I need help picking a cam. I have an 01 Z06 that is heavily prepared for road racing. I have done almost everything to the car, except, beleive it or not the motor. Besides the Kooks LT race headers dumping into a catless x pipe through a set of stingers and a Halltech T1, the motor is 100% stock. The car has been tuned on the dyno and makes about 365rwhp. Keep in mind, this is a conservative road race tune as well. The gearing is stock Z06. The car has a heavy duty clutch with an aluminum flywheel.

I am finally going to add a cam to the car. I am not going to be doing the heads anytime soon, simply because of cost. I don't need another 100HP. The car is 90% track and 10% street. I do however drive the car to the track and back, but with all the other mods, it's already a total bitch to drive on the street anyway (not that I care). I want power between 3k and 6800. I want something aggressive to make up for the lack of heads. A rough idle is no big deal as long as the car is not absolutely flipping out at 1100rpm's. It does need to drive on the steet occaisionally, but it is far from a daily driver. Remember this is not a drag car, but a road race car...no peaky cams that make all their power between 5-7rpm. I want a nice broad torque curve, but at the same time are not worried about making power at 2krpm. Durability is an issue, as I will run HPDE's (about 7 per year) and run 25 minutes sessions full throttle. I don't mind however if I need to replace springs every 25k miles or so. The car only gets 6k per year. I will be using 921 comp spring kit with titanium retainers, chromoly pushrods.

Even though durability is questionable, I really like the XE-R series comp cams. I know they are tough on the valve train, but I think the 921's are up to the task for 25k miles. Piston to valve clearence is ok with the stock Z06 heads. Specifically I am looking at the LG G5X2 cam. They are claiming something like 50rwhp from this cam and a broad torque curve with power 3 and on. But, when I look at the numbers, they really look very radical...I think it's 232/240 598/608 112/114. I am told it will work fine with unported heads. The Z06 heads flow better than the LS1 heads as well. Is this too much? Is this cam going to be too peaky? DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE THIS CAM? I am thinking those lift and intake numbers are too much.

Again, I am ready to take on something at the edge, just not on it or over it (if you know what I mean).

If anyone has real world experience with this cam, I would love to hear about it or close alternatives that may fit the bill better. Thanks in advance for all the advice guys!

 

I would look into the ASA cam.

 

The G5-X2 should net you somewhere in the area of 420rwhp or so and a really great torque curve. Thats with totally stock heads and intake, headers, and some kind of air intake like a Halltech or Vararam. On a 114 you'll have good idle charactaristics and it will still be comfortable to drive as a daily. Of course one trick to good power with a cam is the tune you get with it. And LG's tunes are some of the best.

Shane

 

I am leaning towards the G5X2. ECS (east coast supercharging) will be doing the install and tune as I am no where near TX. I would be happy with 400rwhp, and 420 would be a nice bonus!

Any gottcha's with this set up?

 

Dont worry youll be easily well over 400rwhp with an LG cam! You Z guys have it good!

 

Yep. I could probably do 400rwhp on my LS1 with that cam but i'm going to get myself some LS6 heads and I already have the Intake just to make sure i do

Shane

 

I made 90rwhp with just a cam and bolt ons - and this is an A4. Your Z will make more.

See sig for specs and numbers - with video of idle quality....

 

you should be easily over 400 with the G5x2. If you want to see my setup with the G5X3 let me know and we can meet somewhere.

Bob

BTW - You will be happy with ECS

 

Jersy How do you drive?? I know you say 90% track, which I do too. But do you need the low end torque to get you out of 3rd gear corners??

Running higher gears, 3rd and 4th and allow the torque to pull you though corners or do you use lower gears and higher rpms??? 2nd 3rd and 4th.

How often do you do Pocono Long course where you need 5th gear and hit 160 mph ???

I am in the same situation as yourself looking at differnt cams and heads.

IMHO dont look at High end HP look for low end torque, i.e. what gives you torque at 2200 rpms and a flat torque curve from 2500 rpms up. This will get you UP TOO 150 mph ASAP.

I have done lots of reading and talked to lots of ppl and seen more dyno charts then I care to look at. I have drive more then a dozen ZO6s with all kinds of Cams and head packages. ( students cars)

the ASA cam and ASA heads are high in my list for the low end torque and the reliabilty. The ASA cam will work very well with your LS6 heads.

GMPP ASA 226/236 525/525 LSA 110

They may not give me the high end HP that lots off ppl like to talk about, or usable power. To me usable power is realative to driving style and the tracks you run on.


tom

 

Jersy How do you drive?? I know you say 90% track, which I do too. But do you need the low end torque to get you out of 3rd gear corners??

Running higher gears, 3rd and 4th and allow the torque to pull you though corners or do you use lower gears and higher rpms??? 2nd 3rd and 4th.
(depends...for example on the North I will drop down to 2nd and use 3rd out of corners as well. But I won't allow the rpm's to drop below 3000 ever! If I think the corner is that slow, I will go to 2nd gear. To be honest, I am usually hanging onto my car for dear life with the throttle nailed to the floor. On the north course, coming into the infield, I will use 3rd most of the way, but I don't think I every drop below 3k?)

How often do you do Pocono Long course where you need 5th gear and hit 160 mph ???
(A few times a year. I usually only see 5th on the back strait going into the tunnel turn, but I am definately above 3k when using it? I have never hit 160, but 152ish.)
I am in the same situation as yourself looking at differnt cams and heads.

IMHO dont look at High end HP look for low end torque, i.e. what gives you torque at 2200 rpms and a flat torque curve from 2500 rpms up. This will get you UP TOO 150 mph ASAP.
(This is why I am looking at the G5X2 vs the X3. To be honest, I don't care if I lose torque under 3k. If the cam makes power from 3k and on, which I am told it does, I would be happy)

I have done lots of reading and talked to lots of ppl and seen more dyno charts then I care to look at. I have drive more then a dozen ZO6s with all kinds of Cams and head packages. ( students cars)

the ASA cam and ASA heads are high in my list for the low end torque and the reliabilty. The ASA cam will work very well with your LS6 heads.

GMPP ASA 226/236 525/525 LSA 110

They may not give me the high end HP that lots off ppl like to talk about, or usable power. To me usable power is realative to driving style and the tracks you run on.

(I think the ASA is great, but technology on cams has come pretty far, and I don't think we (road racers) need to settle for a less aggressive ginds like we had to a couple years ago. I'm still waiting to hear back from the guy who is making the custom cam. I will see what he has come up with and that may be the ticket. Honestly, if I gained no torque below 3k, I wouldn;t care as long as it pulls like a mother 3500 and over).

 

I understand. I dont want a cam that peaks either. I tend to shift less and use the cars momenteum and torque range from 2500 RMPs and up. I have tried downshifting to 2nd and use higher RMPS but that turned out to be much slower though corners.

On the top end I do a lot of 142-144mph, Hit 151 once with tall tires in 4th gear at my redline 6750

Good Luck and keep me posted

 

I just think with the great cams that are out there, you don't need to settle for the old ones people have been using.

Do you really take the car down to 2500? I occaisionally torque out of turns as well, but that's pretty low. But eveyone has a different driving style. I have spoken with several people with the X2 and X3 cam that do what we do and they are very very happy at the track and year later after 20k miles the car is running fine. I found a dyno sheet from LG for a 04 Z06 with LT's and Halltech (exactly what I have) and basically at 3000rpm it was producing 20ft lbs more torque than stock. From only 2600 it was producing 346ft lbs This cam also produced 432 HP and 406.6 ft lbs With max torque at 4800 and max power around 6400. It was producing over 400hp just after 5200. The stock Z06 produces it's max torque at 4800 and dies after 5500. So for this cam give you nice torque down low with awesome HP figures at 6000, I haven't seen anything close to this after researching for weeks.

I just don't think we should settle for the old mild grinds that have been around for some time!

 

Yes there are a few corners on tracks we do. Oak Tree turn at VIR is that way. Many ppl downshft to 2nd gear and it FEELS faster, but it is not. By the time they sihft to 3rd and to 4th ( 6500 rpms about 101 mph) I have shifted to 4th at 101 50-60 feet sooner.

I will look into that cam you mentioned as it does sound good.

 

Just heard the IDLE... oh man the neighboors are going to hate me...

http://www.ls1sounds.com/camshafts.htm

mid page, look at X2...you gotta hear the X4 just to hear it

 

they will hate you is right. My neighbors were not happy so I try not to start her in the early morning now.

idle
http://grondpix.com/wickedweasel1.mov

a few revs
http://grondpix.com/wickedweasel2.mov

 

What cam is that? Is that the X3? If so I didn't sound bad at all. The X3 from the web page I posted sounded more out of control. I like yours, is that with 112 LSA or 114 LSA?

 

I found a dyno sheet for a G5X3 and it's about the same as the X2 in terms of torque around 3000. It still produced 350ft. lbs at 3000rpm and as much as 330 at 2600. The X2 made 346 at 2600, so it was down at that level, but it made about 10 rwhp more around 6000. Keep in mind all of these numbers (even at 2600) are better than stock! The stock Z06, I beleive is around 312'ish around 2600.

The X2 may be perfect for you. It seems like it gains around 30ft. lbs down low, but around 50hp on top. I am going back and forth with the X3.

 

Ok I have been looking at the LG X# cams and have driven both the X2 and X3 cams I cant rember what heads were with the X3 ( something does not impress me, but I could be wrong) Of course I know cam alone wont do it.

I dont drive students cars(1) anwhere near as hard as I drive my car, maybe 70% of what I drive my car. There have been several corners that I have taken the one Z with the X2 cam and I thought the car was taking for ever to get up to 6500 to shift into 4th. about 120 feet longer then my car.

Now I know there are other factors too. I run a T1 suppension and Hoosier VRL R compounds, 18x305 and 18x335, -3.5*F and -2.5 R camber, so many corners to me are like an extention of the straight.

That is difficult to compare with other cars when looking at cams.

Decsissions decsissions






(1) when approprate to show students the track lines only, normally I dont drive studnets cars.

 

That sounds strange...but good to hear. Being a hotter cam it should have charged towards 6500. Is yours stock? What rpm did you start? Something doesn't sound right. Wicked Weasel has an X3 (I beleive)...let's see what he has to say.

 

I'm on the run right now, but can anser this question

G5X3 and the X2 is old school . The tuners today can make the X3 smooth after 1500 rpms. Under that there is some surging. I will see if I can get some other with the same setup to answer too.

114 LSA. I figured for the few extra hp that I would get with a 112 lsa was not worth the chance of having an erratic idle or a weird tune.

Bob