying i did my own research and I picked N20 over a SC on my vette. as the stock CR was to high already and i didnt quite trust the 2 bolt bottom end. this is after going to the drag many times, talking to friends, and asking people on here Q's bout forced induct/N20.

now on my CRX aka everyday driver now i went with a turbo set up off a porsche because I can run 8-10 lbs of boost on stock engine becase the stock CR of the LS engine is about 9 to 1. compared to our LTx which is what about 11 to 1..

also i have a couple dudes in my vette group/friends who've had work done by greg! they say it is great and let me tell you their cars are beasts! but the work and $ involved with outweighed the gain to me.

so for me im going with N20. if i had the time/$ id go TT(that is if they made a TT kit for a c4).

a SCed vette is kick azz! i wouldnt f with one!


thanks your friend
Sean

 

exactly