When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Don't call the company you bought it from unless that's the same company that did actually grind the cam. Those are the folks that you need to ask some pointed questions. May be no cause for concern, but I'd sure like to hear it from the folks that produced the cam. Let us know what you find out.
Don't call the company you bought it from unless that's the same company that did actually grind the cam. Those are the folks that you need to ask some pointed questions. May be no cause for concern, but I'd sure like to hear it from the folks that produced the cam. Let us know what you find out.
old motorhead it was a amazon order for a GM 12638427 LS9 cam that was dropped shipped from the GM ACDelco Parts Distribution Center located at 5115 Pleasant Hill Road Memphis, Tennessee. Production date 2022. Nothing that would grab a nail on the lobes, just nasty looking for a new cam. Now there is one of the cam journals that i can slightly feel with my nail that looks like a single grove but not very deep. Guess I will send it back. This motor only has 4k miles on it.
KC
The Ls9 cam will pass a sniffer test and will be easy on the valve train. That's about where its attributes end. Get a cam guru to spec you a cam and have your neighbor, Cam Motion, grind it. The only downside to having Cam Motion grind you a custom spec is it will cost a little more.
The Ls9 cam will pass a sniffer test and will be easy on the valve train. That's about where its attributes end. Get a cam guru to spec you a cam and have your neighbor, Cam Motion, grind it. The only downside to having Cam Motion grind you a custom spec is it will cost a little more.
I have a 11 ls3 A6 e-force with a 3.50 pulley so the reason I picked the ls9 as you said it's easy on the valve train but I will also pickup a bit of power on the top end and lower the boost a bit at the same time over the stock ls3 cam.
KC
I have a 11 ls3 A6 e-force with a 3.50 pulley so the reason I picked the ls9 as you said it's easy on the valve train but I will also pickup a bit of power on the top end and lower the boost a bit at the same time over the stock ls3 cam.
KC
I have the LS9 cam in my 2011 M6 GS with E-force. It is an excellent cam. And it will definitely extend the power curve in the upper RPM's and you won't lose much if anything in the lower and mid RPM's.
As far as the discoloration, it is likely just from the corrosion inhibitor that gets sprayed on it. I would not worry at all about it. Just spray the cam down with brake clean to make sure it is clean before install.
If the discoloration bothers you, you could just swap it out for a new one.
By the way, I have attached the before and after dyno for my car going from the stock LS3 to LS9 cam. I lost about 13 peak TQ which you can't even feel. But from 5000 RPM and above both TQ and HP just keeps growing. At about 6500, TQ is up at least 30 and HP is up 43. And the car drives exactly the same and has a smooth idle. Not bad at all for a cam that is OEM quality and only costs about $150. And this is with no other changes other than tuning to dial in the LS9 cam. And it did not change the boost much at all. If I remember, I went from about 7.5 psi to 7.25 psi boost.
I have the LS9 cam in my 2011 M6 GS with E-force. It is an excellent cam. And it will definitely extend the power curve in the upper RPM's and you won't lose much if anything in the lower and mid RPM's.
As far as the discoloration, it is likely just from the corrosion inhibitor that gets sprayed on it. I would not worry at all about it. Just spray the cam down with brake clean to make sure it is clean before install.
If the discoloration bothers you, you could just swap it out for a new one.
By the way, I have attached the before and after dyno for my car going from the stock LS3 to LS9 cam. I lost about 13 peak TQ which you can't even feel. But from 5000 RPM and above both TQ and HP just keeps growing. At about 6500, TQ is up at least 30 and HP is up 43. And the car drives exactly the same and has a smooth idle. Not bad at all for a cam that is OEM quality and only costs about $150. And this is with no other changes other than tuning to dial in the LS9 cam. And it did not change the boost much at all. If I remember, I went from about 7.5 psi to 7.25 psi boost.
Why are the LS9 cam power and torque curves so much more wavy than the stock cam?
I have a 11 ls3 A6 e-force with a 3.50 pulley so the reason I picked the ls9 as you said it's easy on the valve train but I will also pickup a bit of power on the top end and lower the boost a bit at the same time over the stock ls3 cam.
KC
My first TVS2300 blown LS3 had a 3.3" pulley along with all the bolt ons. I added a 219/231 115 LSA cam. Results were 642 rwhp at a little over 8psi of boost. Lift was .607 intake and .617 exhaust. That was a Comp cam using their LSL lobes. Pat G specced that cam for me back in 2008. I wouldn't recommend that exact cam as Comp Cams used a very aggressive lobe style. Have Cam Motion grind you something similar and your valve train will be happy and you'll have significantly more power vs an LS9 cam.
With a similar cam, you'll have 0 drivability issues, but it will have a little bit of a noticeable idle. You can smooth that out with a wider LSA. Add some advance to keep the low end sharp, and have more power bottom to top vs an LS9 cam. Don't believe me? Have Pat G spec you a cam. A cam swap is time consuming if you do it yourself. It's expensive if you have the work done. Do it once and get it right.
My first TVS2300 blown LS3 had a 3.3" pulley along with all the bolt ons. I added a 219/231 115 LSA cam. Results were 642 rwhp at a little over 8psi of boost. Lift was .607 intake and .617 exhaust. That was a Comp cam using their LSL lobes. Pat G specced that cam for me back in 2008. I wouldn't recommend that exact cam as Comp Cams used a very aggressive lobe style. Have Cam Motion grind you something similar and your valve train will be happy and you'll have significantly more power vs an LS9 cam.
With a similar cam, you'll have 0 drivability issues, but it will have a little bit of a noticeable idle. You can smooth that out with a wider LSA. Add some advance to keep the low end sharp, and have more power bottom to top vs an LS9 cam. Don't believe me? Have Pat G spec you a cam. A cam swap is time consuming if you do it yourself. It's expensive if you have the work done. Do it once and get it right.
old motorhead I have enjoyed reading your post over the years on the forum, you are one of the many assets here. I should have waited the extra few weeks on getting a cam during the install of the e-force. I had a new ls9 cam sitting on a shelf a few weeks after I pined the upgraded HB to crank and didn't want to pull it apart again. So for me it's do it twice and get it right. The new ls9 cam I got back in 2018 was water damaged in a hurricane and I sent back the replacement I posted here. Pat G website has changed since the last time I looked on getting a custom cam spec, I may have overlooked it. Came across a 220/236 611/596 120+4 but will try to contact Pat G.
My first TVS2300 blown LS3 had a 3.3" pulley along with all the bolt ons. I added a 219/231 115 LSA cam. Results were 642 rwhp at a little over 8psi of boost. Lift was .607 intake and .617 exhaust. That was a Comp cam using their LSL lobes. Pat G specced that cam for me back in 2008. I wouldn't recommend that exact cam as Comp Cams used a very aggressive lobe style. Have Cam Motion grind you something similar and your valve train will be happy and you'll have significantly more power vs an LS9 cam.
With a similar cam, you'll have 0 drivability issues, but it will have a little bit of a noticeable idle. You can smooth that out with a wider LSA. Add some advance to keep the low end sharp, and have more power bottom to top vs an LS9 cam. Don't believe me? Have Pat G spec you a cam. A cam swap is time consuming if you do it yourself. It's expensive if you have the work done. Do it once and get it right.
old motorhead, it's looks like Pat G no longer offers the cam spec service.
For over 20 years, Patrick Guerra created custom cams for thousands of customers and hundreds of shops. Due to the time-consuming nature of creating a custom profile that supercedes the already fantastic offerings on the market, Pat G has decided to discontinue this service and concentrate soley on tuning. If you need something truly unique, you are welcome to send an email to Patrick and plead your case with him and see if he would be willing to create a custom cam for you. The email address is PatGtuning@gmail.com
Well, that sucks. Always depended on him when in unfamiliar territory cam wise. Nowadays, I don't venture into those areas. I know what I like and can spec my own cam that will get me there.
Well, that sucks. Always depended on him when in unfamiliar territory cam wise. Nowadays, I don't venture into those areas. I know what I like and can spec my own cam that will get me there.
This CamMotion cam is what I’d likely go with should I decide to go for more power. I actually would have gone this route instead of the LS9 cam but I would have also needed to upgrade the fuel pump and injectors so it would have meant at least $1500 more just in parts.
This CamMotion cam is what I’d likely go with should I decide to go for more power. I actually would have gone this route instead of the LS9 cam but I would have also needed to upgrade the fuel pump and injectors so it would have meant at least $1500 more just in parts.
Spaceme1117 I am still looking at grinds, I wasted a few mins of my life today calling up BTR as the rep kinda chuckled when asking a question about off the shelf grinds between a lsa blower cam vs a ls3 blower cam. I sent Pat G a email so I will see if I get a response.
Spaceme1117 I am still looking at grinds, I wasted a few mins of my life today calling up BTR as the rep kinda chuckled when asking a question about off the shelf grinds between a lsa blower cam vs a ls3 blower cam. I sent Pat G a email so I will see if I get a response.
Honestly, I would not stress too much over which cam to go with. Any cam you put in your car will be an upgrade over the stock LS3 cam.
I always default to Cam Motion as they really know what they are doing and their lobe profiles are very easy on the valve train. I think any of their PD blower cams would work well in your car.
I really like the LS9 cam myself. For the price, it is such a good option. And all you need is a valve spring upgrade to run it. I mean GM is getting 638 crank HP out of it in the LS9 engine.
Are you looking for something bigger or smaller than the cam I suggested in post #12? The smallest cam I have used under a supercharger is the one that's in my work truck now. It's a 218/230 118+2 using Comp Cams' LXL lobes (endurance racing lobes). With the L33 (aluminum 5.3L with LS2 heads) I'm running, it's barely noticeable. The TVS blower finally went **** up after only 250K+ miles and it's n/a now. Tows like a ***** too.
Are you looking for something bigger or smaller than the cam I suggested in post #12? The smallest cam I have used under a supercharger is the one that's in my work truck now. It's a 218/230 118+2 using Comp Cams' LXL lobes (endurance racing lobes). With the L33 (aluminum 5.3L with LS2 heads) I'm running, it's barely noticeable. The TVS blower finally went **** up after only 250K+ miles and it's n/a now. Tows like a ***** too.
Sorry on the delay in getting back to you old motorhead, your suggestion was one I had considered on the lower end but not wanting to push the limit on the stock converter. I did send Pat G & Cam Motion a email. Pat has some grinds on his website so I asked his option and his reply was "The Pat G stage 1 LSA 223/242 .629"/.615" 119LSA +5 cam would be the better choice for your combo running a stock stall."
I had sent Cam Motion a request on 3 cam Customer Notes: I would like to stay in the limits of the stock stall converter. Below is a list 3 cams I would like a opinion on or a better recommendation I should consider.
1. 223/238 .610"/.585" 120+6
CM32338206
2. 224/238 595"/.587" 118+4
SKU:03-01-0053
3.220/234 .595"/.587" 118+4
SKU:03-01-0052
Cam Motion Reply was, I would choose between these 2
1. 223/238 .610"/.585" 120+6
CM32338206
2. 224/238 595"/.587" 118+4
SKU:03-01-0053
Both will make roughly the same power and drive very smooth with the stock converter.
From my research the LSA stock stall is 2200-2400 and on the c6 it's around 1800 so there is a slight advantage with a LSA torque converter on cams. A few years ago there was someone that was looking into putting the LSA torque converter in a c6 a6 but I don't remember the outcome. Kinda blind without the knowledge so I must rely on others so I am leaning towards the 2 cams suggested by Cam Motion.
The 220/234 118+4 will probably have the best power down low. The cams Cam Motion suggested will have the best top end. Personally, I'd go with the milder one. 98% of the time you're on the street, you'll never use top end power. The more power down low you have, the livelier it will be out of boost. At least that's the way I look at things. I don't think you'd go far wrong with any of them. Add a 3.25" pulley and you'll have no traction in the first two gears with any of those cams. Add flex fuel and it's even more fun.
Not to change the subject but are you still on the stock fuel system? I know that in my GS with the LS9 cam and E-force if I were to go to a bigger cam, I would likely need to go with bigger injectors than what came with the E-force. I think I am at about a 90% duty cycle at max power. I am currently running a BAP with a boost activated Hobbe switch but would likely also upgrade to a Z06 pump as well.
The 220/234 118+4 will probably have the best power down low. The cams Cam Motion suggested will have the best top end. Personally, I'd go with the milder one. 98% of the time you're on the street, you'll never use top end power. The more power down low you have, the livelier it will be out of boost. At least that's the way I look at things. I don't think you'd go far wrong with any of them. Add a 3.25" pulley and you'll have no traction in the first two gears with any of those cams. Add flex fuel and it's even more fun.
I am waiting on lead time from Cam Motion since they don't have the 220/234 118+4 or 224/238 595"/.587" 118+4 in stock, Doing a search online for a in stock cam at vendors I was only able to find the 224/238 595"/.587" 118+4 in stock. Summit drop ship from Cam Motion with a lead time of mid March. The 223/238 .610"/.585" 120+6
CM32338206 is the BTR PDS Stage 1 that you can find easily. I have a 3.25" pulley but will stick to running the 3.50" pulley for now. I would do the e85 flex but the closest places that have it are about 50 miles away from my normal driving area. old motorhead I really think your egging me on
