Jamie Lennartson

GPI SS4 cam. Tr6060 transmission ls3.
In./Ex. Duration
236/252
In./Ex. Valve Lift
.646/.637
LSA113
ICL+4

Thanks this would be my first cammed car,,
just want to make sure im.not ruining it.

The other option is gpi ss3 cam

In./Ex. Duration
233/253
In./Ex. Valve Lift
.646/.637
LSA
112
ICL
+4

https://gwatneyperformance.com/product/ls3-cam/
Thanks for all that help 😀

Turbo6TA

In an LS7 with it's 7.0L of displacement, either of those cams would work.

In an LS2 or LS3, I think both of those cams are too big for a daily driver ... The 'driveability' would suffer.

Since your C6 is not a racecar, why do you feel the need for that much cam ?

Jamie Lennartson

the old saying, they all cost the same get as much out of it as you can.
the ss4 adds 90hp
The ss3 adds 70hp.
Was told they would both drive about the same..
but since ive never had a cammed car and im still a manual novice, I needed to ask the question is this going to ruin my cars fun to drive factor?
I dont daily it, but also dont want a car that's a pain to drive either, cause that would make it sit more and cause a loss of interest and an eventual sale.

Turbo6TA

Well, in that case, the ss5 should add 110hp, and better yet, the ss6 should add 130hp (and they all cost the same)

Install what you want, but bigger is not always better ... A big cam will increase HP in the high rpm range, but will reduce the driveability and throttle response of the car in the low rpm range.

It's all up to you what you want.

Jamie Lennartson

well I could buy a tapped fuel system and an A&A v2 ti blower... it would be about 2k more. But I was wanting to hit the 700whp mark and be very streetable

d.medic

You have actually answered your own question. Take the car to ECS and add a blower. It is the easiest way to get to those numbers

Turbo6TA

OP ... you never stated what engine you have in your C6, but I can tell you that if your C6 has an LS2 or an LS3 in it, you will never see 700 RWHP with a big cam, headers and head work ... unless you spray it with lots of nitrous.

Forget the monster cam and get a supercharger, a good fueling system, run E85 gas and get a good tune. The car will be much more 'streetable' and make more power.

Pb82 Ronin

A lot of great responses in this thread, and OP, they're all good answers. Those cams will drive like crap in an LS2/3. Me being the nitrous junky I am, I would say get you a nice spray kit and jet it until you reach your power goal. Cheaper than the blower route, and you don't lose ANY driveability from a huge cam. WIN WIN!

SteveJewels

A CSC and a mild cam (and other mods) will get you to 700 and be very driveable. Mine is.

Jamie Lennartson

I have a real nice nitrous system on the shelf.
nos launcher controller
Nitrous outlet solenoids
Nitrous outlet stand alone with low pressure switch
Ash tray controler
bottle heater
Led purge nozzles

But was wanting to do h/c/I since I can get an A&A kit $5800 installed and tuned, and have some id1050x injectors on the shelf. And a kenne bell bap.
just wanted to be safer with a real fuel system.

Jlang1

WOW.... those are some healthy cams !
My question to you is.... what will you be doing with your car? Is it a daily driver? Are you racing it? Is it a car that you still want to have good driveability? Do you take long trips? Do you care about gas mileage? What are your ultimate goals for your car?

SO many people (including myself) look at you tube and listen to these cool cars with cams that CHOP - CHOP - CHOP and think, hey how cool !!! I want my car to sound like that ! BUT.... what you don't see is the driveability issues and gas mileage reductions that occur when using these cams.

I too am in the process of selecting a cam... for my '08 C6M. I've been doing research for about 2 months, reading forums, looking at videos, getting info from cam manufacturers and have also spoken with my local Speed Shop for advice.

The more research I do, the more I'm finding out that BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER !!!
For instance, a big cam may give you a bigger max HP number, but this is at a very high RPM and usually sacrifices lower RPM torque. If you're running a drag car that's not an issue, but if you're driving around town it could be dissappointing. I drive my car aggressively, only on nice days, I take long trips with it, go to weekend meets, do a few burnouts, and street race a bit. I want it to be relatively smooth, no idle issues, and no lurching at low speeds at low RPM. I also do not want my gas mileage to drop like a rock either... it's nice getting 28+ MPG on a long trip at 80MPH in 6th gear!

That being said, a smaller cam (many would consider STAGE 1) to be right for the majority of street cars where you want an extra 40 - 50 HP and a bunch more torque and NOT cause driveability issues. Another important consideration is valvetrain longevity.... big cams will wear out the valve springs quicker. Do you want to be changing them every so often? I know I don't !!

Also, from what I've gathered, you can use a milder cam and get the chop with a smaller LSA (Lobe Separation Angle) around 112, as opposed to a smoother idle using near stock LSA... please someone correct me if I'm wrong here. I've also been told that keeping the Lift below .600 while using a milder cam will also help prolong valve spring life, another important consideration many people overlook. Also, look at what the cam is made of; many manufacturers use 5150 steel, 8620 Chrome moly is more durable and is what I'm going to specify when I buy mine.

The stock C6 LS3 cam has the following specs:
Lift: .551 in / .525 ex
Duration @ .050: 204 in / 211 ex
LSA: 117

I'm looking at several cam options right now:
Pat G Tuning
Lift: .598 in / .598 ex
Duration @ .050: 218 in / 224 ex
LSA: 115

CAMMOTION LS3 Mild
Lift: .595 in / .595 ex
Duration @ .050: 220 in / 230 ex
LSA: 117

CAMMOTION Torque Titan
Lift: .595 in / .587 ex
Duration @ .050: 218 in / 226 ex
LSA: 116

I still have to speak with one more individual to get another professional opinion and then I'll make my decision to either go with one of the cams specified above or go with what he recommends.
Everyone's idea of a "liveable" cam is a bit different, some guys don't mind a bit of bucking and lurching while other guys do; some guys want all out high RPM HP and others will sacrifice a bit of top end HP for better manners while still gaining a considerable amount of HP and torque. Ultimately the choice is yours, go do your own research, ask questions, find out for yourself.

MOST OF ALL....BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF as to how you're going to use your car and then MAKE THE APPROPRIATE CAM CHOICE !!!

Best of luck to you and please let us know how it goes!

Jamie Lennartson

2013 ls3. Yes h/c/I + fbo is about 520-540whp max.
But 2022 was going to add the fuel system and A&A blower.

But was worried about cam surge and losing ability to ease out clutch in parking lots to let the motor pull to navigate.
builder said cam would make car idle 950rpm, and if I cruise above 1700 rpm no surge, the navigation of sliding clutch in parking lot is in tbe tune..
weighing my options cause its time to pull the trigger on one route..
thanks for all the replies.

MysteryMob

Those are some max-effort cams that will have driveability sacrifices.

cgladish

i had a Texas speed stage 2 cam in my '09 stock LS3. i definitely had a noticeable chop at idle but, with a stock
exhaust ( NPP ), it wasn't obnoxious. the main difference around town was, on the stock cam, where i'd be driving in 3rd or 4th gear, i would have to drive in 2nd or 3rd. it did have a smooth take off from idle but, did not like being lugged down.
it had noticeably more power in mid range and up. mileage dropped 1 - 2 mpg.
unfortunately, i was only able to enjoy it for about 6 months till, an unrelated issue sank the engine.
i've have a new stock LS3 in it now. after the warranty runs out, i may play with it again.

sstonebreaker

I ran a 234/242 112 +4 cam in my 2004 C5, and I loved every minute of it. 6th gear was pretty much useless below 100 mph and the car only got about 16 mpg on the highway. That was usually driving about 80 in 5th gear. Running a Corsa Extreme exhaust, it idled like an old school L88 solid lifter motor. It was great. It was my daily driver. Made 456 hp to the rear wheels. Eventually wanted more power.



My current car is a 2007 LS2 bored and stroked to 402 ci with heads and 228/242 116 cam and a Vortech T-trim blower. With a 4 inch pulley, it makes 673 horsepower to the rear wheels. Even though it also has a great idle, it doesn't sound near as mean as the C5 did. Still gets crappy mileage, though.

Jamie Lennartson

Driveability can be tuned into right though?

cgladish

driveability is an open term. while you can tame it down somewhat for better driving, if you take ease it back too much, what's the point then? what you are trying to accomplish? going with a bigger cam has its pro's and con's ( as does any power adder ).
your not going to get a smooth idling car with a big cam, at least not without losing the pro's of a bigger cam ( i.e. through too much tuning ).

sstonebreaker

Yes and no. The idle's going to be rough. Period. The cams you're looking at are right at the edge of street, and 75% of folks would hate them. What you CAN do is get the heads and cam from the same guy. The tuner will know how much compression the engine needs for the dynamic compression of the cam, and he will also be able to fine tune the cam lobes to exactly match the characteristics of the heads. I was able to bump my torque by 100+ ft/lbs at 3500 rpm by doing that over my first setup.

The tuner will also know how to get the most from a relatively milder cam to improve driveability.

Jamie Lennartson

I just dont want a car that's un drivable or hard to drive in any good weather situation.

cgladish

again, this is a subjective issue. no one will be able to 100%, be able to tell you what you like.
a lot of this will may have to be trial and error. if you are already concerned about the driveability, then i would suggest
staying with something on the mild side. having said that, i would think that you would have to go pretty far, to get a cam
that is 'undriveable' on the street. so when you say undriveable, what are your concerns? the main issues i can see or have experienced would be a rough(er) idle, poorer mpg, lugging at low RPM's. all dependent and variable on cam size.
so again, what are you hoping to end up with?