Hey everyone. I'm wanting to throw a cam to my c5. I'm new to this so i'm wondering what you guys are running. I got a bonestock LS1 6 speed man trans. Not looking for anything crazy but looking for something that sounds good and gives her a little more pepper. basically want advice on what size cam and what else you guys would recommend. Haven't looked to much just kind of browsing YouTube listening to different cams. Any advice would help THANK YOU.

 

It starts with the exhaust, headers, intake, cam, brakes, suspension, clutch, tires, wheels and never ends before you have $30k invested in your $12,000 car. Drive it and have fun now.

 

 

 

Welcome to the forum. There are LOTS of opinions on what mods to do and in what order. A cam will certainly get you different sound and more power. That said, supporting mods will make the cam you choose an even better performance upgrade. First thing you really need to decide for yourself is "What do I want out of MY Corvette?" Only you can decide. Do some reading and research. Search LS1 cams and learn some of the basics for pros and cons. I would also suggest calling companies like Texas Speed, Cam Motion, or a few others and pick some of the experts brains. Sometimes a small cam will give you more overall for daily driving needs/desires than going with a large aggressive cam.

 

It also depends on where you live and what emission laws you have....

 

^^^Good points covered above. You will need a tune when the cam is installed. I always say talk to the tuner before buying the cam. If you know what you want out of the cam, a good tuner will know best what cam to recommend.

 

First off, welcome to the forum! We're very glad to have you here, As others have said, you really want to figure out your overall plan BEFORE picking a cam. Honestly, I would probably do some other mods first, and then get a cam that matches those mods (or get heads, intake, cam, and exhaust done all at once). I personally LOVE my A&A supercharger kit. This gives tons of safe reliable power, but is a bit pricey (it also lead to other supporting mods). I mention this because the cam for an NA car is going to be different than the cam for a FI car. Once you have worked out a plan, contact whatever shop will be doing your tune, and find out what cam they suggest for your setup and end goals.

 

Good advice. I used the dragstrip as a great, and fun way to see what bolt-ons and mods did what. My 2000 A4 Vert started at 13.80s. I slowly made changes to this, then that, etc. When I finished with bolt-ons, I had worked my way from 13.80s to a best of 12.89@109.97mph, a full second without going into the engine, or even removing the spark plugs!!!! It was fun......

 

My opinion here...

Never, and I mean never, order a cam based on what it sounds like. That's almost all in the tune.

If you don't know, the best thing to do is to call a few cam manufacturer's yourself: Texas Speed, Brian Tooley Racing, Cam Motion, and GPP are all good places to start. I personally have experience with the first two. A 20 minute phone call can get you a recomendation. People on the Internet don't have all the pieces of the puzzle usually - gear ratio? Tire size? Driving type? Stock clutch or upgraded? Can you live with cam surge or do you want it smooth? Emissions? Other mods? Lots to consider when you pick a cam, and IMO this is the longest and slowest way to get the answers you want.

 

A lot of good info already provided. And, as you have seen, you will almost always face two different view points on almost any action you choose to take (make mods....or......no, keep it perfectly intact).
Along with the other parameters suggested are such questions as: should I change the harmonic damper/balancer; what condition is the oil pump, the water pump, the pulleys, the drive belts, etc.
A lot of us joke about "while you are there" but there are many variables that come into play with a cam change on these cars. In almost all instances, labor costs will be more than the parts costs (except a forced induction set up and possibly headers), so do you bite the bullet and replace a few other parts at the same time? Of course, if you can do all the labor yourself, there are no additional dollar costs, but there is still additional time when you have to replace other parts later on.
And for possibly helping keep your costs low, if the primary purpose of the cam change is for the sound, with a minor pick up in performance, consider the GM Hot Cam or ASA Cam. These cams have a very "tough" sounding idle and almost any good set of valve springs will work with these cams, saving you a few hundred dollars for .625-.650 dual springs. I'm sure careful shopping will also find some other cams that will work with "basic" springs and give you the sound and power boost you are seeking.
Best wishes with your plans and hope your C5 will be exactly what you are wanting it to be.

 

This is about right.

For me, the cam was one of the last mods I did... after ALL that other stuff.

I'll find my old post on my Cam upgrade and add the link here... when I'm off my phone.

Okay... was easier to find than I thought. Here you go... hope this helps and good luck.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1593370057

 

Since you asked, I'm going to recommend a cam grinder I don't see recommended as much as he once was. Nothing has changed as far as his quality and cam lobe knowledge. The guy I'm talking about is Allan Futral, in Louisiana. His cams are really good. I believe Futral Motorsports was the first 9 second quarter mile six speed C5. He uses Cam Motion lobes. Just be honest with him when you tell him how you're going to use, and drive your car. This last sentence holds true for any cam grinder you call and talk too. If you tell him "Well, I want something that has a real good idle, and good street manners, because I hardly ever go to the strip/track". Then when you install your daily driver cam, and go to the strip expecting it to run 10s, you WILL be disappointed 😞. Conversely, if you tell him you want a hairy cam with a killer idle, and you race your car at the strip 2 or 3 times per month, you're gonna be ticked off if it smells strongly of unburned gas at stoplights, and only gets 18mpg now, and you expected fuel mileage to stay in the 25+mpg range. Just be honest with yourself first, then relay that to whoever you source for a cam.