Cam upgrade advice
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 0
From: Chico CA
Cam upgrade advice
Hi, I need help choosing a new cam for my 01 coupe. My current mods are as follows:
vararam intake/air bridge
ported stock TB
patriot stage 2 heads
7.400 hardened pushrods
thunder racing cheatr cam (216/233 .604/.604 117 or close to it)
long tubes/high flow cats/muffler less catback
I am currently making 406rwhp and 383rwtq but it's a very peaky 406hp. I was thinking about something along the lines of a 228/228 .5??/.5?? 112 or 114 to get back some low end/mid range power. I would also like to make more up top of course
. The car makes a VERY loud ticking noise but I re-used the old oil intake o-ring so I'm hoping that by swapping that out along with the cam the ticking will go away. I know very little about cams so while I know what each set of numbers means I don't have a very good picture of how they work together. I live in CA but don't have to smog it until I sell it so the ability to smog it is important but not critical. Ideally I'd like to make another 20-30 hp peak while gaining a whole lot under the curve, as it stands the car feels flat until I hit 4k rpms 
. Here is a dyno sheet from my most recent tune:
vararam intake/air bridge
ported stock TB
patriot stage 2 heads
7.400 hardened pushrods
thunder racing cheatr cam (216/233 .604/.604 117 or close to it)
long tubes/high flow cats/muffler less catback
I am currently making 406rwhp and 383rwtq but it's a very peaky 406hp. I was thinking about something along the lines of a 228/228 .5??/.5?? 112 or 114 to get back some low end/mid range power. I would also like to make more up top of course
. The car makes a VERY loud ticking noise but I re-used the old oil intake o-ring so I'm hoping that by swapping that out along with the cam the ticking will go away. I know very little about cams so while I know what each set of numbers means I don't have a very good picture of how they work together. I live in CA but don't have to smog it until I sell it so the ability to smog it is important but not critical. Ideally I'd like to make another 20-30 hp peak while gaining a whole lot under the curve, as it stands the car feels flat until I hit 4k rpms . Here is a dyno sheet from my most recent tune:
Racer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 373
Likes: 1
From: Ontario
Other Mods !!!
Looks like you have a good package so far... With all the sales on Fast Intakes and TB going on out there , you might getter better Bang for you Buck by a simple bolt on instillation ( that you can do at home ? ). The ticking sound usually comes with larger lift cam sizes... Give Mike or Ron a call at Vengeance Racing to see what they would recommend your next move might be... A little research will go along way . Good Luck , also make sure you do a few updated dyno's and 1/4 mile runs 
before you do any more upgrades for a great comparison number's . Also if you have an A4 setup have you upgraded anything there ? That would help in the drivability area 
before you do any more upgrades for a great comparison number's . Also if you have an A4 setup have you upgraded anything there ? That would help in the drivability area
Last edited by danielf; Oct 19, 2009 at 05:59 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
thunder racing cheatr cam (216/233 .604/.604 117 )
406rwhp and 383rwtq
228/228 .588/.588 on 114 or 112
Should provided you with more low to mid range torque and not sacrifice the HP. My even provided MORE HP
406rwhp and 383rwtq
228/228 .588/.588 on 114 or 112
Should provided you with more low to mid range torque and not sacrifice the HP. My even provided MORE HP
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 0
From: Chico CA
I should have mentioned, it's an M6. The car moves under 4k but it feels like a shot of NOS hits right about 4k. I was hoping to get a more even power band with a more aggressive cam that wouldn't completely ruin drive quality . I would love to get a fast intake/tb but the cost is pretty high (let me know if you see any sales). The ticking is in addition to the sewing machine sound and it tends to come and go depending on who knows what. I am hoping that I just need to change the oil pick up o-ring, that has seemed to work for some people. I will probably do all the work myself, a friend and I did the initial heads/cam swap without too much drama .
If my two choices are a ported fast/tb or a new cam/ported ls6 which way should I go? The fast would be MUCH easier to install but may also be much more expensive.
. I would love to get a fast intake/tb but the cost is pretty high (let me know if you see any sales). The ticking is in addition to the sewing machine sound and it tends to come and go depending on who knows what. I am hoping that I just need to change the oil pick up o-ring, that has seemed to work for some people. I will probably do all the work myself, a friend and I did the initial heads/cam swap without too much drama .If my two choices are a ported fast/tb or a new cam/ported ls6 which way should I go? The fast would be MUCH easier to install but may also be much more expensive.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Your curve doesn't look "peaky". Most non-stock cams are going to pull harder with increasing RPM due to the larger overlap. The cam you have in there is a pretty good cam for what you are asking, and while you may get a bump with a mid-220's intake duration, I don't think you will get what you are looking for. The money may be better spent on a set of gears.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 0
From: Chico CA
I'll pm englandgreen about the cam, do you have any specs? Does anyone know if it's possible to remove the front cover of the engine (to change the o-ring) without pulling everything out? I hadn't thought about new gears, can you recommend a good brand?
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Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,799
Likes: 1
From: Northern Virginia
St. Jude Donor '08
Suggest you read this.
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/genera...cam-guide.html
Might want to spend some time over there browsing cam threads.
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/genera...cam-guide.html
Might want to spend some time over there browsing cam threads.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 0
From: Chico CA
Ok, so it looks like my cam might be good enough and an intake manifold might be best as the next upgrade. I currently have a ported TB with a stock ls6 manifold. Can someone point me to the best deal on a FAST with a matching ported TB?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,799
Likes: 1
From: Northern Virginia
St. Jude Donor '08
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/perf...pm-motors.html
Don't know specs on blower cam because ECS does not release them but a lot of people have them and are very happy.
The FAST will give you more power up top, but I don't think it will do anything for the low or moderate end. At least that is my understanding from some articles I have read.
