Cam only - LS1 cam suggestions
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 935
Likes: 103
Cam only - LS1 cam suggestions
The warm weather has me thinking about throwing some mods at my stock right down to the paper filter 2000 FRC.
I'll be keeping the stock 853 heads, and LS1 Intake.
Only mods will be LT Headers (XS power 1 3/4) and Vararam.. (and an LS6 Intake if I can find one).
So far I have looked at custom mild stealth grind cams.. which idle like stock .. something like a 216/222 with .575 lift... (or CheaTR cam for example) Ive also looked at a 224 and a 228 profile cam... I want a streetable cam. With good manors.
More recently the Street Sweeper HT is on my radar. I'll obviously be doing Springs, but I'm curious if this is too much cam for the stock heads. I'm looking to keep things really simple and to a budget so heads and other things aren't on the agenda.
Goals are a well mannered daily driveable 390whp and low 12's on street tires.
I'll be keeping the stock 853 heads, and LS1 Intake.
Only mods will be LT Headers (XS power 1 3/4) and Vararam.. (and an LS6 Intake if I can find one).
So far I have looked at custom mild stealth grind cams.. which idle like stock .. something like a 216/222 with .575 lift... (or CheaTR cam for example) Ive also looked at a 224 and a 228 profile cam... I want a streetable cam. With good manors.
More recently the Street Sweeper HT is on my radar. I'll obviously be doing Springs, but I'm curious if this is too much cam for the stock heads. I'm looking to keep things really simple and to a budget so heads and other things aren't on the agenda.
Goals are a well mannered daily driveable 390whp and low 12's on street tires.
Last edited by Roddy13; Jun 4, 2017 at 03:15 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 5,775
Likes: 585
From: Texas
My car had an England Green Mayhem II cam (234/242 duration on 113 LSA) and made 408 hp to the rear wheels with stock heads, stock throttle body, and stock injectors. It has a really choppy idle but if you have a manual transmission it works just fine as a daily driver. Gas mileage dropped somewhat to about 22 mpg on the highway and really crappy in the city, but the sound and the performance are worth it to me.
"Streetable" is a subjective thing. What works great for me might drive you nuts. My idle is so choppy that the whole car shakes a little bit at the stoplight, but as a daily driver I love it. If anything other than a stock idle bothers you, then obviously this cam is not for you.
Reliability is another issue. The higher the lift of the cam you pick, in general, the shorter the life of the springs. There are other factors like how aggressive the ramps on the cam are, but max lift is a good rule of thumb as far as picking spring longevity. If you want to just drop in a cam and not mess with it again for three years, then you should stick with cams below about .600" lift.
"Streetable" is a subjective thing. What works great for me might drive you nuts. My idle is so choppy that the whole car shakes a little bit at the stoplight, but as a daily driver I love it. If anything other than a stock idle bothers you, then obviously this cam is not for you.
Reliability is another issue. The higher the lift of the cam you pick, in general, the shorter the life of the springs. There are other factors like how aggressive the ramps on the cam are, but max lift is a good rule of thumb as far as picking spring longevity. If you want to just drop in a cam and not mess with it again for three years, then you should stick with cams below about .600" lift.
Pro
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 670
Likes: 46
From: Indiana
I've put 26K miles on the car running Comp's 54-428-11. 228/230 on a 112 LSA with 2 advance using the XFI RPM High Lift lobes. Love it. People definitely know it's been cammed. Gets lots of compliments on how it sounds. Loud exhaust "helps".
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 136
Likes: 6
From: Houston Texas
I've had the MS4 from Texas Speed, Stock LS6, Stock, LS1, F13 from Futral, and now a Streetsweeper HT, I haven't installed the SSHT yet but the F13 was amazing for what it was and has the track record to back it up. You can't go wrong with either the F13 or the SSHT, search the GTO forums for it, not much info anywhere else really.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,375
Likes: 328
From: CA.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15
All depends if you are trying to pass smog----If so you are very limited as to what will pass
However If you have No smog police then you can get away with a much larger cam profile
Old school thought is to do all your cam research and homework---then CHOOSE one size large !!! More all guys regret their cam choice and wish they would have gone larger
I would recc. something in the mid 230 range at .050 and try to keep the lift below .600
The LSA I would get a 112--Lower is more lopier but harder to tune with an auto trans
If your car is a manual then you can get away easier with a larger cam-----
My choice ( and I have tuned dozens of these) would be the Texas Speed "Torquer" cam
This cam rocks ans makes great power and TQ all thru the RPM band--And id is a breeeze to tune------You will be a retune with ANY cam you decide on to get the full potential of the cam and to eliminate the common cam swap issues like surging--dying and hard starting
However If you have No smog police then you can get away with a much larger cam profile
Old school thought is to do all your cam research and homework---then CHOOSE one size large !!! More all guys regret their cam choice and wish they would have gone larger
I would recc. something in the mid 230 range at .050 and try to keep the lift below .600
The LSA I would get a 112--Lower is more lopier but harder to tune with an auto trans
If your car is a manual then you can get away easier with a larger cam-----
My choice ( and I have tuned dozens of these) would be the Texas Speed "Torquer" cam
This cam rocks ans makes great power and TQ all thru the RPM band--And id is a breeeze to tune------You will be a retune with ANY cam you decide on to get the full potential of the cam and to eliminate the common cam swap issues like surging--dying and hard starting
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 29
Likes: 6
From: Cross Roads TX
I have the G5X1 (228/232 .588/.574 112 LSA) which I think is similar to the Street Sweeper HT. In my opinion the G5X1 drives very well. The only times that it seems to have any bucking is when the engine hasn't warmed up yet and I'm driving very slowly at a low RPM or if I am in bad stop and go traffic going up a hill it might also buck from time to time. It doesn't happen very often and it's not bad when it does. Other than those instances it drives very stock like and it works surprisingly well in parking lots. I do have both the stock LS6 intake and 243 heads though since my car is a Z06. So I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes concerning driveability compared to your car. My tune may actually have more to do with it than anything else.
But anyways, in my opinion, unless you want to be more on the conservative side, I think you should go with the Street Sweeper HT (or something similar: G5X1, F13, VRX4, etc.) and get a nice balance of power and driveability. You would end up with a nice SOTP increase and a great idle sound all without losing a lot of driveabilty.
Here is an idle clip of my car if you're interested:
But anyways, in my opinion, unless you want to be more on the conservative side, I think you should go with the Street Sweeper HT (or something similar: G5X1, F13, VRX4, etc.) and get a nice balance of power and driveability. You would end up with a nice SOTP increase and a great idle sound all without losing a lot of driveabilty.
Here is an idle clip of my car if you're interested:
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 935
Likes: 103
Much larger profiles than I had considered.
Anyone have dyno sheets or timeslips.
Any other suggestions? This has to be a daily-able cam!!
SSHT, F13, G5X1 and TSP Torquer all look good. What kind of whp would I see with the stock 841 heads?
Anyone have dyno sheets or timeslips.
Any other suggestions? This has to be a daily-able cam!!
SSHT, F13, G5X1 and TSP Torquer all look good. What kind of whp would I see with the stock 841 heads?
Last edited by Roddy13; Jun 4, 2017 at 03:16 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
If you want stock like manners choose something with a 2teens to low 220s on the intake dont get sucked up in big cams dyno #s etc
plenty off the shelf ones that are proven no need for a custom cam..chances are it still on off the shelf deal.
if you want low 12s may wanna consider some head workin addition, hard to have it all.
Youll hate driving a big cammed car after a few days if youre in it all the time.
plenty off the shelf ones that are proven no need for a custom cam..chances are it still on off the shelf deal.
if you want low 12s may wanna consider some head workin addition, hard to have it all.
Youll hate driving a big cammed car after a few days if youre in it all the time.
Last edited by cv67; Jun 4, 2017 at 03:37 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 215
Likes: 18
From: Dutchess cnty NY
Daily driving a big cam car depends solely on your commute. If your ride is a straight shot with no traffic then your commute with a big cam will be no big deal. If your in stop/go traffic constantly then go with something alittle milder.
I have a MS3 and i love it, made great power (425rwhp) and driving cammed is not intolerable. Alot of the mannerisms of driving a big cam car are fixed with the tune. And def pick up a ls6 manifold....will help u squeeze out 15hp more from your setup.
I have a MS3 and i love it, made great power (425rwhp) and driving cammed is not intolerable. Alot of the mannerisms of driving a big cam car are fixed with the tune. And def pick up a ls6 manifold....will help u squeeze out 15hp more from your setup.
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 29
Likes: 6
From: Cross Roads TX
Here is the dyno sheet for my G5X1. After two more months of driving it I can definitely say that this cam would be great for a daily driver. I also had a chance to drive it in 95+ degree weather with the A/C on and there was no loss of driveability at all.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 50
From: Goldsboro NC
Apparently, some folks don't listen. I'm pretty sure the OP said good manors. I understand it can be a subjective thing to many but if someone asks me that question personally, I usually refer them to the 2 cams the OP has mentioned. Zero overlap, and not too harsh on the valvetrain, excellent street manners, and make great power.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 299
Likes: 33
From: Chambersburg PA
I'm running a btr stg2 in my 02 z06, only other mod is arh 1.75 lt with high flow catted x-pipe. Gained 60 rwhp over stock with tune. Street manners no different than stock cam, and pulls hard from 2500 to red line
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Apparently, some folks don't listen. I'm pretty sure the OP said good manors.
these threads always turn out to be a show and tell of some too big cam the op will hate. 
Last edited by cv67; Jun 6, 2017 at 11:48 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,300
Likes: 115
From: Odessa FL
St. Jude Donor '10-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
Smart move, let them design one to fit your needs and supporting mods. FWIW I run a 224/224 581/581 @50 114 LSA. Produces good power and torque and is very street friendly, mild mannered. It depends on what you want in the end and can afford.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,363
Likes: 430
From: Birmingham Al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm-U...ature=youtu.be Comp . 232/236 595/595 112+4 ported heads headers X-pipe Etc. LMR tune 445 RWHP . Drives great on the road..
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 935
Likes: 103
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm-U...ature=youtu.be Comp . 232/236 595/595 112+4 ported heads headers X-pipe Etc. LMR tune 445 RWHP . Drives great on the road..
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 935
Likes: 103
I think I'm down to the G5X1 or SS HT. I think the slightly lower lift of the G5X1 might make it the better cam with my stock heads (853's).
G5X1 seems to possibly have a nicer sounding idle IMO... now why on earth is this cam kit $1595 when everyone else's cam kit is about $899 ??
G5X1 seems to possibly have a nicer sounding idle IMO... now why on earth is this cam kit $1595 when everyone else's cam kit is about $899 ??
Last edited by Roddy13; Jul 4, 2017 at 02:10 AM.