G5X3 cam - trying this again
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: New Brunswick
G5X3 cam - trying this again
Anyone running this cam on an LS2 6-speed vette? If so, how streetable is it? Also, does it only make low-end power & torque, or do you have to rev it over 4000rpm?
I really like th esound of this cam, but I just want to make sure i dont sacrifice too much driveabilty, and I also want good bottom end power
any advice would be great
Denis
I really like th esound of this cam, but I just want to make sure i dont sacrifice too much driveabilty, and I also want good bottom end power
any advice would be great
Denis
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Anyone running this cam on an LS2 6-speed vette? If so, how streetable is it? Also, does it only make low-end power & torque, or do you have to rev it over 4000rpm?
I really like th esound of this cam, but I just want to make sure i dont sacrifice too much driveabilty, and I also want good bottom end power
any advice would be great
Denis
I really like th esound of this cam, but I just want to make sure i dont sacrifice too much driveabilty, and I also want good bottom end power
any advice would be great
Denis
In short, get thin gaskets to increase compression to 11.4, and get the newly designed G6x3, it's a newer design that gives more torque.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
PS I'm posting from my iPhone with no cut and paste or I'd paste a link for you.
The cam is easily tuned an the car can run and drive like stock. I have daily driven mine for almost 2 years now and it's great.
The cam is easily tuned an the car can run and drive like stock. I have daily driven mine for almost 2 years now and it's great.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,598
Likes: 78
From: Miami FL
2020 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16,'17,'18-'19-'20-'21-'22
Joe's car may DRIVE like stock, and he would know since it is his daily driver in Miami traffic,
but it SOUNDS super tough at idle, however that might be because he had his cut-outs open . . . . . . . .
but it SOUNDS super tough at idle, however that might be because he had his cut-outs open . . . . . . . .
Pro
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 609
Likes: 10
From: Hudson OH
I agree with Joe, get the G6X3 at minimum and bump the compression if you can.
The G5X3 was a fantastic cam, but the G6X3 is a variation of the theme aimed at the LS2/LS3 platform and performs extremely well.
The G5X3 was a fantastic cam, but the G6X3 is a variation of the theme aimed at the LS2/LS3 platform and performs extremely well.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
I do love when guys pull up next to me hitting their turbo blow off valves (sounds like blowing their nose to me)...my car's so quiet they think it's nothing...until I open the cutouts...I love the surprised look.
And for the record I don't bother racing on the street. Spinning my tires is all that accomplishes.
Here's a clip:
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,218
Likes: 3
I have it and, honestly, I'm looking to have it taken it out. It's a great cam for making power and is amazing over 4k RPM, but I don't enjoy it anymore around town. I'm not saying it's undriveable, because it's very driveable and tuned brilliantly by LG. I can easily endure stop and go traffic without stalling. It's just not fun because the big cam is very lazy down low. In order to have fun or put some power down I have to run it at high RPM and risk arrest 
I thought long and hard about gears but I don't want to do that in my DD that sees a lot of highway miles. And it's not necessarily an issue of regretting the cam choice so much as it's moving along in preference... It does sound phenomenal, though.
I thought long and hard about gears but I don't want to do that in my DD that sees a lot of highway miles. And it's not necessarily an issue of regretting the cam choice so much as it's moving along in preference... It does sound phenomenal, though.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 609
Likes: 10
From: Hudson OH
I have it and, honestly, I'm looking to have it taken it out. It's a great cam for making power and is amazing over 4k RPM, but I don't enjoy it anymore around town. I'm not saying it's undriveable, because it's very driveable and tuned brilliantly by LG. I can easily endure stop and go traffic without stalling. It's just not fun because the big cam is very lazy down low. In order to have fun or put some power down I have to run it at high RPM and risk arrest I thought long and hard about gears but I don't want to do that in my DD that sees a lot of highway miles. And it's not necessarily an issue of regretting the cam choice so much as it's moving along in preference... It does sound phenomenal, though.
I thought long and hard about gears but I don't want to do that in my DD that sees a lot of highway miles. And it's not necessarily an issue of regretting the cam choice so much as it's moving along in preference... It does sound phenomenal, though.This again is another vote for bumping the compression up on the heads and/or doing a FAST manifold in addition to the cam. Both increasing the SCR on the head and/or the fast will increase the torque curve down low and result in more seat-of-pants fun.
I also had a C5 a few years ago with the G5X1 and that was a fantastic around town cam. You give up the top-end to a bigger cam like the G5X3, but it was a fantastic cam in its own right.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 848
Likes: 8
From: St. Louis Mo.
I have it and, honestly, I'm looking to have it taken it out. It's a great cam for making power and is amazing over 4k RPM, but I don't enjoy it anymore around town. I'm not saying it's undriveable, because it's very driveable and tuned brilliantly by LG. I can easily endure stop and go traffic without stalling. It's just not fun because the big cam is very lazy down low. In order to have fun or put some power down I have to run it at high RPM and risk arrest I thought long and hard about gears but I don't want to do that in my DD that sees a lot of highway miles. And it's not necessarily an issue of regretting the cam choice so much as it's moving along in preference... It does sound phenomenal, though.
I thought long and hard about gears but I don't want to do that in my DD that sees a lot of highway miles. And it's not necessarily an issue of regretting the cam choice so much as it's moving along in preference... It does sound phenomenal, though.
I had it too. Great cam, but i wanted more low end. Went with the GT-11. (Not quite as strong up top, but low/mid is much more fun. Does'nt lope at 700rpm, but will at 550rpm) Lot's of choices of cams out there, so choose what fits for your long term enjoyment.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 398
Likes: 2
From: Kokomo Indiana
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 534
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From: New Brunswick
Gerat info guys... thanks, notably Joe_G. I'm quite certain i'm ordering this cam tomorrow.
My dad (also my mechanic) called LG today and they told him they can send me a "mailorder" tune... they're send me software & Laptop-to-OBDII cable ($500), then email me a program ($350). Anyone do this?
or... I found a local tuner that can do it... what should I do?
Denis
My dad (also my mechanic) called LG today and they told him they can send me a "mailorder" tune... they're send me software & Laptop-to-OBDII cable ($500), then email me a program ($350). Anyone do this?
or... I found a local tuner that can do it... what should I do?
Denis
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Denis tuning is a lot of fun, and pretty easy to learn if you are willing to invest a little time reading the HP Tuners Forum. My buddies and I tune and we love it, you can spend time and get your tune sharp, an when you mod more keep your tune sharp. I would recommend buying HP Tuners and a mail order tune to get you started, then learn to scan and tweak on your own.
The scanning is invaluable if you track your car. You can tell so much about your car, what it needs, and a lot about your driving skills too. If you look at my personal best threads recently you can see some scan examples and people offering suggestions. Many more such examples on the HP Tuners forum.
Besides being fun, learning to time can
end up saving you money as it keeps you from having to get a retune with each mod. If you get HP Tuners you should get a Wideband too, it's needed to tune open loop full throttle AFR. You can also use a dyno for the Wideband, but it's really nice to have it on the car if you track the car.
The scanning is invaluable if you track your car. You can tell so much about your car, what it needs, and a lot about your driving skills too. If you look at my personal best threads recently you can see some scan examples and people offering suggestions. Many more such examples on the HP Tuners forum.
Besides being fun, learning to time can
end up saving you money as it keeps you from having to get a retune with each mod. If you get HP Tuners you should get a Wideband too, it's needed to tune open loop full throttle AFR. You can also use a dyno for the Wideband, but it's really nice to have it on the car if you track the car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,218
Likes: 3
I only have cam, headers, intake, exhaust, and tune. I imagine if I downgrade the cam, put on the remaining bolt-ons, and retune it, I can get 420/420 with more torque down low. That torque is what makes it fun, and keeping a stock-like curve is important.
Aside from that the sound is amazing and it does make the peak numbers...
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,950
Likes: 264
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
KMK, if you have the opportunity, I strongly recommend you drive a car with 3.90 gears before you go to the expense of swapping cams. The price is about the same, and gears make it a totally different car. Honestly night and day. My C5 was H/C and I had the same views as you - my shop told me to try gears, and wow were they ever correct.
I track every gallon of gas in my Vette since new - the gears lost me exactly 1.0 mpg. I daily drive mine mostly city, about 3 highway miles per day. Highway mileage is still high 20's with the gears, you won't notice much of a difference based on my studied experience.
Here is a graph to show the difference on a dyno as to why gears make such a difference, particularly down low.
The first graph is my car (pre-FAST) and Black02SS...same G5x3 cam, he has a FAST, stock gaskets, I have thin gaskets, thus more compression and 3.90 gears. The X-axis in this graph is the RPM range. No it's not the same car!
Now look what happens when I change the X-axis to speed....and look how much more horsepower I have at any given speed than Black02ss has....this graph proves, on the dyno, why geared cars feel so much faster than non-geared cars. You have 20-30 more HP at any given road speed!
I track every gallon of gas in my Vette since new - the gears lost me exactly 1.0 mpg. I daily drive mine mostly city, about 3 highway miles per day. Highway mileage is still high 20's with the gears, you won't notice much of a difference based on my studied experience.
Here is a graph to show the difference on a dyno as to why gears make such a difference, particularly down low.
The first graph is my car (pre-FAST) and Black02SS...same G5x3 cam, he has a FAST, stock gaskets, I have thin gaskets, thus more compression and 3.90 gears. The X-axis in this graph is the RPM range. No it's not the same car!
Now look what happens when I change the X-axis to speed....and look how much more horsepower I have at any given speed than Black02ss has....this graph proves, on the dyno, why geared cars feel so much faster than non-geared cars. You have 20-30 more HP at any given road speed!
Pro
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 609
Likes: 10
From: Hudson OH
great graph Joe, really does show the advantage of a car with gears versus one without.
I have driven a 4.10 C5 with a cam in it before and it was quite a fun ride on the street. Obviously 3.90's would be more sensible, but I agree that gears are a worthwhile mod.
I have driven a 4.10 C5 with a cam in it before and it was quite a fun ride on the street. Obviously 3.90's would be more sensible, but I agree that gears are a worthwhile mod.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 534
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From: New Brunswick
well I ordered the cam... I read somewhere on here I should get thinner gaskets to boost the compression. Is that recommended?
I still don't have LT headers, and I may wait a little ($$) to get these. What power difference between with & without headers? (I do have BB bullets & Vararam now)
thanks
Denis
I still don't have LT headers, and I may wait a little ($$) to get these. What power difference between with & without headers? (I do have BB bullets & Vararam now)
thanks
Denis
Pro
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 609
Likes: 10
From: Hudson OH
Cam this big is begging for headers; you will see a big difference with versus without.
With the new LG Super Pro's hitting the market soon you may want to keep an eye out for a used set of LG Pro's that you could get for cheaper than retail
With the new LG Super Pro's hitting the market soon you may want to keep an eye out for a used set of LG Pro's that you could get for cheaper than retail
