i need your advice on what setup to run for C5 intake,,

TB:
Intake Man:
Heads:
Cam:

 

the setup is needed for max street power.

 

Ok, just kidding couldnt help it. This thread will pull an ungodly amount of varied opinion. You may want to expand a little on your requirements as well as the budget you have to spend, how you plan to use the vette (street only, drag, road course, etc.), Year of C5, any current mods, what transmission, rear gear ratio, on and on. The more you share the more the fine folks here will be able to give advice and experience. Also, search the archives as there is a ton of similar questions and answers that can be of help. Good luck and hopefully many will respond to your requests.

 

my car is a bone stock 99 C5 6spd.
the car will be on streets most of the time and on track every now and then.
my budget is somewhere around $5k.

 

Pick one
LS6 manifold, ported TB, AFR 205's, and a cam around 22x, 23x 114LSA .590
FAST 92 manifold, LS2 TB, TFS 215's, and a cam around 23x/24x 112LSA .610

 

what is the power gain for each setup?
can i have the LS6 243 instead of AFR in the 1st setup?

 

I would go with the LS6 intake manifold---Best value out there--- Especially if you plan on running it below the 6400 RPM point--The Fast intakes are great but the Hp #'s are almost the same under 6400-Fast is best used with larger CI engines or for running them above 6400 to get full advantage of them
Same for the T-body-- An 80mmTB or even biggier again will only create better #'s with a bigger CI engine and at higher RPM's --I would however get it PROFESIONALLY ported as this will help throttle response and add 4-7 RWHP---
With heads-- larger ported intake heads like the popular 220's are again best used with higher RPM's and more CI's--they also will kill some bottom end---My choice would be a stock take-off set of heads from a Z06 (243's) raises the compression as well and very reliable-
As far as cams go----Depends if you are in a smog state where they put them on the rollers---The largest cam that usually passs smog ( like in calif) is somthing in the .224/.224 range @ .050 and an LSA NO SMALLER than a 114--lift doesn't matter--
If you aren't worried about smog--- the old way of choosing a cam is best---Do all your research and pick one for your applcation--THEN go one bigger !!! Most people always choose something too mild and in hindsight would have gone Bigger-----I like cams in this application in the .230/.235 range at a 114 or 112 LSA---Tuninng is easier and idle and drivablity is better
The $$$ you save with the LS6 heads and a LS6 intake can go towards getting some real beneficial RWHP by installing some LT headers and an underdrive crank pulley------

 

that was enlightening,,
i am a newbie and can't really understand cam numbers,,
can you advise cam specs?
what about LS6 cam?
i will go with LS6 heads and intake,, but,,should i get bare heads or full LS6 heads setup?
what do you think of LS2 243 heads?
can i use the stock TB?

 

Look in C5 parts for sale, there is a set of heads with intake and cam for $900.

 

that deal is behind all my questions,,
what do you think of it in sense of performance and value?

 

Hi---As I mentoned get your STOCK T-Body ported---No need to go bigger---Mine is a stock Shaner ported TB and i am at 400 RWHP

As far as getting a LS6 cam---NO NO NO--It's like kissing your sister--
If you are going thru all the trouble to replace your cam--don't do it---get a REAL cam---specs near what i mentioned above---
I would get a COMPLETE set of heads--there are many Z06 take-off heads out there--HOWEVER you do need to replace the valve springs with something better---A MUST---Get some comp 918's
I bought a NEW complete set on E--B---Y 4-5 years ago for only $600 !!!! Prices have gone up some--There are many on there NEW from vendors in Canada and also HERE on the Forum

Try to keep the cam lift under .600----More duration moves the power band UP HIGHER---so too much kills the bottom end and the major HP gains are all in the higher (6500) range and above--also too much duration creates idle tuning nightmares and surging etc--Especially with an A4
The LSA -- here in calif I've tried getting 112 LSA cams to pass smog and it can be very dificult or impossible-Anything lower than a 114 makes it tough as the cam has more overlap and that creates a smog issue-- higher LSA's make it idle smoother--i think STOCK LS cams are all in the 117-119 range---Lower LSA's give it a rougher idle but make it sound more radical and improve throttle rsponse--As an example race only cams can be in the 107-110 range---

 

if smog is not an issue since i live in saudi arabia, what is the best cam spec that will go with Vararam, LS6 intake, KOOKS 1 3/4 LT and Borla Stingers?

 

regarding headers,, i am going LT but still didn't decide 1 3/4" or 1 7/8",,
what do you think?

 

 

1 3/4 is fine----again too big is for big CI or high RPM's---1 7/8 can kill your bottom end TQ---

 

tb - 90MM take your pick, port it

intake manifold - fast 90 or 92, port it

heads - for stock cubes get afr or dart or the like about 205-210 cc port/valve job if you have the money

cam - 224/228 @ 112 and lift around .575

headers - 1 7/8 you will lose no bottom end even on a stock motor, which yours will not be anyways

This is what I would do if I was to build a stock bottom end car that would spend time on the street.

 

what would be the gain difference -in numbers- if i went with 1 3/4" LT headers instead of 1 7/8"?

 

what do you think of:

228/234 @ 112 lift .588 .598?

 

same bottom end and lose about 10 hp in the top half of the rpm range.

 

that will be ok just a little more lope and more top end oriented than what I mentioned. it might buck a little bit cruising at 1400 or so and just off idle from a stop but a lot of that can be handled with a tune.

3.5 degrees of overlap vs 1 degree. for a street car I personally am not a fan of overlap. I have a 408ci which can handle about 8 degrees more overlap than a 346 and my cam has 6 and you can definitely feel it.