Legacy Z06

I'm looking to buy a Z06, preferably one with the heads fixed and my experience has been that most of those with fixed heads have also opted for aftermarket cams, some aggressive some not so much. I would assume along with the increase in power there is probably some increase in wear'n tear on the motor. While each aftermarket cam is different, overall what are the detrimental effects of running cams in a Z06 such as wearing out parts and shorter service intervals. Is it something you need to address say every 5-10-20k ?

Also, once a cam and related parts are installed , is it possible to detune and go back to an OEM or very close to OEM cam setup ? Can you swap just the cam or are there a list of associated parts that would need replacing ?

The car to me will be a daily driver that will see several HPDE events each summer but nothing competitive so it will see a mix usage and stress.

Apocolipse

You can keep everything stock if you go with a mild cam. Expect maybe 50whp increase. If that is enough for you to warrant the effort then giver!

Unreal

Only thing that really becomes a new wear issue is valve springs if the cam is aggressive enough. They should be checked and possibly replaced every 20k, and cost $200-300. So pretty minor.

Landru

Last Summer had heads rebuilt w/ a couple upgrades.
As long as LS7 was apart it made sense to do what shop called a 'baby cam'.
Was & remain very concerned re 'drive-ability' w/ a cam vs stock, which I loved.
Car has a very mild lope & only lost ~1 MPG.
Pre work dynode ~441, post work 487 RWHP , noticeable power increase.

Shop says a cold air intake + headers w/could help airflow greatly, easily going over 500 RWHP.
I'm satisfied for now, IC + new tune's around $4K.
Last year's work ran $6K, $8K w/ a couple other things they'd done.
This year new Michelins, Carbotech 1 pc pads, front discs mildly turned since they were new 5K ago & new rear rotors.
New shocks also, of course.

My 11 y/o Z06 w/ 63K rides/drives as close to new as it's ever been since new.
I've had enough.

RichieRichZ06

The "downside" to aftermarket cams is that anybody can pull numbers out of their ***, just like the lottery. Very few companies actually test valve train dynamics, materials and other factors that determine the stability and longevity of their cam packages. Some like to pick a donkey d!ck cam, throw the heaviest valves they can find in the heads, control them with monster dual springs, slap on some ridiculous roller rockers and tell everyone it works because that's what worked for their friend.

IMO, the key is to keep things as light as possible and use good parts. When it comes to durability, stability and reliability, you get what you pay for.

With that being said, the Corvette owner that just wants to hear the lope of a cam on his way to Cars and Coffee can get away with more (or less) than those of us that actually drive the **** out of our cars.

SPDKLZ1

Amen brotha!

SivaSuryaKshatriya

Wait your Z06 is making 487 RWHP with a cam?

My '09 C6 Z06 has a Halltech intake, AHP heads, and LG GT4 axleback exhaust and with a tune is making 485 RWHP.

EDIT: it looks like you have just a cam as your only modification, no intake or exhaust. I'm surprised at how big of a difference those items can make.

Apocolipse

You can make a 500hp dyno read 1000.

Cman01

Once you pull the heads, you have access to the lifters. Pulling those out reveals what the cam lobes looks like. Some stock LS7 cams have issues with the metal being soft and wearing away quickly which wrecks the cam and lifters so changing them out now is better than putting the heads back then finding out you have this cam issue and have to yank the heads again.

Human nature is that we always want more and better......better parts, more power etc etc. so that's why usually fixed heads Z06's usually have a cam done, with that done to make everything all work together the intake and exhaust gets a look at and most likely better parts replace the factory stuff (MSD/Fast intake and headers for ex.), you're there and the stock parts have to come off to get the heads off.

I would suggest that if this car that you will buy is going to be a DD with fixed heads and a cam, look for a mild cam (slightly more aggressive than stock, not too aggressive), if we are talking BTR for ex. stage 2 max with supporting parts. I would not look for a stage 3 and definitely not stage 4 cam. Vengenance Racing Kaotik or Cam Motion stage 1 or 2 cam are ok also.

The tune will be most important, it will make or break driveability and even then a tuner can only go so far to make a car "drive like or close to stock" even with a less aggressive performance camshaft.

Tony

NemeZ

I have stage 1 GP Tuning cam. It drives like stock and makes 556rwhp and 504tq. Stock exhaust manifolds (with out cats) too. No draw backs that I can see with a mild cam.

Landru

No tech here, however bet a cam would put it over somewhere slightly 500.
As I said shop I used claimed car's cam c/would make more if it breathed in as efficiently as out.
Another ~$4K, probably more , it'd be more car than my needs.

Nope, intake/exhaust is OEM stock.
Didn't mention it was tuned though, FWIW on a Mustang.
I'd often heard there're variances between dyno makes, sometimes appreciable.

Happy w/ things as they stand now ~$12K later all-in w/ engine work/tune tires/shocks/brakes/TPMS etc.