LS9 cam
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 7,821
Likes: 412
From: Montreal
St. Jude Donor '13
A custom cam spec'd for your car does not cost much more than an off the shelf grind. It seems silly to me not to go that route. With the amount of labor involved, its nice to get it right the first time.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 118
Likes: 1
From: Austin Texas
I ran a ZR1 cam in my 07 with an EForce and it ran quite well. At the time my main concern was drivability and keeping the car as quiet as possible. I was really into having a sleeper and it worked great. Everyone underestimated the car, 
. As for performance numbers I can't give you much info because I had a lot of mods at the same time. When I installed my eforce, we changed the heads, cam, lifters, and pushrods. I peaked at 560 + 556 with Z06 manifolds, a pulley down, and no cats.
Brian Reckart has run a ZR1 cam on his 09 vette several times. He could chime in with more info.
. As for performance numbers I can't give you much info because I had a lot of mods at the same time. When I installed my eforce, we changed the heads, cam, lifters, and pushrods. I peaked at 560 + 556 with Z06 manifolds, a pulley down, and no cats. Brian Reckart has run a ZR1 cam on his 09 vette several times. He could chime in with more info.
Pro
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 598
Likes: 0
From: Ashville Ohio
Brian Tooley Racing cams FTW. Installing his BTR Stg III 231/248 cam in my LS7 with eforce on it. Made 613rwhp and 580rwtq at 5psi before the cam so I guess we will see how much i gain from the BTR cam.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,999
Likes: 1,685
From: Southeast TX
Just about any cam will "work" under a p/d blower. If you blow hard in the intake, the power is going up....no matter what cam you use. The instant boost will help cover up a bigger cam's lazy low end too.
You need to ask yourself if the LS9 cam is worth it though. It's really not much of a change. You can swap to a more capable cam and sacrifice little if any drivability or fuel eco.
If you need an "off the shelf" cam, the Livernois 1C would fit what you're looking for http://www.livernoismotorsports.com/...-Camshaft.html
I'm running a custom 218/230 118lsa in my daily driver TVS blown pickup. Perfect manners, very slightly rougher idle, good fuel eco. My ugly flat bed work truck will outrun lots of vettes
You can get a custom rec for someone like Pat G for a few bucks. Take the recommendation and have Comp grind the EXACT cam that will do what you're looking to do. You can get any of Comp's custom ground cams delivered to your door for $375. Takes about a week.
You need to ask yourself if the LS9 cam is worth it though. It's really not much of a change. You can swap to a more capable cam and sacrifice little if any drivability or fuel eco.
If you need an "off the shelf" cam, the Livernois 1C would fit what you're looking for http://www.livernoismotorsports.com/...-Camshaft.html
I'm running a custom 218/230 118lsa in my daily driver TVS blown pickup. Perfect manners, very slightly rougher idle, good fuel eco. My ugly flat bed work truck will outrun lots of vettes
You can get a custom rec for someone like Pat G for a few bucks. Take the recommendation and have Comp grind the EXACT cam that will do what you're looking to do. You can get any of Comp's custom ground cams delivered to your door for $375. Takes about a week.
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Instructor
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
From: CT
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 815
Likes: 1
From: Georgetown TX
Don't forget that the benefit of the LS9 cam is that it costs $100 and you don't need to change anything in the valvetrain, so you need to add those variables in. An aftermarket cam will of course give you more power, but the hp:$$ ratio isn't any better, at least if you do the swap yourself. An aftermarket cam kit will cost you $750-1k, so another $650+ for ~25hp? I daresay that no aftermarket cam will have any better idle or drivability than the LS9 cam. Just some things to weigh when making your decision...
HOWEVER, I had my car apart anyway for the blower install, so I can't say that if I was going to go to the trouble of swapping the cam (alone), that I would go with the LS9 cam again.
HOWEVER, I had my car apart anyway for the blower install, so I can't say that if I was going to go to the trouble of swapping the cam (alone), that I would go with the LS9 cam again.
Last edited by chimazo; Nov 22, 2013 at 09:45 PM.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 494
Likes: 4
From: laplace la
Just about any cam will "work" under a p/d blower. If you blow hard in the intake, the power is going up....no matter what cam you use. The instant boost will help cover up a bigger cam's lazy low end too.
You need to ask yourself if the LS9 cam is worth it though. It's really not much of a change. You can swap to a more capable cam and sacrifice little if any drivability or fuel eco.
If you need an "off the shelf" cam, the Livernois 1C would fit what you're looking for http://www.livernoismotorsports.com/...-Camshaft.html
I'm running a custom 218/230 118lsa in my daily driver TVS blown pickup. Perfect manners, very slightly rougher idle, good fuel eco. My ugly flat bed work truck will outrun lots of vettes
You can get a custom rec for someone like Pat G for a few bucks. Take the recommendation and have Comp grind the EXACT cam that will do what you're looking to do. You can get any of Comp's custom ground cams delivered to your door for $375. Takes about a week.
You need to ask yourself if the LS9 cam is worth it though. It's really not much of a change. You can swap to a more capable cam and sacrifice little if any drivability or fuel eco.
If you need an "off the shelf" cam, the Livernois 1C would fit what you're looking for http://www.livernoismotorsports.com/...-Camshaft.html
I'm running a custom 218/230 118lsa in my daily driver TVS blown pickup. Perfect manners, very slightly rougher idle, good fuel eco. My ugly flat bed work truck will outrun lots of vettes
You can get a custom rec for someone like Pat G for a few bucks. Take the recommendation and have Comp grind the EXACT cam that will do what you're looking to do. You can get any of Comp's custom ground cams delivered to your door for $375. Takes about a week.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,972
Likes: 48
From: NCM Lifetime#2195 Bulverde, Texas 78163
St. Jude Donor '13
I installed one in my CTS-V last month. Car was apart for warranty oil leaks and I had a LS9 cam laying around. Just slid it in while the front cover was already off. Have not done a dyno or tune yet. Should be next month after warranty runs out.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,725
Likes: 115
From: Phoenix AZ
I'm shooting for 600rwhp. I'm at 539/527 with the 599 eforce kit and Pfadt headers. I'm going to swap out the 3.5" pulley for a 3" one plus larger injectors. If I can get 60rwhp more with greater boost, I won't do the cam. If I'm short, I want to do a cam.
The question is, how much labor? My dealer is installing the parts. I did not yet ask about a cam. If this cam gets me 20rwhp with <8 hours labor, I may consider it.
The question is, how much labor? My dealer is installing the parts. I did not yet ask about a cam. If this cam gets me 20rwhp with <8 hours labor, I may consider it.