Hey I have a 2001 c5 corvette with the a4 trans. It has a 3:15 and I would like to install a cam I just need help figuring out which one. The car is stock other than exhaust (axle back). I have been reading about the stall? What exactly do I need this for? I would like to install a stage 2 cam. I have stock heads only engine performance mod is a intake. Thank you.

 

If you are doing a cam upgrade, it will probably have to be tuned. Might be best to find the preferred LS tuner in your area and have him guide you thru the specs so he can tune it.

HTH.

 

The stall, is a higher stall torque converter. As for cam options, there's a ton out there. It really depends on what your end goals are with the car. Regardless, you will want to upgrade your valve springs. You might want to consider upgrading your cylinder heads while you're in there. My advice would be to reach out to someplace like Texas Speed, and they can sell you everything you need for a cohesive setup that will work well. Remember, you'll need to have the car tuned after a cam swap. Also keep in mind that the more aggressive the cam, the less drivable on the street the car becomes. Again, it would help if you told us how you plan to use the car, and what your end goals are. Good luck with your build.

 

Wanted to add the car is a daily driver. My goal is to eventually get bigger heads for the car just not anytime soon that why i want to add a cam to increase power along with tune.

 

I've been down this rabbit hole before. Make good choices or you'll only hate the car.

 

BTW, I almost forgot to say welcome to the forum! To be completely honest, I'm not really sure that I would recommend a cam swap if you're using the car as a daily driver. If you do swap the cam, you'll want to go with something pretty mild. Another option you might consider is an A&A supercharger kit. This will require a significantly higher outlay of money at once. However, the car will gain a ton of power while still being comfortable and civil to drive on the street. This will also allow you to keep more or less stock fuel economy during normal street driving. The main downside to this is that it will push your stock A4 transmission to the bleeding edge. You'll likely want to upgrade it. The upside is that you'll have a 500 wheel HP car that goes like stink when you want it to, but drives like stock during normal driving. You can't get that with a cam. Now, it's your car, and you can do whatever you want with it. However, IMHO it's better not to cam swap a daily driver.
Don't forget to SAVE THE WAVE!

 

The stall essentially determines the rpm at which the convertor is fully involved in applying power to the drivetrain.

A more aggressive cam may require a higher RPM at idle to stay running. The stock convertor has a very low stall for the purpose of efficiency, but with the faster idle of the new cam, the car may want to creep at a stop, and will start to hook up power before the new cams power curve.

A higher stall converter, let’s say 2500 for a street driver, will allow the engine to idle faster before engaging power, plus it allows the engine to reach the power curve with less restriction. Kind of like slipping the clutch would do.

So the higher stall provides better street driveability and also allows the new cam to be more effective. However, this stall has the downside of being less efficient when pulling out from a stop under normal driving conditions, although you may hardly feel the difference, if at all. In addition, more aggressive cams, while good at delivering more fuel air mixture, also degrade your MPG.

My advice is ignore the efficiency aspects, get the cam and higher stall converter, and have fun!

 

Ps…. If you decide on a different converter, that would be the ideal time to change rear gears, since the differential is on the ground. Maybe 3.42 or 3.73 at the most.

These changes alone will really wake up the car and you may decide you don’t need a cam. Just be conservative with the stall speed, and don’t let anyone talk you into something too radical. A 2,000 - 2500 stall is more than adequate for a street cam with a 1400-6000 rpm range. These combinations should be discussed with your dyno tuner and the transmission guy in deciding what you want.

 

Thanks everyone for the help. Now I’m wondering if I should just spend the money on the A&A and beef up my trans. Roughly this would be around the same price if I where to do a cam and heads along with the stall and still beef up my trans along with a tune. Regardless I’m going to be spending a pretty penny. Now I have absolutely no idea if I can leave the stock ls1 motor the way it is with just a supercharger. Can I do that or is there anything I need to upgrade pushing that much more air thru the engine?

 

LS engines are pretty tough.

Both the A&A and ECS kits are fairly complete and I think you'd be pretty happy with either one. Provided your engine is healthy and you aren't prone to bouts of wild stupidity, you shouldn't need to do much more than install the kit, get tuned, and start laying down stripes.

I'd recommend you call A&A and have a conversation with them. Tell them what you're working with (current modifications, history of the engine, all that good stuff) and what kind of end result you want, and ask them what they think you might benefit by doing in terms of supporting/additional modifications based on that information.

 

The A&A kit is one of the first significant mods that I did. The kit really does come with pretty much all you need. You may want to upgrade your harmonic balancer. However, the kit does come with a crank pin, so even that isn't really needed. The only other addition I might suggest is a catch can with a breather on it to help relieve any extra pressure. Other than that, the stock LS1 can handle an A&A kit with absolutely no issues at all. Just make sure you find a good tuner. As for the transmission, I would reach out to RPM transmission. They are the very best out there. I have a stage 5 transmission from them, and it handles the added power without complaint. That really is everything that you need for the car to be reliable and fast. Personally, I would also recommend some suspension upgrades, and a good set of sticky tires. You certainly don't have to do those things, but you'll be able to safely get more out of the added power than if you don't. I can tell you from experience, adding the A&A kit is like getting a whole new car.

 

Now THATS FUNNY!!!It's the only rabbit hole in the world that even Bugs Bunny can't climb out of!! Only one with snowballs that big too!!

 

Some good advice here. Just curious, the '01 came with the LS6 intake, which is a very good intake. What intake did you change to? I completely agree with Mr. Black and Monte (MWWarlord). I've never installed a blower on any engine I've owned. Closest I ever got was running a 100 shot of dry Nitrous on my 2000 LS1 Vert. My 2000 was also an A4 w/3.15 diff. Anyway, I've always loved N/A motors, their lopey idle, etc. This goes back over 50 years of engines. BUT-I agree with Monte. It's more money up front, but in the long run, if you plan on keeping the car, you'll break even, or maybe even save $$ on parts that break on N/A engines, and have stock, or near stock reliability. You'll also make more power, with pretty much stock fuel mileage. You'll also pass emissions in most states, except Commiefornia. Don't know where you live, so... I have had a built LS7 in my C5, for 15 years. Really enjoy it. BUT-I have over $15,000 in the engine, enough for 2 different Blower kits on my original LS1, should 1 of them have ever failed, which is unlikely with today's blowers. If I had it to do over again, I'd go with a modern blower setup, no question about it. If you choose to stay N/A, since that A4 has a tremendously low first gear (3.06:1), and with 3.15 gears, it should set you back in the seat, hard, with the plans you have now. My cam recommendation on a daily driver would be to stay around .575"-.590" lift, 224° duration intake, 228° duration exhaust, on a 112°-114° lobe separation angle (LSA), installed 4° advanced, or with 4° advance ground into the cam, installed straight up. This should work with a stock converter. Sure, a higher stall would be quicker, but it's another grand for parts and labor. Whichever cam you go with, emphasize how much street driving you'll be doing. Be honest with yourself! If you're dreaming of being Rodney Redneck in his race car, but drive 50-70 miles a day, with a big cam, Mr. Blacks post is on the money!!! BEWARE-As far as diseases go, Corona virus has nothing on this Corvette sickness stuff, and there's no known cure OR vaccination!!! Best of luck on your build!

 

 

My approach has been start with gears and work forward. I have found that a good street gear and the right trans setup (whether stick or auto) usually make such an improvement, that it allows me to make fewer and more practical changes to the engine.

A set of 3.73s and a mild stall converter wil flat set you back in the seat, yet your engine can be bone stock. A tuner can also adjust shift rpm and firmness in the normal course of the tune. Now you’re into it for maybe three grand(speak up if you think that’s wrong), providing the gears and convertor are done at the same time.

I love the idea of a supercharger, but I also recognize there are other strategies that either cost less, or don’t completely lock you in to a specific course of action. Going with the drivetrain route, you always can add headers later, or a cam further down the road as cash is available.

I have had all the above at one time or another, and there is not a “right” route per se. It really depends on what your near term plans are. For example in my earlier days there was no limit of horsepower, noise, or inconvenience for me.Now, retired at 67 years old, I want a smooth comfortable ride, yet stab it and catch a couple of gears when the coast is clear, so a bit of stealth is called for. So I may want gears, a mid-range cam, headers but not loud mufflers. Think about where your happiness lies, and have lots of fun !!!

 

I'm sure its' been mentioned a couple of hundred times before but what kind of HP can a stock engine and transmission (auto and manual) take before self detonating? I don't drive my car hard at all but yet I would like more power eventually for when I need or want to use it. I love acceleration.

 

Love acceleration? Do gears.

Stock bottom end will hold more than enough to kill you. The trans is the crap shoot. The auto could die on stock power. Or it could live forever. There's no real "right" answer to that question in my experience.

 

Plenty of examples of stock ls1 long blocks living with HP wayyy beyond what can be laid down on the street. As stated, the trans not so much.

600 engine hp is common on supercharged stock motors, and the drivetrain will survive provided they are not beat on out of the hole. This is about the point where traction becomes the limiting factor. The auto trans, or the clutch on the manual are probably the weakest links.

 

As other have said, the LS1 has a very strong block that will easily handle well over 600 HP+. The auto transmission is on the bleeding edge around 450-500 WHP. It really is just luck. Some A4s can hold 500 for many years. My A4 basically exploded on the dyno after my supercharger was installed. The M6 transmission can hold a lot more power. However, the clutch will need to be upgraded at around the same HP that will cause the A4 to fail. I can say by far the biggest limiting factor to acceleration on my build is traction. It does take some skill to drive a car like mine well. If driven right, it will absolutely fly. If driven wrong, the wheels will spin and leave you fighting to keep the car pointed in the right direction.