Bang for Buck, Heads & Cam selection

**Intrepidman** · 08-07-2009, 08:08 AM

Bang for buck wise, what is the best way to go with heads and cam...I'm assuming someone has a package out there for the LS1 (2002) that will come with mostly everything essential if not everything completely that I would want. I just don't know where to look for the best prices, or what heads cam combos have been proven to perform.
But hey, if I can get a better deal picking one component here, one component there, I'm definetly willing to go that route as well. I'm just hoping to learn from others experience here.

**Dr.Crash** · 08-07-2009, 11:57 AM

how much you have to spend?

**INMY01TA** · 08-08-2009, 07:28 AM

Texas Speed's PRC heads and cam kits.

**KING Z28 HAWK** · 08-08-2009, 11:14 PM

Im with the Dr. depends on how much you have to spend

**Intrepidman** · 08-09-2009, 10:08 AM

Budget wise...I will find what I have to somehow. But basically every $ of it is over budget so cheaper is better, I just don't want anything so ridiculously cheap as to be junk, a little extra $ for a lot more power or realiability etc is always worth it.

**INMY01TA** · 08-09-2009, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by Intrepidman

Budget wise...I will find what I have to somehow. But basically every $ of it is over budget so cheaper is better, I just don't want anything so ridiculously cheap as to be junk, a little extra $ for a lot more power or realiability etc is always worth it.

As I said before, Texas Speeds PRC heads have proven results, check em out on LS1 Tech. Patriot heads are right in the same neighborhood as far as price but I never se the same results from em.

**Intrepidman** · 08-10-2009, 05:20 AM

I hope they are a HELL OF A LOT better quality than the texas speed catted y-pipe I ordered. That and the pacesetter headers are the only things that I've ever ordered from texas speed and they were so amazingly misfitted I almost had to scrap the damn things and bend up something custom.

**racz925** · 08-13-2009, 10:13 PM

expensive, but summit offers kits from trickflow, but theyre like $3200. they have most of the stuff you will need. search by engine, chevrolet, 5.7/350, gen III/LS based. other than that, patriot has some kits for around $2K but i hear their porting is terrible. stage 2 ls6 from what i hear is the best way to go. anyone hear of how the 6.o heads work? what other mods would you need to run them? i was thinkin stock 6.0 heads with a good porting job, mill em a bit for compression, and throw some stiffer valvesprings in em. any thoughts?

**Wes15R** · 08-13-2009, 10:21 PM

There are lots of places that offer good head and cam packages summit, pace performance, alot of kits are expensive but, great performance results. Pacesetter headers are junk by the way just throwing that out there... Don't blame texas speed for that they aren't the only ones that sell them.

**Intrepidman** · 08-14-2009, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by Wes15R

Pacesetter headers are junk by the way just throwing that out there... Don't blame texas speed for that they aren't the only ones that sell them.

I never complained about the headers..sure they weren't fantastic, but they more than got the job done. It was the TSP catted Y-pipe that was absolute garbage...the fit is so horrible I wonder if they didn't send me one to fit a different model car.

**INMY01TA** · 08-14-2009, 02:28 PM

Patriot heads are junk, I wouldn't waste my money.

**Intrepidman** · 08-19-2009, 10:00 AM

Ok, so I've looked around a little and price wise I hear decent things about PRC heads for the low $ involved. But I'm still not sure on the technicals, if I'm building a Mid-Range motor that lets me play around autoX and street tracks as well as 1/4mile drag what do I really want in a head? I'm all about the "area under the curve" especially low-mid range RPM as opposed to huge power in the 5500-6800 range (not what I want)

Compression ratio, valve size, cfm of flow, incoming air charge velocity, CC port volume, CC combusion chamber...god I think I need to go take an engine course just to know what I want to look for in a head.

As I said, I hear good things about power increases from PRC heads for the low $ involved but then I also hear trick flow and AFR can make more power down low and under the curve as opposed to PRC being a bit more of a peak # style head. Is there any/much truth to that?

**INMY01TA** · 08-19-2009, 03:36 PM

Personally I'd want the power up top. This is what wins races. People say cams like mine 232/236 613/613 111'+1 lack low end torque. I haven't noticed at all but no one races between 3,500-5,000 rpms anyway. If you do I'll beat you in a six cylinder car.

**garygnu65** · 08-19-2009, 03:48 PM

AFR or TFS ,i've seen pictures of the roof of the intake port break open on tsp .

**jerseymike68** · 08-19-2009, 04:12 PM

mice info

**wenn_du_weinst** · 08-19-2009, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by INMY01TA

Personally I'd want the power up top. This is what wins races. People say cams like mine 232/236 613/613 111'+1 lack low end torque. I haven't noticed at all but no one races between 3,500-5,000 rpms anyway. If you do I'll beat you in a six cylinder car.

what about in a duramax?

**INMY01TA** · 08-19-2009, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by wenn_du_weinst

what about in a duramax?

What does a Duramax have to do with head and cam LSXs??

**Intrepidman** · 08-19-2009, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by INMY01TA

Personally I'd want the power up top. This is what wins races. People say cams like mine 232/236 613/613 111'+1 lack low end torque. I haven't noticed at all but no one races between 3,500-5,000 rpms anyway. If you do I'll beat you in a six cylinder car.

4000-5000 rpms is actually an important range for me and my A4. Unless I tune my engine to rev 7500rpm before shifting or drop in a steep set of gears (4.11 or better) I'm going to be in that zone after the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts.

**INMY01TA** · 08-19-2009, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by Intrepidman

4000-5000 rpms is actually an important range for me and my A4. Unless I tune my engine to rev 7500rpm before shifting or drop in a steep set of gears (4.11 or better) I'm going to be in that zone after the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts.

Important how? Gas milaege?? Most cams peake above 6,000, where you should be at the track.

**Intrepidman** · 08-19-2009, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by INMY01TA

Important how? Gas milaege?? Most cams peake above 6,000, where you should be at the track.

uh huh...and how do you get to 6K? - by going through 4-5K first. Plus if I'm running the 1/4 I see 4-5k in first, 4-5k again in second, and I finish the 1/4 in the bottom of the 4-5k range of 3rd. The race is over long before I hit 6k in 3rd and I'd have to trap some High speeds to get there. (unless like I said, I used deep gears...and since this is my dd, I'm not going that route)

Besides, I'm about to start autoXing this sept. Most guys run hondas, neons, etc. but the few guys who do run muscle are all saying pretty much the same thing. And that is, that the course is too fast to run in first only and first gets the tail going around too easily if your not delicate off the corners. So most of them are putting it in 2 and running the course without shifting. That lets you hit 6k only in the fastest parts of the course, but your in the 4.5-5K range a lot more often.

Is there a flaw in my logic somewhere??