Cam specs for daily driver
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
Likes: 1
From: Calgary AB
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 946
Likes: 2
Since you are in CA, I assume you want it to smog.
A very streetable (e.g. small bump over stock) would be something like a 210-212/216-218, mid 500s lift, and a 114-115 lsa. This would benefit from tuning, and would likely have a very (and I mean very) mild lope if any. power range would be 1500ish- 6000ish
If you want to be a bit more aggressive, you could do something like a 216/220 and mid 500s lift, on a 114 lsa. It would be a bit coppy at idle and the power range would be in the 2000ish to 6200ish range You want a retune with this cam.
More: 222/228 550s lift 114lsa: choppy, power range: 2000ish to 6500ish. You want a retune with this cam. (this is probably starting to scrape the "too big" range with stock heads)
Really aggressive: 224/232, high 500s, 114 lsa: choppy, power range: 2250ish, 6500ish. You want a retune with this cam. You also want heads and springs
Max power is your goal: 234/244, low 600s, 114 lsa: rough idle, power range: 3000ish 6700ish. Retune, heads and springs.
Hard to say what drivable means to you -- a lot will depend on how good the tune is that goes with the cam... General rule of the thumb, the bigger the cam, the harder it will be to get the tune right (which translates to less drivability if you are not doing the tune yourself or a dyno tune).
A very streetable (e.g. small bump over stock) would be something like a 210-212/216-218, mid 500s lift, and a 114-115 lsa. This would benefit from tuning, and would likely have a very (and I mean very) mild lope if any. power range would be 1500ish- 6000ish
If you want to be a bit more aggressive, you could do something like a 216/220 and mid 500s lift, on a 114 lsa. It would be a bit coppy at idle and the power range would be in the 2000ish to 6200ish range You want a retune with this cam.
More: 222/228 550s lift 114lsa: choppy, power range: 2000ish to 6500ish. You want a retune with this cam. (this is probably starting to scrape the "too big" range with stock heads)
Really aggressive: 224/232, high 500s, 114 lsa: choppy, power range: 2250ish, 6500ish. You want a retune with this cam. You also want heads and springs
Max power is your goal: 234/244, low 600s, 114 lsa: rough idle, power range: 3000ish 6700ish. Retune, heads and springs.
Hard to say what drivable means to you -- a lot will depend on how good the tune is that goes with the cam... General rule of the thumb, the bigger the cam, the harder it will be to get the tune right (which translates to less drivability if you are not doing the tune yourself or a dyno tune).
Last edited by TurboBerserker; Apr 18, 2009 at 05:40 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
Likes: 1
From: Calgary AB
Turbo, thanks for the great info. I would intend to put on heads eventually, so I'd like to install a cam that would complement that future mod. Not sure about the smog thing, I'd assume a good tune would help get the car where it needs to be to pass, but that's hard to say.
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 551
Likes: 19
From: Morgantown WV
Turbo, thanks for the great info. I would intend to put on heads eventually, so I'd like to install a cam that would complement that future mod. Not sure about the smog thing, I'd assume a good tune would help get the car where it needs to be to pass, but that's hard to say.
I'm running a 214/220/ 118 LSA Comp cam with AFR heads and putting 412 RWHP to the ground with a car that drives like stock. No rough idle and no shake and 31 MPG on a trip.
I couldn't be happier
See my profile for all mods
Last edited by AJay; Apr 18, 2009 at 04:20 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 946
Likes: 2
Happy to help.
Going really wide on the LSA will help eliminate rough idle at the expense of top end power. It is a really nice way, however to run more cam than you'd otherwise put up with.
Frat -- you could run the bigger cam now, just upgrade your springs when you do the swap. The reason some of those cams would want heads is simply because their lift will be much higher than the head will support efficiently. Generally speaking, you want to hit your max flow point on the heads 2x -- once as you got the max lift of the cam and once right after -- so that you are getting the most flow possible.
With stock heads, you will be pushing them past their sweet spots for flow by a quite a bit for the big cams I mentioned above. Your other alternative would be to reduce the lift on those cams, and when you buy your heads, just get a set that match the lift of the cam.
Going really wide on the LSA will help eliminate rough idle at the expense of top end power. It is a really nice way, however to run more cam than you'd otherwise put up with.
Frat -- you could run the bigger cam now, just upgrade your springs when you do the swap. The reason some of those cams would want heads is simply because their lift will be much higher than the head will support efficiently. Generally speaking, you want to hit your max flow point on the heads 2x -- once as you got the max lift of the cam and once right after -- so that you are getting the most flow possible.
With stock heads, you will be pushing them past their sweet spots for flow by a quite a bit for the big cams I mentioned above. Your other alternative would be to reduce the lift on those cams, and when you buy your heads, just get a set that match the lift of the cam.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
Likes: 1
From: Calgary AB
Turbo, a friend is recommending to start going with upgraded springs and a COMP 232-236 (I'd also throw in upgraded rods). He said this is as big as I can go and still be streetable. Then, I can upgrade the heads down the road. Your thought sir?
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 946
Likes: 2
That's a pretty big cam. It will require a lot of tuning to make it behave nicely while idling correctly.
Having said that, I ran a 236/230 in my daily driver for years, although it was a 408 and the cubes ate up some of the cam. I will also be running a 234/244 in my current daily driver (which is also a 408), but I'm also comfortable doing my own tuning and will not stop until I have the idle tuned in correctly.
Personally, until you have the heads, etc., I think that cam is too big and may hurt your performance rather than helping.
What are the rest of the specs on that? (lift, lsa).
Having said that, I ran a 236/230 in my daily driver for years, although it was a 408 and the cubes ate up some of the cam. I will also be running a 234/244 in my current daily driver (which is also a 408), but I'm also comfortable doing my own tuning and will not stop until I have the idle tuned in correctly.
Personally, until you have the heads, etc., I think that cam is too big and may hurt your performance rather than helping.
What are the rest of the specs on that? (lift, lsa).
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
Likes: 1
From: Calgary AB
That's a pretty big cam. It will require a lot of tuning to make it behave nicely while idling correctly.
Having said that, I ran a 236/230 in my daily driver for years, although it was a 408 and the cubes ate up some of the cam. I will also be running a 234/244 in my current daily driver (which is also a 408), but I'm also comfortable doing my own tuning and will not stop until I have the idle tuned in correctly.
Personally, until you have the heads, etc., I think that cam is too big and may hurt your performance rather than helping.
What are the rest of the specs on that? (lift, lsa).
Having said that, I ran a 236/230 in my daily driver for years, although it was a 408 and the cubes ate up some of the cam. I will also be running a 234/244 in my current daily driver (which is also a 408), but I'm also comfortable doing my own tuning and will not stop until I have the idle tuned in correctly.
Personally, until you have the heads, etc., I think that cam is too big and may hurt your performance rather than helping.
What are the rest of the specs on that? (lift, lsa).
Pro
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 640
Likes: 0
From: Orange County CA
With high flow cats and the above cam I barely passed the sniffer test. In order to pass I really had to heat up the cats and have my tuner sitting in the front seat while it was being sniffed. By the same token I remember reading about some guy passing the CA sniffer test with a G5X-3 (which is a huge cam, and isn't easily repeatable) but I don't remember all the details. Metal-matrix/high-flow cats make it more difficult to pass the sniffer.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
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I've been hotrodding for a long time (since the late 80s) and am the Internal Engine moderator on a high performance truck oriented site.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
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From: Calgary AB
A cam that size is going to have problems passing the sniffer test in CA. Comp says anything bigger than 220 on the intake and less than 114 LSA is going to have trouble with smog testing in CA. I went with Andy's (A&A) mild blower cam 220/224 .581/.581 114LSA and put down 408rwhp/388rwtq before I put a blower on. The car has a little lope but has stock manners along with low-end torque. After I put Andy's V-1 kit on I put down 588rwhp/508rwtq with the same cam.
With high flow cats and the above cam I barely passed the sniffer test. In order to pass I really had to heat up the cats and have my tuner sitting in the front seat while it was being sniffed. By the same token I remember reading about some guy passing the CA sniffer test with a G5X-3 (which is a huge cam, and isn't easily repeatable) but I don't remember all the details. Metal-matrix/high-flow cats make it more difficult to pass the sniffer.
With high flow cats and the above cam I barely passed the sniffer test. In order to pass I really had to heat up the cats and have my tuner sitting in the front seat while it was being sniffed. By the same token I remember reading about some guy passing the CA sniffer test with a G5X-3 (which is a huge cam, and isn't easily repeatable) but I don't remember all the details. Metal-matrix/high-flow cats make it more difficult to pass the sniffer.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
Likes: 1
From: Calgary AB
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 946
Likes: 2
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
Likes: 1
From: Calgary AB
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
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From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Turbo, thanks for the great info. I would intend to put on heads eventually, so I'd like to install a cam that would complement that future mod. Not sure about the smog thing, I'd assume a good tune would help get the car where it needs to be to pass, but that's hard to say.
Former Vendor
Joined: May 2005
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From: Valencia Ca
We stock them and they are price at $395