I am in the market of getting a camshaft for my Vette, and I need some expertise on which would be the best for my car, I have a stock LS1 engine I just have a Corsa extreme axle back exhaust. What all will I have to do to get a better cam for my car. Thanks

 

What's your goal? What's your use case?

How often are you:

- Driving in stop and go traffic
- Driving in slow street traffic
- Driving on faster side roads
- Driving on the highway
- Driving on the track
- Driving in high heat
- Living in states where emissions tests can catch certain cams

And so on. There is no best camshaft for everyone.

 

What he said, plus:
What other mods are you planning?
Standard or auto?
If auto, what gears?

 

Why does that matter? I want a better cam for some boost of power and they sound so good.

 

I am planning on getting better heads, a cold air intake, long tube headers and X pipe to mate in with my Corsa xtreme exhaust. It's a standard 6 speed.

 

50 responses will likely yield 50 different cams. I would suggest you read up on cam design to better understand the trade-offs. Just slapping in a cam that someone recommends will lead to disappointment. Other option is to contact someone like Tony Mamo and let him recommend a full engine development plan since it sounds like you plan to go beyond just a cam and heads are the key to power.

There are a lot of things to consider even with just a cam change, valve springs, rocker wipe, pushrods, lifter preload, etc. etc.

 

What if I do a 224/228 cam and heads only? I love the sound, and want more of a boost of power, there really isn't a rhyme or reason, I just want my car to sound better and have more pep.

 

Because the cam controls how and when the power is made you choose a cam by knowing what you do and expect from the car. You can get a huge cam that makes lots of power up top and sounds absolutely nasty but will sacrifice bottom end. It is all about balance and drivability so without answering those simple questions no one can possibly even point you in the right direction.

 

 

Do you go jogging wearing flip-flop sandals, or wear jogging shoes?

 

Does it REALLY matter, I just enjoy jogging and want to look cool and be seen so I go naked and no shoes

 

It matters. I know a guy who installed a wicked cam in his C6. He ended up hating the thing.
Idle sound; wicked
Top end power; wicked
Driving in traffic (small town); horrible
Wading thru a parking lot; horrible
Pick your cam based on your driving habits and needs/goals is best if you can.

 

Listen to this wisdom

 

 

Don't buy a cam. Not until you can tell us why it matters. You will spend a lot of money and end up regretting it.

 

I don't know much at all about cams but I will be getting one sometime in the near future and will be asking advise from the forum as well. However, I certainly wouldn't ask these guys to suggest a cam without providing detailed info about your car, current and future mods, driving style, climate, and generally what your goal is...

 

But then again who cares about drivability get the biggest can you can find

 

Well this thread was entertaining if nothing else.....LOL

OP....there is some good info being presented here. You dont just stab a cam in your car because you want the "sound"....I mean sure that's a perk of the install but getting one properly designed for your needs, the way you drive the car, and complementing the other mods on the car now (or planned) is very important. A car with headers gets a cam with a much different spec than a car with exhaust manifolds.....what heads your running is another important factor.....gear and trans.....etc. etc.

Cam choice is the most "individual" choice of any engine mod.....it dictates the personality of your engine....how the car will drive, how responsive it will be and where....dictates the shape of the power and Tq curve and while the right cam choice can really compliment and improve your car's performance as a whole, the wrong choice is misery and you might find out you hate the car after living with it a few months (and you wouldn't have been the first).

Im saying mostly what everyone else has been trying to impart on you (if you're even reading this any more). That's why some guys have been poking fun.....it's an important decision that you seem to be taking very lightly and a cam swap is an expensive PITA to deal with twice!

If I can be of some assistance let me know.....email is usually best but I will respond to PM's as well....just prefer email



Regards,
Tony

 

Since it doesn't seem like this thread is going anywhere for the OP, but I have the same question, let's see if we can't make this useful:

What cam would you guys look to for a car that's daily driven in the summer (stop and go, parking lots, etc), but also tracked (road course and auto-x) occasionally on the weekends? Looking for sound and an increase in performance, something where with heads (say CNC'd 243 heads) and LT's could breach the 400 whp mark.