Z06 Cam Questions

**Silverbird01** · 04-08-2007, 02:06 PM

Anyone ever have the 2001 Z06 cam installed in their LS1/A4 ?
How did it run? What was your experience with it?

I purchased one years ago and am going to get it and the springs installed shortly. I'm not looking for any real big gains, just a smooth (sleeper) idle and a little bit more power.
I'm not planning on any more bolt-on's for this car('01 WS6/auto). I already have an SLP airlid and Magnaflow muffler. The cam and springs are going to be all.

So if anyone has run this cam before, I would like to hear from you on what your impression is or was on it. I would like to know what to expect.

Thanks

**nhraformula** · 04-08-2007, 02:40 PM

dont expect much. the lsa on the ls6 cam is the same as the ls1 cam, you are not going to get anymore cackle out of it. its going to sound the same as the ls1 cam.
you will gain about 10 h.p though.

**Silverbird01** · 04-08-2007, 05:11 PM

Well that doesn't sound too bad, I can live with a 10 hp increase.
Hope it just a plug n play installation with no tuning required.

Thank you for the reply, I appreciate your help.

**BlackLT1Z28** · 04-08-2007, 05:54 PM

All that work for 10 horses? You could do less work for more horses. Doesn't seem like an efficient decision.

**Silverbird01** · 04-08-2007, 06:21 PM

OK, what would you suggest? Heres my car info for you:
2001 WS6, auto, 3:23 rear gears.
Not going with headers, stall converters or special tuning. I want a good, smooth idle but some good low end/mid range response. I don't want a lopey or rough idle. Its got to pass inspection also.
Can you point me in the right direction? I want to get some good answers so I don't have to do this again.

Thanks

**BlackLT1Z28** · 04-08-2007, 06:35 PM

May I ask why no headers or stall? Those mods really compliment a new cam and let you get the most out of other mods. They all work with each other.

**bills98ta** · 04-08-2007, 07:05 PM

I ran a Z06 cam with 1.8 rockers for a while... Not bad at all !!! It's a real sleeper cam that sneaks up on ya !!! It worked well with the bottle too.

**Silverbird01** · 04-09-2007, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by BlackLT1Z28

May I ask why no headers or stall? Those mods really compliment a new cam and let you get the most out of other mods. They all work with each other.

I understand where your coming from, everything works as a package.
This is why I don't want to go to a larger cam, I would have to start changing so many other things to make it all work right.
Stall converter.......Eh maybe one of these days.
I have already had experience with headers on other cars in the past. I don't want to deal with the gasket leaks and the ground clearance problems.

Like I said I'm not looking for any real large gains, just a little more than stock.
I purchased the cam and springs brand new just after getting the car(Feb. '01). At that time the '02 Z06 cam wasn't even around and there was not alot of cam choices out there available. Many of the forums rated this cam as a pretty good piece back then, nice sleeper cam. Thats why I bought it. Now all I hear is not to waste the time or money installing it. The duration and lift look much better than the stock cam thats in there now.
I have always under cammed my older cars and have been very satisfied with them. I'm just not that experieced with the LS engines and what to expect after changing parts on it. Installing the SLP airlid made a noticible improvement as did the Magnaflow muffler. The LS series of engines seem to really respond to minor changes and bolt ons.

Thanks for all the suggestions and assistance on this. I really appreciate all of the imput from you owners who have modified your cars. I read all the signatures and its very impressive the hp and torque numbers that you all get!

I see "bills98ta" has used the cam and seems like he had positive results.
Anyone else ever had experience with this cam?

Thanks again for all the help.

**nhraformula** · 04-09-2007, 10:35 AM

if you want a good gain, a stall converter is the best upgrade for a automatic car.
you can get a stall that drives totally like stock and still shave .5 tenths at the track. also no more dead spots

**BlackLT1Z28** · 04-09-2007, 10:58 AM

Well, if you're not hungry for huge gains, or the work and time needed for a cam, you could always go the 'full bolt-on' route. Full bolt-on LS1 cars are some mean contenders on the street. But, in reality, its your car and you can do whatever you want to it. Just have fun with it. If you really want a cam, you could look into a slightly bigger cam, say a 220 cam with a 116LSA or so. That should cut down on the cammed 'lope' sound and have a 'stock cam' idle.

**Frankthetank** · 04-10-2007, 06:33 PM

man.....I see where ur coming from but man........a cam swap isnt a little task......its not the biggest but not an easy oil change kind of thing.....If ur gonna change out ur cam go a little bigger.....
U dont have to go as drastic as I have or other guys.....Like my cam is fucking huge compared to stock ls1 cam......
I would still go for a mid size cam at least.......Its a ton of work so why not get a little more out of it

**Silverbird01** · 04-10-2007, 09:45 PM

OK, I'm keeping an open mind on all this.
I started searching different venders and found this:

99-TR214/220-115-2 Thunder Racing Custom "Old Man" Camshaft - 214/220 .600/.523 115 LSA This is the perfect cam for someone looking for a stock range power band and stock sounding idle. Significant horsepower gains throughout the RPM range. No computer tuning required. Due to the fast ramp rate of this camshaft, the use of 1.8 rockers is not recommended.

Do you think this cam would be a good choice or would it be too much?
Could I still use my LS-6 valve springs with it?

nhraformula: You brought up a good point, the dreaded dead spot. Almost forgot about that. A stall converter doesn't sound too bad now.

**2001hawk** · 04-11-2007, 12:32 AM

My vote would be custom grind. I am pretty sure it costs the same as any regularly ground cam plus you have the benefit of putting the power exactly where you want it. I have two head & cam cars. One I have a really good mid-range cam and the other has more of a top-end cam. Both work great but each works differently. The main thing is that you have the power where you will use it. My mid-range gives me all the pickup I need if I am trying to pass someone and they punch it as I get alongside of them. But there isn't much of a choice which one I use to go racing. The main thing is you are happy with your choice. I have always thought the heads were most of the extra power that the Z06's got and the cam was chosen to make it more emissions friendly. But then maybe someone will correct me on that. Anyways have fun either way.

**PFM** · 04-11-2007, 06:54 AM

Thunderracing.com and while the old man cam sounds good I would take a closer look at the Cheater Cam. It is ground to work with your stock exaust and otherwise stock motor.

**Silverbird01** · 04-16-2007, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by PFM

Thunderracing.com and while the old man cam sounds good I would take a closer look at the Cheater Cam. It is ground to work with your stock exaust and otherwise stock motor.

This one? :
99-TR-CHEATR-CAM Thunder Racing Custom "CheaTR" Camshaft - 214/230 .601/.578 117 LSA. Off Idle-6800 RPM Power Band. Broad power range. Works well with stock exhaust manifolds and catalytic converters. Stock like idle. Minor tuning required on automatic transmission cars. Due to the fast ramp rate of this camshaft, the use of 1.8 rockers is not recommended. Double valve springs and titanium retainers required for this cam.

I wonder what kind of "minor tuning" is required on auto cars?
What kind of performance gain would this cam give?
What kind of springs would you recommend for this cam?