I am thinking about putting a cam in my stock 99mn6. What cam can i get the most street/track hp out of? What are some hp/tq #s for a cam only car? I dont have any mods as of now ,but this car is a daily driver though. Thanks Adam

 

I am installing a Futral F4 226/226 .575/.575 LSA 112. I had people recommending upto a 228 with a .588 lift on a 114 or 112 LSA. You can go bigger and drivability will be affected but with good tuning it should still be fine.

Remember with a bigger cam you have to upgrade other parts in the valve train as well. Springs, push rods, retainer etc....

 

First, since 99.99% of your driving will be done on the street, don't worry so much about peak HP. It's good for bragging rights, & not much else. What you want is a nice fat torque curve.

Second, "best" is a relative term. To most guys, "best" means the most possible HP. If that's what you're looking for, go big. However, if you still want a decent idle, good gas mileage, and reasonable street manners, you need to make some compromises. Also, do you need to pass emissions?

Third, you need to consider what other mods you will have. Big cams need LT headers to really shine. If you push the power band up too high, 6th gear will be almost useless, unless you can set the cruise control at 80 MPH and live in the Nevada desert.

Having said all that, almost all the rules of thumb you have heard are true. These days, everyone wants to go BIG on the cam. However, your stock heads will not support lift higher than around .550", so forget about those fast-ramp cams with .580+" lift. Also, your heads won't breathe that well at real high RPMs, so tune for mid-range --- go with a 112 LSA vs 114. Your idle will be a bit more lumpy, but you'll like the mid-range.

With stock heads and exhaust, I would go with a split-duration cam, around a 220/224 on a 112 LSA. I would order it advanced 4 degrees (vs the normal 2 degrees). This will open the intake valve earlier, and give you a strong low-end. If you're looking for a used cam, you should be able to find lots of T1 grinds (221/221) or a 224/224 --- they're common as dirt.

I strongly recommend LT headers.

 

Thanks for the reply guys. I am looking to get headers sometime soon. I really wish i had money to do heads and cam at the same time but thats not going to happen :cry Well if anyone else has a cam only or mild bolt on car please let me know what u got. Thanks Adam

 

my x1 from mti made nice power :cheers:

 

Well mine is hardly mild but check out my sig to see what you can expect.

I would go with the one of the 224/224 range cams if you want to maintain a completely stealth car. When go bigger people are going to know your coming.

 

You can hear a 224/224 cam coming a mile away, even on a 115 LSA.

 

A great cam for you for the street/strip would be something like a futral motorsports 228/230 cam with around a .588 lift and a 112 lsa. Thats wat Alan Futural recommended i get for my stock headed Z06 and he is LS1 Cam GURU no doubt! :D Another great option would be the LGM G5x2 cam 232/240 .609 lift on a ll2. Both of these cams would make alot of power throughout the entire rpm band and make big power with stock heads (400+rwhp).

Do a TON OF RESEARCH so you get it rigth the first time and look to ls1tech.com (internal engine) as there is nothing but non-stop ls1 gear head tech cam talk going on there.

 

I too recommend the Futral F4 cam, I just ordered mine also. That is the first cam to go 10's on a cam only setup. Check out the website or call Alan he's very helpful and a huge selection of grinds.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I really dont care if the can runs hard and people know it has a large cam. I dont have an ls6 cause mines a 99 but what kind of numbers are u guys getting with ur stock heads on the Lg and Futral cams? Hows the T-REX cam with stock heads? Also what else should i buy when i get the cam? Thanks adam

 

HP #s hover around 400rwhp and torque arond 390 rwtq with the F4 cam. You definately need full length headers and 3' pipes, no cats is cheaper of course, LS-6 intake, Vararam system a good tuning if you want a smoother idle, but probably not needed with these moderate cam's, oh and T-Rex is a huge cam, but a solid performer from what I've read.

 

More of the f-body LS1 crowd run these more aggressive cams i mentioned and with their stock heads and full length headers, tuning and necessary bolt ons (which you need also if you don't have) they are making between 410 to 430rwhp with manual trannys on their F-bodies and you should expect between 400 to 415rwhp with your C5, as their is more HP loss with a C5 vs. f-bdoy with vettes IRS, etc. :cheers: RUBY six-speed just got 431 rwhp on his stock LS6 headed Z06 with the G5x3 cam which is a tad more aggressive than the G5x2, but will make a lil less power throughout the rpm band than the x2. Call ALLAN at FMS and he will HOOK YOU UP!!!!


[Modified by MTI 427 Roadster, 12:15 PM 4/14/2004]