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View Poll Results: which would you do, please post why.
4.10s
8
30.77%
longtubes w/ cats and a cam
18
69.23%
Voters: 26. You may not vote on this poll

4.10s vs headers/cam

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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 10:40 AM
  #1  
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Default 4.10s vs headers/cam

Well heres the deal.... I completely built my last car (99 ws6) to be a monster. It ended up being a pain and nothing but work so I sold it and got this vette to enjoy. I am going nowhere close to modding it like I did the ws6. I love enjoying the c5 and drive it everyday trouble free with no worries. I am right now debating of either modding the C5 a bit more or saving for another ws.6 to make a mod toy. Anyways, if I decide to mod this car a bit more, I have narrowed it down to either 4.10s in the rear or longtubes with cats and a cam. I figure they will run roughly the same price being that the 4.10s I would have installed, the headers and cam I would do myself.

So for a car that you want to enjoy everyday trouble free, which would you go for... 4.10s or headers with a cam?

To clarify questions...
4.10s would also come with a hardened longer side output.
Cam would come with necessary springs, hardened pushrods, ported oil pump, ls2 chain. The cam would not be a baby but nothing huge. I'd get something spec'd out to still rumble and be noticeable but not give up too much driveability. (I was thinking something mid 230/230 .600/.600 111 or 112.

So what do you guys think?

Thanks!
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 11:11 AM
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get the 3.90 gears, cai, LT's, 160 stat, and tune thats it, cam is a main culprit to have problems. I heard 4.10 are thin gears so avoid that too. I even heard cams these days are not even billet steel and so lobes are getting uneven.
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 11:29 AM
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Do the 4.10s, CAI, headers and a tune. That will keep you nice and reliable but not limit you on a future head/cam change.

You say you don't want a monster, but horsepower is addictive. If you pick a cam now, you will get one that is set up for stock heads. That won't work as well if you go for heads later.

4.10s, CAI and headers will work well in most, if not all, N/A scenarios.
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by chaase
Do the 4.10s, CAI, headers and a tune. That will keep you nice and reliable but not limit you on a future head/cam change.

You say you don't want a monster, but horsepower is addictive. If you pick a cam now, you will get one that is set up for stock heads. That won't work as well if you go for heads later.

4.10s, CAI and headers will work well in most, if not all, N/A scenarios.

I just got my car back from ECS yesterday with 4.10s. ECS recommended 4.10s for me since my goal was "light to light" performance. So my performance mods right now are:

Vararam VR-B2 & Vararam Power Duct
AR (Headers, X-pipe & hi-flow cats)
4.10 gears (w/hardened output shaft & ECS trans brace)...just for insurance
TI catback
ECS dyno tune

...though I'm keeping my foot out of it until the gears wear in, I'm really happy with these few mods. The car still has the reliability & drivability of stock since I didn't touch the engine internals.
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 12:21 PM
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I would do some gearing (4.10s or 3.90s), cold air intake, exhaust (stock notes just don't do it for me) and tune. That should net you some SOTP feel providing you can get the tires to stick
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Superman09
So what do you guys think?

Thanks!
You actually need to do both because a cammed vette will lose low end torque by default
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 03:04 PM
  #7  
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Originally Posted by rjb6mt

I just got my car back from ECS yesterday with 4.10s. ECS recommended 4.10s for me since my goal was "light to light" performance. So my performance mods right now are:

Vararam VR-B2 & Vararam Power Duct
AR (Headers, X-pipe & hi-flow cats)
4.10 gears (w/hardened output shaft & ECS trans brace)...just for insurance
TI catback
ECS dyno tune

...though I'm keeping my foot out of it until the gears wear in, I'm really happy with these few mods. The car still has the reliability & drivability of stock since I didn't touch the engine internals.
Thank you, would you mind PMing what ECS charged for the 4.10 swap? I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 04:34 PM
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i have run a 11.3 in the 1/4 with headers,cam and tune and intake.

my cam 232/238 112lsa .600/.600
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 04:39 PM
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You actually need to do both because a cammed vette will lose low end torque by default
What does this statement mean?
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 04:46 PM
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only would lose low end torque dependent on the cam you choose!
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Superman09
Thank you, would you mind PMing what ECS charged for the 4.10 swap? I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
PM'd
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Old Apr 11, 2009 | 09:00 PM
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Originally Posted by ipuig
What does this statement mean?
Usually a cam with higher peak numbers (HP) leaves some room on the table for low end (always a tradeoff somewhere).
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 03:07 PM
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I did headers/exhaust first. Then heads and cam and clutch. Then snapped the long shaft and went for 4.10's.

If I had it to do over, 4.10's would be the first mod, with the DTE brace. You don't even need to re-tune for the speedo since it runs off the ring, not pinion.
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 03:26 PM
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4.10 gear, LT's and drag radials
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 03:32 PM
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I'd do the gears.
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 03:44 PM
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I'd do the headers and the rest fist. The reason is drivability. With the 4.10, your daily gas mileage will go way down. The other mods will will still give you plenty of kick!
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 12:08 PM
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Originally Posted by csdunaway
I'd do the headers and the rest fist. The reason is drivability. With the 4.10, your daily gas mileage will go way down. The other mods will will still give you plenty of kick!
Not that bad actually. I lost 1.0 mpg going from 3.42's to 4.10's.

Gas mileage went up for me by 2.3 mpg with headers, exhaust, heads, and cam somehow. On the highway, that is. I haven't noticed much of a difference around town.
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