confused??

[jmatt07]

ok i dont know much about cams here so hopefully one of you guys can give me some schooling. i keep hearing about different camshafts giving more horsepower. from what i see on websites selling cams it doesnt say the one gives more horses than others. the only thing they say is you should choose a cam on what rpm range you want. so does that mean they all produce same amount of horses. and if not what would be the cam that i could get most horspower for but still be daily driven. i have a 98 ss m6. slp intake/bellow and loudmouth exhaust. thanks for any help

[mark21742]

ok i dont know much about cams here so hopefully one of you guys can give me some schooling. i keep hearing about different camshafts giving more horsepower. from what i see on websites selling cams it doesnt say the one gives more horses than others. the only thing they say is you should choose a cam on what rpm range you want. so does that mean they all produce same amount of horses. and if not what would be the cam that i could get most horspower for but still be daily driven. i have a 98 ss m6. slp intake/bellow and loudmouth exhaust. thanks for any help

your asking a hard question. for the most part the larger the duration is and the higher the lift is the more power the cam will make.....if the rest of the motor is built to handle it, but at the same time the bigger the cam is the higher up in the rpm range you have to get to make power.
do you plan on keeping stock heads and intake?
if you keep everything else stock and just throw in a huge cam you won't be happy and might even lose power because the motor can't breathe.
give us your plans asfar as other mods you want to do with the cam upgrade. you definatly need to upgrade the valve springs, and I'd highly reckomend an ls6 ported oil pump and double roller timing chain

[jmatt07]

ok well first i was going to get s 220/220 .551/.551 cam but i was told that that is too mild of a cam and that i should go bigger. i was looking on www.texas-speed.com and found a bigger cam. is 233/239 .595/.603 112 lsa too big of a cam? their website says it will give a gain of 50 hp. the only mods i have is an slp intake with k&n and loudmouth dual exhaust. their website also says i dont need to tune it if my car isnt an automatic. i know its good to tune it and i will get a tune but i wanted to drive it for a little while before i get that tune. i really appreciate any help. i want to make as much power as i can but also need it to be a dd. ive been saving up for a while to buy this and im really excited about getting a cam i just want to make the right choice. i was going to buy the comp cams 918 springs and hardened pushrods. i was also going to buy an ls2 timing set and an oil pump for good measure. do i need to buy valve stem seals as well? thanks

[mark21742]

ok well first i was going to get s 220/220 .551/.551 cam but i was told that that is too mild of a cam and that i should go bigger. i was looking on www.texas-speed.com and found a bigger cam. is 233/239 .595/.603 112 lsa too big of a cam? their website says it will give a gain of 50 hp. the only mods i have is an slp intake with k&n and loudmouth dual exhaust. their website also says i dont need to tune it if my car isnt an automatic. i know its good to tune it and i will get a tune but i wanted to drive it for a little while before i get that tune. i really appreciate any help. i want to make as much power as i can but also need it to be a dd. ive been saving up for a while to buy this and im really excited about getting a cam i just want to make the right choice. i was going to buy the comp cams 918 springs and hardened pushrods. i was also going to buy an ls2 timing set and an oil pump for good measure. do i need to buy valve stem seals as well? thanks

I have an 04 a4 goat and doing cam 220/224 .570/.580 112lsa, and porting/polishing my heads.
looking at gaining close to 50hp total
233/239 cam should make you happy, but won't see the cam's full potential with your stock heads and intake......il guess cam only 30hp.
If you can do it your self, while putting the cam in, pop your heads off and port them out to see bigger gains
you can drive it withhout a tune, but it won't idle good and again you will see good gains in power with a tune.
I'd say since the car is ten years old go ahead and pop new valve seals in while you changing the springs.

[Gundlach9]

+1 Mark21742.
I bought TSP's 233/239 cam with their PRC stage 2.5 5.3l heads (not put on yet) and John at Texas Speed says that the cam has great street manners and produces power gains similar to MS3. Of course dual springs are required for the lift of this cam, but if you'd like more mid-range, I was told to also look at the Torquer v.3. I'm not saying their aren't good deals to be found on this site or others, but everything you get with the TSP heads/cam pack is priced competitively. As for the tune, that is what really makes are breaks the cars mannerisms. Since you're M6, I'd worry about it less, but it should maximize the potential of your setup.

[Frost]

OP - I'd say do about 3-4 months of reading before purchase to fully understand what you are jumping into...

[mark21742]

OP - I'd say do about 3-4 months of reading before purchase to fully understand what you are jumping into...

I'd say that's about how long it took me to decide.....plus you and Orion's input

[jmatt07]

thanks for all the help guys. ya ive been readin as much as i can and looking at different cams. i think ive narrowed it down to either the 228/228 or the torquer 2

[WS6ICK]

thanks for all the help guys. ya ive been readin as much as i can and looking at different cams. i think ive narrowed it down to either the 228/228 or the torquer 2

I installed the 228/228 .588/.588 112 LSA cam from Texas Speed on my 2000 Trans Am, WS6, A4. I also took the 241 heads off and replaced them with new ported 243 (LS6) heads and SLP LS6 intake. Of course I upgraded the valve springs and pushrods to handle this cam and I went with roller rockers. The rest of my MODS are listed in my sign. The car made a little over 400 HP at the rear on a bad tune. Like the rest said, the car would not idle without a tune and it will be burning real rich. Now the car is tuned correctly becasue I bought HP Tunerers and Wideband O2 and tuned it myself but I have yet to get it back on the dyno. The car pulls like a raped ape through out all gears. It runs mid 12's at the track in Colorado and mid 11's in Alabama because of the Altitude in Colorado. I plan to get it back on the dyno once I install bigger injectors.

[SOMbitch]

You are wasting your time if you don't do headers first. I would also toss on an LS6 IM for $300 out of the classifieds next ( but not mandatory).

I would run double springs but the revised 918's will work up to .625 lift nowadays.

Your cam choices will both make nice gains and will be well mannered with a GOOD tune. The TUNE is one of the KEYS...... I would also wait to do the insall until you can do the tune(I did). Your AFR will be all screwed and I damn sure wouldn't WOT much if at all with no tune and a cam that size (especially the tv2). Run it on 112+2 LSA so your power will come in sooner and peak higher.

I run a cam (custom) in that neighborhood and LOVE it. I don't DD it but easily could.....

[0rion]

everyone wants the power now....including myself. When you start modding you want to throw a cam in and make 400+ to the rear tires and run solid 11's. The truth is the smart thing to do is sit down and put together a grand plan and stick to it. It's a little more involved than just throwing a cam kit at the car. My cam was the very last thing I did. I did headers, ls6 intake, stall, rearend, suspension, tires, and every other mod first then when I had all that done I ordered my cam and heads. Can you just throw and cam kit in there and go? Yes, but you won't maximize the gains and depending on the size of cam the car may run like total ass. I personally wouldn't put a 233/239 cam in there on stock manifolds. I also wouldn't put a cam in period without tuning for it immediately. When I put my 228R in and started the car the first time it pretty much wouldn't even idle until I raised the idle rpm's. There's no way I'd want to try to drive it at stock idle rpm's. At a minimum I would plan on headers and a tune.
The 228 is a great street cam and I've been happy with mine although lately I've been thinking of pulling it and going a little bigger. I can deal with a little worse mannerisms than I have now.

[jmatt07]

ya i was doing some research and looking a dyno runs with different cams and they show that a smaller cam will produce more torque than the bigger ones. yes the bigger cams get more horsepower but at very high rpms. i just want to have a fun street car and i dont want to be driving it at high rpms. i think if i go with a 224/224 i can get more torque and get my horsepower at lower rpms. i actually found two 224 cams that im looking at. one has a lift of .566/.566 and the other has .581/.581. bigger lift is better correct? well i guess my question would be is the difference in lift going to make any noticeable change? thanks

[Hurley711]

TR224 cam is tried and true, been around for years and many LS1 guys are happy with it, especially for street driving. Great midrange and under the curve power

[01ws6er]

I had over a year of looking into cams before I actually purchased mine about a week ago. I personally want a cam only car with good power and a nice tq curve, and once I pay my car off I'm saving up for a 400+ cubic inch motor!!! From what I've heard people say, think about what size cam you might want, then go bigger...I've heard lots of people say they wish they'd gone just a little bigger so just take your time.

[mark21742]

not tuned in yet, but just ported and polished my stock 241 heads and dropped a 220/224 112lsa in my goat this weekend. it made a very nice difference