I purchased a 2004 GTO. I want to put a big cam in it. Reason being, is they sound amazing and add crazy power. But im not very educated on the subject and i thought you guys might know about it. Does reliability go down the drain. Gas mileage suffer. Whats the downside of a cammed car?
Thanks

 

$$$
gas mileage
drivability - extreme cam profile will have worse and worse idle problems the more extreme the cam is....

But who cares? Don't be a pussy, cam that bitch! I want a cam/heads package also.... but most people don't ever mention the small things that count (supporting mods). The bare minimum you should do with a cam to make it reliable is get new valve springs. I recommend at the very least going with a proven aftermarket company's valve spring setup first, you'll need stiffer springs to shut the valves closed quickly enough on a cammed car.... next on the list is hardened pushrods and lifters. Then you start going to the performance side with rocker arms to open the valves more, intake, heads, etc.

There are WAY more upsides than downsides. I guess if you're a little bitch-boy then you won't like the lope. But if you actually have some nuts hangin between your legs, a mean lope will make your car sound great even at idle. You'll make more power, your car will rev higher (you can get shorter gearing to take advantage of that) and I can go on and on. DOOOO ITTT

 

do your own research too.... different people want different things out of their car, so here's a good reference I usually use:



go down to "Selecting a cam that is right for you"
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=23

and a DETAILED guide to cams for the LS1:
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/genera...cam-guide.html

 

Thanks a lot that was very helpful!

 

It's a good idea to raise the compression if you're switching to a hot cam. The longer duration causes the exhaust valves to be open at the same time as the intake valves. Some of that clean intake air is lost and you need a higher compression ratio to compensate.

I love a big lopey cam in a V8.

 

Lope FTW! Doooo eeetttttt.

 

only do it if you are going to post vids.

 

Also emissions testing after the first six years (in CA), which is a concern if the car is a daily driver and must remain registered for street use.

The other issue is transmissions- if the GTO is an auto, OP is likely looking at a new torque/stall converter, upgraded cooling and possibly other trans mods, depending on cam profile.

 

Hit the LS engine boards and find out what the best cam for an otherwise stock engine will be. Putting a huge, lopey cam with tons of lift and duration into an otherwise stock engine will probably make it run worse and put out less low end power in exchange for a few ponies up top.

To get the most out of a really aggressive cam you need to do exhaust mods, probably intake mods, maybe some head porting, etc. etc. Big cams are not stand-alone power items by themselves.

Best,
-Mirror

 

Precisely. An aggressive camshaft is only part of a package. Many people install them hoping for increased performance across the board, but this simply isn't the case. Fuel delivery, electronics, and compression all need to be addressed. And if your car is an automatic, the torque converter and shift points all need to be considered as well.

The romantic sound of a worked over V8 is much more than camshaft. You are also listening to compression and exhaust. And in some cases, if the car is older, the intoxicating sounds of solid lifters.

Terry

 

VTEC > lumpy cam

 

i ran a 228r cam which is a 228/228/ 590. The cam idled and ran awesome for daily use.
There are other factors that can make or break any cam though. I tested the waters with a Texas Speed MS4 cam (239/242, .649"/.609). People said it wasnt a street friendly cam, but with the right gears, and proper stall converter with a nice and tight STR, the cam was great for daily driving. If you have a manual, i would get a Texas Speed Torquer v2 or 3. If you have an auto, you have to get a stall, no questions about that. And as far as driveability and gas mileage is concerned, it doesnt matter if you have a small sleeper cam, or a T-Rex, TUNING is crucial. Lots of tuners tune for high peak numbers and WOT. The best tuners get you great numbers across the board and spend extra time with the part throttle tune.
0. Make sure the car is breathing properly first. Any cam bigger than 224 will fall on its face with stock manifolds ad exhaust. You need headers and a cat back.
1. Make sure you select the right cam for your transmission and gearing and supporting mods.
2. Make sure you get a stall converter if you have an auto
3. TUNE TUNE TUNE - Dont skimp on this at all
4. If you've never owned a cammed LS based car before, make sure which ever cam you think you want, go ONE CAM SMALLER. Lot's of guys make the mistakes of listening to the sales guys. The sales guys are smart, but they are also used to driving choppy cammed cars all the time.

 

You sir are correct. With the right mild cam, he doesnt have to worry about his compression and DCR as much as with the bigger cams. And the fuel system in his car is more than enough to support a nice mid level cam. I think he needs to worry more about supporting mods, like gearing, stall, exhaust and tuning. He should be ok with the LS6 intake manifold thats on his car. All LS1 GTO's came with them.