HELP ME DECIDE PLEASE! Cam or no cam?
 

Hey guys! OK-- so I'm excited but I need your help.

I just purchased an A&A V3 Si Kit for my 2002 C5Z. Right now, I have Kooks long tube headers (smaller primaries) and Kooks off-road X-pipe on my car. Stock axle-back exhaust (Tis). No other mods.

I am going to do the supercharger install on my car with a buddy and have it tuned. My question is-- should I throw in a cam while I'm at it so I can get everything done and then tune? Labor won't be an issue as I will be able to handle it all with my friend. I figure parts for the cam kit will be like $900-1k?

THESE ARE MY GOALS: I want my car to sound really good and I want to make very high 500's to low 600's WHP when its all said & done.

I live in California so cams are not technically allowed but neither is going catless and I'm already breaking that rule. Also important to note that we only have 91 octane here in Cali so I'll be running the 3.8 pulley.

Should I cam it and give it a nice moderate lope to add some power and sick sound? Or will the supercharger on my current setup & a nice loud blowoff valve be sufficient?

I've been looking for videos with a V3 Si kit on an exhaust only car VERSUS the same kit on a car with a moderate blower cam. Haven't found anything that leads me in one direction or another.

What are your thoughts? Cam? No cam? Really looking forward to your input guys. Any links to videos would be helpful too to hear sound!

-C :flag::cheers:

No cam should make 500-600 hp easy

Ok, but that's a big range. Are you talking close to 6? or closer to 5?

Thanks for the input btw!

You won't "need" a cam to reach your HP goal. If your car is torn down migh aswell upgrade as much as you can. Do you have a good clutch already?

Although I love the sound of a cam you don't need it, I would save that money for future work. If you end up being one of the unlucky ones that tears up a motor with the supercharger, you will have to start over and that money you spent on a cam will have to be spent again ....the supercharger can be reused.

My 2 cents


Good luck.

I would not put the factory balancer back on with a supercharger, I had a brand new oem start to wobble very soon, just one of the things I paid for twice!

Thanks bro!
I have a mantic ER2 clutch in there. It's rated for 550wtq and I know someone with 640whp that says its still holding that power. I hope that should be fine for me then!

Thanks man! How much power should I expect to make without the cam? Doesn't camming it essentially make it safer at a higher power level? Wont have to run as much boost to get up there

The stock Z06 cams make good boost cams. 10 psi of bost on a good tune should net 550 easy with the headers you already have :)

:iagree:

Stock LS6 motor will make 600+ with the stock cam on 10 psi....no driveability issues, better torque off boost etc. Also better gas mileage.

Ofcourse with a good cam, you can easily gain 40-50rwhp and sound much better doing it.. But then you have to tune out the driveability quirks and dodge the Cali regs..

Pick your poison.

I loved my car when it had the stock motor/stock cam and 10 psi w/meth. 622rwhp and drove like stock. Great all around power.

You are going to need to remove the steering rack and balancer for the supercharger install. You would be stupid not to put in a cam while you are in there.

Thanks guys! Something about me says to get some lope!

How much boost does the v3 Si kit make on the stock 3.8 pulley that they recommend for the LS6?

Isn't it only like 6-8psi? Should I go 3.6 pulley? They recommend 3.8 for a reason I assume (cali, 91 octane)... or should I cam it and THEN go 3.6? or cam + 3.8? :/ I'm lost. Is 10psi something to worry about on stock motor?

Now we have someone in favor of the cam! lol. I'm torn man. Not too sure. Cali doesn't let you get away with nasty cams... but i also wouldn't want to waste it and get a baby cam either. Think theres a good compromise there? How much power should I expect with blower on 3.8 pulley + long tubes & moderate blower cam?

I have an ECS kit, headers, meth, cam and 10% OD pulley and my car made 708whp on 8 degrees of timing due to maxing my fuel pump and injectors out. I am going to turn my car back down to 12psi currently on 14 psi. I say go for the cam.

Do a cam. Wished I had put one in when my blower was installed. Now I regret it.

I would do it for sure, you have to pull the steering rack anyway to pin the balancer to the crank might as well toss a cam in. I'm running the comp cam 220r, with my SC was very happy with the results.

I didn't pull my rack to pin the crank just moved it a little to get the drill in there.

A cam would be awesome but I would not say it is safer unless your goal was to push as much hp as you can get out of motor, then maybe you could justify it being "safer" but they don't always burn a piston when they fail so who knows. I don't think it is stupid not to put one in either (no offense reactor), as these guys have said you can get plenty of power with stock cam, some people with a ls1 will actually put in a ls6 cam with the supercharger.

You just have to ask yourself if you will be sorry you don't have that lope!

Good luck
You got to do something or those pesky Camaros and mustangs won't leave you alone:lol:

I put in a cam and didn't pin the crank when I was in there. Two years later I put on the SC and kicked myself for not pinning the crank. Put a cam, new oil pump, and LS2 chain while you are in there.

cam for sure. easy to do while all apart and the gains are dramatic. smaller cams with good tuning can be made to feel virtually stock

That's my exact setup, and with the 3.8" pulley, it will peak at 8.4 lbs. on my car, with aftermarket heads, and Stg.3 cam. I wished I'd kept my old cam...car sounded better. My friend has a '08 LS3 with a G5X-5 cam, and the same blower kit.

Forget the cam.

You're in California. If you ever sell your car - with or without the supercharger kit - it is easier when your car is smog legal.

With a stock cam, your tuner has lot easier task to do tuning. And btw, if you already have tuner, please ask his/her advice too.

Of course with a new cam, you could get a bit more power. But I'd say at that level, it really does not make any noticeable difference when you're driving with your car. It will be fast - with or without a cam.