If you don't change the valvetrain geometry then stock length should work I believe.

 

I installed the following Patrick G spec'd cam in my 2006 A6 coupe: (Very nice driveability, mild lumpy idle, good HP increase, and no decrease in gas mileage) By today's standards, this would be called a baby cam.

220/228 .564"/.571" 114 LSA + 2 advance (Comp XE high lift)

 

Headwork? Hp gain?

 

Stock heads, complete Z06 exhaust system/Corsa mufflers, tune = 390 RWHP. Added ported TSP 243 heads later for 415 RWHP.

Original Stock engine with dyno tune was 343 RWHP.

All dyno work was on the same Dynojet.

 

Thats some good #'s from a small cam w/o headers or fast102

 

What rpm does the power come on?

 

I have a 222/230 115+1 in my daily driver 6.0L truck. It's a little much for a 5K lb truck, but I'd bet it would be **** in an A6 vette. No higher stall needed in the truck. No way you'd need more stall in a vette. Only reason I'm changing it is to get a little better mpg.

 

As I recall, it had good power in the lower rpm range and it maintained a broad flat torque curve. With the gearing of 1st gear in the A6, breaking the tires loose was no problem. I had the tuner fuss with the A6 at the same time. When you nailed the throttle and it kicked down to 1st or 2nd, you had to be ready for it. It was a lot of fun to drive. I traded it in for my current 09 ride.

 

Yea there is always a trade off I guess.

 

Yea, you are right. But going to have to wait on the stall

 

Looking like the best size cam for my setup is 224/228 or similiar without a stall... Any recommendations on the best manufacturer?

 

The 230/234 has a smaller base circle than the stock cam by .060", so the optimum pushrod would need to be .030" longer if heads/gaskets arent touched. A 7.425" would be the closest size aside from a custom job.

Keep in mind that some pushrods measure longer than advertised. A Comp Cams 7.4" measures 7.416".

 

Any cam that is bigger will also have superior Tq in the low RPMs as long as you raise static compression to compensate for the later intake valve closing point. The idea that bigger cams have worse low end TQ is only true when you are doing it wrong and only swapping a cam with no bump in compression. In most cases the low end TQ loss is a total exaggeration. Going from the stock cam to a 234 intake duration cam will have the exact same TQ at 2500rpm. There is no loss. Bumping compression to 11.7:1 or so with a G5X3 will add about 30rwtq down low and about 20rwtq at peak.

This cam only swap idea seems to have really taken over the LS3 world which is a shame. It seems almost every cam is designed with huge splits in an attempt to use tight LSAs with lots of advance to have both high RPM power and low end TQ. The result is huge overlap. More normal cams splits with wider LSAs make wide power bands and you bump compression to get the power up down low. Big compression adds to power but also brings up volumetric efficiency getting you 4% better fuel economy with huge improvements in driveability.

In short, dont short change your build trying to find a cam that works OK on stock compression. You are leaving so much on the table if you do. A set of head gaskets is 150 bucks (cometic). The best TQ monster cam you can come up with can be beaten in low end TQ by using the right compression with a bigger cam.

 

Couple of things.

If it is a daily driver then I'm going to assume you are wanting to build power in the idle to 4500-5500 RPM range?

You said the car was an auto, do you want to keep the stock torque converter in the car? That is going to play a HUGE role in what you can do with the camshaft selection in it.

First thing is first. I would highly suggest going with a 1 3/4 header over the 1 7/8 as there is to much low and mid range torque lost to the bigger headers, and you even stated you did not want to do a radical combo...smaller in this case is better.

As far as the cam goes, a few guys have said above the G5X1 would be an excellent route to go with and it is the largest cam we offer that will work with the stock torque converter. Nice lope at idle to it, and it should pick up roughly 30-40 rwhp and still drive very nicely for you. Converter is not mandatory but would help.

 

And if he drops a 450ci engine with 15:1 compression, race gas, and a bigger cam he'll have even more low end torque!!! But I'm guessing thats not what he wants to do!

 

let me talk to my tuner. That does sound nasty.

Im just worried about if its too big, since Im not changing the stall

 

Thanks for the uncalled for attack. I post here to help a lot of people with build info based on my being a suporting tuner. Based on this thread alone, I've answered 11 PMs having to do with this topic, so a few people thought the info was useful to them even if you didnt.

Please understand that the audience of readers is often people doing searches for info so its not just for one person.

Since you missed it, there is rarely (more like never) a TQ loss on a cam swap over stock regardless of size. I posted about compression due to several mentions of low end TQ on cams. I thought the mention of compression allowing more TQ, better fuel economy (30mpg), and better driveability deserved mention.

 

Although it may not apply to you, higher compression which increases VE allows a lower idle speed and thus allows a bigger cam to be used with the stock stall. I ran a 228/232 114 with 11.7:1 compression with 100rpm lower idle and it picked up 23rwtq at 4500rpm and 16rwhp at peak over the stock compression. Heads werent changed.

The G5X1 is a great cam and it can definitely be made to work with the stock stall.

As far as lope, if you want more, take out timing at idle.

 

I am always going through past threads for mod ideas.

 

Be careful on the specs since you aren't changing the stall.

When it comes to what kind of cam to get threads...I suggest choosing a vendor or a tuner you trust and let them make the decision for you. You will get a lot of good, and bad, information by asking around on the internet, which can be hard to wade through.

If your cam vendor is not your tuner, I would suggest running the specs by your tuner before you buy it. We do our own builds and installs here, but still offer dyno tuning for the public as well. At least half of the cammed set ups that come through the door aren't a great match, where the customer was basing their decision on what they heard on the internet. Vendors like us have decades of experience...use us/them!

Definitely measure, an aftermarket cam can change pushrod length even if valvetrain is the same, so one shouldn't assume 7.400 will do the trick right off the bat. COMP sells adjustable pushrods which take the guesswork out of ordering several different sets. Just measure, then order once!