Cam without headers?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 532
Likes: 46
From: Tucson, AZ
Cam without headers?
Hey all,
I've got a 2001 M6 with a blackwing and borla catback, and within a month or so I'll have 4.10's out back...Now what's the next move from here? I was thinking that with the gobs of torque produced with the 4.10's and their fast revving ability, I could do a cam swap and shift the powerband up higher so that I could actually launch the car in first gear...However, I'm used to working with old cars, and the golden rule with those is pretty much no cam without headers...I did it the other way around with my firebird and LOST about 20 ponies with a big cam and restrictive stock manifolds, and then added the headers and gained about 50 horsepower right away...So whats the verdict here? Are headers absolutely necessary before a cam swap on a C5?
Thanks,
Tommy
I've got a 2001 M6 with a blackwing and borla catback, and within a month or so I'll have 4.10's out back...Now what's the next move from here? I was thinking that with the gobs of torque produced with the 4.10's and their fast revving ability, I could do a cam swap and shift the powerband up higher so that I could actually launch the car in first gear...However, I'm used to working with old cars, and the golden rule with those is pretty much no cam without headers...I did it the other way around with my firebird and LOST about 20 ponies with a big cam and restrictive stock manifolds, and then added the headers and gained about 50 horsepower right away...So whats the verdict here? Are headers absolutely necessary before a cam swap on a C5?
Thanks,
Tommy
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
Do the headers first. You'll get a nice gain and excellent tone that you can enjoy until you're ready to do the cam. that way, you can hold off on the tuning until the cam is in as well. Remember you have to do springs, etc. with a cam also.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,987
Likes: 0
From: Orlando FL
Cruise-In VI Veteran
cant answer for the C5, but i did a cam swap on my LT1 before i did headers. very dissapointed after the install. seemed like after all the hard work, i didnt really gain too much. never had it dynoed, but it sure didnt feel like i gained much.
about a month later went ahead and installed Hooker LT headers! finally the car woke up. if i was to do it all over again, i would do headers first... and enjoy the gain for a while. then when that gets old, go ahead and do the cam swap and enjoy more power!!!
about a month later went ahead and installed Hooker LT headers! finally the car woke up. if i was to do it all over again, i would do headers first... and enjoy the gain for a while. then when that gets old, go ahead and do the cam swap and enjoy more power!!!
