[Z06] BTR3 vs BTR4 and other similar cams.
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
BTR3 vs BTR4 and other similar cams.
I am interested in hearing from anyone who has had both cams that can answer the following:
1. Is drivability similar?
2. How much under the curve power did you give up with the bigger cam and was it worth it?
3. If you were choosing to replace your cam would you stick with the bigger cam or go with something similar to the BTR3?
I plan to run on 93 and I am okay with giving up 10 to 15whp up top if the drivability is substantially better.
Thanks for any feedback.
1. Is drivability similar?
2. How much under the curve power did you give up with the bigger cam and was it worth it?
3. If you were choosing to replace your cam would you stick with the bigger cam or go with something similar to the BTR3?
I plan to run on 93 and I am okay with giving up 10 to 15whp up top if the drivability is substantially better.
Thanks for any feedback.
#2
Le Mans Master
Having second thoughts about the BTR4?
I felt my BTR3 drove very well for what it was. 18 degrees OL. I was able to take it down to like 50mph in certain places/scenerios in 6th gear. I daily drove it for 7 months with that cam and had 0 issues with it. It made right around 580/550. Made a lot of mid-range punch but died out up top. Which led me to swap it out for something larger.
I swapped to a larger cam and lost most of the drivability but to be fair, we didn't spend much time dialing that in. I couldn't drive in 6th under 75mph. Lost some mid-range/average power but gained a lot up top. I still daily drove the car for another 4-5 months with this cam and didn't have any issues.
I've spoke to a few people that went from the BTR 3 to the BTR 4 and some say the drivability was the same, some say it was worse. That's always going to vary from person to person.
I felt my BTR3 drove very well for what it was. 18 degrees OL. I was able to take it down to like 50mph in certain places/scenerios in 6th gear. I daily drove it for 7 months with that cam and had 0 issues with it. It made right around 580/550. Made a lot of mid-range punch but died out up top. Which led me to swap it out for something larger.
I swapped to a larger cam and lost most of the drivability but to be fair, we didn't spend much time dialing that in. I couldn't drive in 6th under 75mph. Lost some mid-range/average power but gained a lot up top. I still daily drove the car for another 4-5 months with this cam and didn't have any issues.
I've spoke to a few people that went from the BTR 3 to the BTR 4 and some say the drivability was the same, some say it was worse. That's always going to vary from person to person.
#3
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Having second thoughts about the BTR4?
I felt my BTR3 drove very well for what it was. 18 degrees OL. I was able to take it down to like 50mph in certain places/scenerios in 6th gear. I daily drove it for 7 months with that cam and had 0 issues with it. It made right around 580/550. Made a lot of mid-range punch but died out up top. Which led me to swap it out for something larger.
I swapped to a larger cam and lost most of the drivability but to be fair, we didn't spend much time dialing that in. I couldn't drive in 6th under 75mph. Lost some mid-range/average power but gained a lot up top. I still daily drove the car for another 4-5 months with this cam and didn't have any issues.
I've spoke to a few people that went from the BTR 3 to the BTR 4 and some say the drivability was the same, some say it was worse. That's always going to vary from person to person.
I felt my BTR3 drove very well for what it was. 18 degrees OL. I was able to take it down to like 50mph in certain places/scenerios in 6th gear. I daily drove it for 7 months with that cam and had 0 issues with it. It made right around 580/550. Made a lot of mid-range punch but died out up top. Which led me to swap it out for something larger.
I swapped to a larger cam and lost most of the drivability but to be fair, we didn't spend much time dialing that in. I couldn't drive in 6th under 75mph. Lost some mid-range/average power but gained a lot up top. I still daily drove the car for another 4-5 months with this cam and didn't have any issues.
I've spoke to a few people that went from the BTR 3 to the BTR 4 and some say the drivability was the same, some say it was worse. That's always going to vary from person to person.
My Static CR is currently at 12:1 and this cam would put my DCR at 8.81 on 93, which I believe it ideal on 93 pump gas.
Check it out:
Last edited by lamboworld; 06-10-2018 at 03:32 PM.
#4
I had a BTR 3 for a little while and I was very happy with it, I now want to go bigger and will probably go with a BTR 4 or the new TSP 4.2. I tuned the car with efilive and did not have any bucking or surging issues with the stage 3.
#5
Le Mans Master
A little bit. I want this to be the last cam that I install in this car for a while. I current have this Cam Motion cam sitting in my garage that I have never installed. If I could see close to 600whp on it, then I would go with this one.
My Static CR is currently at 12:1 and this cam would put my DCR at 8.81 on 93, which I believe it ideal on 93 pump gas.
Check it out:
My Static CR is currently at 12:1 and this cam would put my DCR at 8.81 on 93, which I believe it ideal on 93 pump gas.
Check it out:
BTR 3
IVO is 8.5 ° BTDC ( - indicates ATDC)
IVC is 48.5 ° ABDC
EVO is 61.0 ° BBDC
EVC is 9.0 ° ATDC ( - indicates BTDC)
Overlap is 17.5 °
Yours
IVO is 7.9 ° BTDC ( - indicates ATDC)
IVC is 50.3 ° ABDC
EVO is 63.2 ° BBDC
EVC is 8.8 ° ATDC ( - indicates BTDC)
Overlap is 16.7 °
#7
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
That's REAL close to the BTR 3.
BTR 3
IVO is 8.5 ° BTDC ( - indicates ATDC)
IVC is 48.5 ° ABDC
EVO is 61.0 ° BBDC
EVC is 9.0 ° ATDC ( - indicates BTDC)
Overlap is 17.5 °
Yours
IVO is 7.9 ° BTDC ( - indicates ATDC)
IVC is 50.3 ° ABDC
EVO is 63.2 ° BBDC
EVC is 8.8 ° ATDC ( - indicates BTDC)
Overlap is 16.7 °
BTR 3
IVO is 8.5 ° BTDC ( - indicates ATDC)
IVC is 48.5 ° ABDC
EVO is 61.0 ° BBDC
EVC is 9.0 ° ATDC ( - indicates BTDC)
Overlap is 17.5 °
Yours
IVO is 7.9 ° BTDC ( - indicates ATDC)
IVC is 50.3 ° ABDC
EVO is 63.2 ° BBDC
EVC is 8.8 ° ATDC ( - indicates BTDC)
Overlap is 16.7 °
Will the BTR3 get to 600whp and pull to redline with supporting mods?
AI 280cc Heads milled to 12:1
Mamo MSD
ARH 2"
NW 102
Halltech 103
Vette Aire
Borla Atak
#9
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Here are my last two cams. Both on the same dyno and same tuner with Kooks 1 7/8 headers. The 585whp cam is a Mamo spec'd cam 236/250 .650/.652 114+3
The 2nd cam, which put down 560whp, is a Pat G spec'd cam that TSP ground. 236/250 .635"/.635" 115LSA +4. Long story, but this cam was on the dyno with no oil in the transmission, so I suspect that I gave up some whp.
Both of these cams maxed at 6,200 to 6,500 but they pulled all the way to redline.
I think that my 238/252 .650"/.652" 114+3 cam should get me close to 600whp with the addition of ARH 2" headers and Vette Aire. Both of the previous cams drove pretty good and the Pat G cam drove as good as stock in IMO, even with no oil in the trans.
The 2nd cam, which put down 560whp, is a Pat G spec'd cam that TSP ground. 236/250 .635"/.635" 115LSA +4. Long story, but this cam was on the dyno with no oil in the transmission, so I suspect that I gave up some whp.
Both of these cams maxed at 6,200 to 6,500 but they pulled all the way to redline.
I think that my 238/252 .650"/.652" 114+3 cam should get me close to 600whp with the addition of ARH 2" headers and Vette Aire. Both of the previous cams drove pretty good and the Pat G cam drove as good as stock in IMO, even with no oil in the trans.
Last edited by lamboworld; 06-10-2018 at 06:01 PM.
#10
Melting Slicks
What was wrong with the Mamo specified cam setup? That Dyno looks great to me. Made great power and torque the whole time.
585 isn't too far off 600. Do you have a specific performance objective in mind now?
585 isn't too far off 600. Do you have a specific performance objective in mind now?
#11
Drifting
#13
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
The Pat G cam is an awesome cam and it really drives like stock and I am not kidding when I say that. This cam would probably put down about 570 to 575 with oil in the trans. If any of you guys are looking for a cam that literally drives like stock, then let me know.
I have looked at a lot of cams and it seems that there is a gap from what would be considered stage 3 to stage 4 cam from all tuning companies. The gap is that there isn't many off the shelf cams that have an overlap between 17 and 25. From my experience with testing different cams it seems that the overlap sweet spot for being able to hit 600whp is between 17 and 20, with supporting mods. I basically went one step up over the Mamo cam with the Cam Motion cam that I had ground. I probably should go with a cam that has an overlap around 20, something like 240/253 113+3.
I really like the BTR cams as they are very proven, but I think that I want something between the BTR3 and BTR4. I may reach out to them today and see if they can grind me something in the middle. I am thinking of adding a little more duration to the BTR3 and keep the LSA the same to achieve an overlap of 20.
Last edited by lamboworld; 06-11-2018 at 08:01 AM.
#14
Le Mans Master
Because it's all subjective. I didn't care for the loss in drivability in exchange for the performance gain in the higher RPM. I was still able to daily drive the car with no issues.
Last edited by jayyyw; 06-11-2018 at 08:17 AM.
#15
Race Director
Member Since: Mar 2006
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere at all
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560 aint no slouch..... could than money be spent on other bolt ons? What all is done to your car...?
#16
Drifting
My little custom cam (similar to BTR2) puts out 560/485 and I don't think I'd go any bigger for a street driven car where drivability is a priority. She only bucks a tiny bit at low speeds when I'm in too high of a gear (even the stock cam will do that). The power is awesome after 3000 RPM and still drives like a kitten when just cruising around.
#17
I will tell you it's ALL in the tune. I have a BTR4 and am remote tuning with one of the top tuners in America (Fran@RaceProvenMotorsports) and it runs great. Minimal surge vs a buddy of mine just put in a BTR3 and had it locally tuned. Drives and runs like ****.
Last edited by UH-60DRIVER; 06-11-2018 at 09:12 AM.
#18
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Feb 2001
Location: West "By God" Virginia
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CI 7-8-9-10 Veteran
Does anyone have a dyno of a BTR3 compared to a 4 with all the same supporting mods? What is the difference in the characteristics of the two?
I am on the fence and about to order a 3, but could easily just go with a 4. My car is not a dd, rarely gets driven at all tbh. Just an occasional weekend warrior.
May start doing some SCCA for ***** and giggles, how do these cams do with that?
I am on the fence and about to order a 3, but could easily just go with a 4. My car is not a dd, rarely gets driven at all tbh. Just an occasional weekend warrior.
May start doing some SCCA for ***** and giggles, how do these cams do with that?
#19
Team Owner
Chasing a number and giving up driveability on the way there is such a common mistake. If you want 600, find a nice dyno, done. Then you can tell everyone you have 600rwhp. I would never run something like a BTR4 on a daily driver/street car, even if you can get use to it. Once you go back and drive a smaller cam, you realize how much you are giving up.
I would stay with what you have, and enjoy, and focus on supporting mods, traction, suspension, and making a nicer driving car.
I would stay with what you have, and enjoy, and focus on supporting mods, traction, suspension, and making a nicer driving car.
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Millenium Z06 (06-11-2018)
#20
Melting Slicks
Looks like you already had one that made damn near 600? Not that I am complaining. I don't mind people trying new stuff on their cars.
Personally I would have stuck with the Mamo cam myself.
I am with Unreal 100% though. If the car drives great now I would leave it alone.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s-btr-4-a.html
Personally I would have stuck with the Mamo cam myself.
I am with Unreal 100% though. If the car drives great now I would leave it alone.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s-btr-4-a.html