I've got a '96 auto w/ hooker shorties, besides that it is stock. Was wondering if the hotcam kit is worth it or should I put my money to something else. I just want a car I can have fun with so NOS not needed. Is there anything I will have to get done after kit is installed like a tune? I plan on getting an x-pipe and that's it for exhaust. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks, Derek

 

Derek
Get your heads port out. That will do more then the hot cam.

 

have you considered some 1.6 roller rockers?or look for a used stock lt4 cam,add the rockers and new springs to save some dough.a dyno tune might pick up a few ponies as well.

 

The Hotcam by itself isn't maybe the most "standalone" mod that you could do, but few cam changes make a huge difference without the corresponding additions elsewhere. If you do the already have the exhaust flowing well, then do the cam with a bit of headwork and a tune, you will notice a lot more difference.

Even if you did just the cam package (springs etc.), you will notice a difference and the sound is a LOT better. Freshening the top end will help as well. It gives a nice muscular lope while still behaving nicely on the street at idle or with the AC. Not the most radical by far, but a strong, safe choice.

 

When you say nos not needed, Im guessing your talking about 100 hp shot at least. To get 100rwhp youll need hotcam with ported heads and headers. Or go with nos!

 

Port your heads. Get long tube headers. Hot Cam Kit comes with 1.6 roller rockers ,afpr, hd timing chain, and a tune you WILL be around 425hp at the crank.

 

IMO it is better to have the heads ported and bigger valves installed at the same time, mainly due to the labor involved in doing a lot of the work twice. The cam kit alone is a very good performance value if labor is not figured in. But even if you do your own labor its a lot of extra work.
The above mentioned work is what I did and you can see my results in my signature. Keep in mind that the track times are ideal conditions. Normal July 90 degree days will raise that by 2 to 4 tenths.
Oh, one other thing to consider doing if you pull the heads. Consider using the Impalla head gaskets. They are thinner and will raise compression by 1-2 tenths.

 

Your goals for the car and how much you want to spend would be a good starting point.

Head porting alone: $1000-1500, 20-30 RWHP.

LT4 kit alone: $600, 40-50 RWHP


LT4 stock cam has less lift than his stock cam.


Need more supporting mods than that to get 425 FWHP. And he can't do LTs in CA.

 

I changed motors from the lt1 to the lt4 and I have an a4 too But basically it's an lt1 with better flowing heads and 1.6 rockers with a slightly higher compression ratio. I installed the Hotcam when i put the motor in and had the pcm tuned via mail order at the same time. I have stock exhaust including cats and iron manifolds and no mods to the intake system. If the stock lt4 has 330hp and the cam gives me 20 more, that's about 350 at the crank. It is very noticeable. I've been told that headers will really wake it up, but i have zero complaints right now thru stock manifolds.

The biggest difference is in the mid to higher rpms. My fuel cut off i believe now is 6800 ad the red line is 6400. I mention the numbers because 6400 is usable rpms meaning it's still pulling pretty hard, and if the fuel cut off wasn't there, I would prob. have spun a bearing by now or worse. I have to be paying attention to the tach because if I don't, it pulls very quickly to the shut off. I try to shift at six, just to be safe. On the lower end, there is at least a slightly perceived loss of torque, but it is minimal and easily compensated for because the hot cam gets into the powerband pretty quickly. Also, I have 3.07 gears so that helps I'm sure. Though, I've been told to go a little higher, I like the long pulls rather than the shorts bursts. It's not a track car anyway.

I wouldn't go back to the way it was for twice the money i have in it, and it has put any desire to go to a newer car out of my mind completely.

Someone on the board said it before, maybe corvettekid or central coaster, "My mechanic's foot lifts off the accelerator way before the engine starts to complain" or at least something similar. I find myself doing that all the time. I shift now because I feel its the safe thing to do rather than because I'm running out of pull. I say do it...you won't be sorry.


if I had to think of a negative, it's that the car shakes a little, about enough to make ripples in your coffee, whereas the stock cam was perfectly smooth. On the other hand, I kind of like the rough sound too. The tune helped quite a bit, but not perfect. On the other hand, after 800 rpms, there is no difference except for the way it pulls ..big grin. Can't wait for headers!. Good luck! I guess I could think of one more and that's that the new vette has 400hp stock, which is more than my modded one, but if I didnt know better, I would believe there's 400 horses under my hood. Certainly no one else who rides or drives it will say less.