Are the GM performance Hotcams any good? There was a kit I saw in the summit racing book for about $500 that uses LS6 lifters and springs. Just wondering if they were anything special.
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Are the GM performance Hotcams any good? There was a kit I saw in the summit racing book for about $500 that uses LS6 lifters and springs. Just wondering if they were anything special.
not worth it if you ask me
personally I would look at something bigger but in it's defense a local guy here made 377 rwhp 371 rwtq with a hotcam on stock heads. Not bad if you ask me for the money.
Thanks for the input. I realized that you really can't go cheap when it comes to stuff like that, but hey, like you said, you can't beat the price. I think I will budget in a larger cam, and mix and match the right valve-train pieces that I need.
I believe what you'll find is that if you get a package through someone they'll give you a pretty decent discount so when you're figuring up parts and prices it's always best to call someone on the phone and see what kinda deal they'll give you. I did the whole thing in one shot. Heads, cam, timing chain, lifters, pushrods, oil pump,gaskets, arp bolts, and a couple other things I'm forgetting at the moment. I got a pretty nice break on prices by setting up the deal over the phone and getting it all at the same place.
Ya I was thinking about the ASA cam for the T/A b/c the Maro is getting a 408/turbo so I didn't want to go all out do to financial situations. I like to do things right and I already have the LS6 springs on the T/A and everything else needed for the swap other than the cam. I jsut sold a 224/228 and decided fuck it, go hard or go home. Looking for a bigger cam and might have found one, plus gonna get some nice ported 243's and maybe bottle feed her for the track. Shooting for 10's in both cars. Now that sounds fun
that asa cam ??? its gm part but where can u get it and how much and what are the specs??
check out sdpc or any gm performance part distributors. As its made by gm jsut like the infamous hotcam but being more extreme. 226/236 .525/.525 110LSA and the hotcam is 218/228 .525/.525 112LSA
there is nothing wrong with the hotcam- you can just get a lot more power other choices. I know a guy making 393rwhp/ 370rwtq with a hotcam, full bolt-ons and a tune!!
I agree, as I maybe installing one myself
ihave a hotcam kit, ls6 heads, and longtubes. i made 377rwhp...and its my daily driver. makes good power and is easy to drive on the street. jus my .02
however i will be upgrading to a bigger cam soon for more power
that's why god invented dual springs. :D
Much better cams out there without sacrificing any drivablilty
how does the hotcam sacrifice driveabilty? Its a torquer cam and has mild lope to most cams out there, allot bigger cams sacrifice driveabilty before this one does. Heck the asa cam tuned doesn't even sacrifice driveability. For a cam its close to best bang for buck. Cam and LS6 springs for less than 200 bucks = 30/30+ to the wheels. If you did up results guys have went to allot more agressive cams and made only less that 10hp peak and lost allot of hp/tq throughout most of the rpm's. If on stock castings it is a great cam but LS6 heads and up definetley go bigger or its a waste. Those cams need room to breathe and a lil more up top and losing down low for more money isn't worth it for me. To me its either go all out or cheal out, lol. But really nothing wron with full bolt on's and the hotcam. If I ever get aftermarket castings there will be a custom grind 230/230+ cam in there.
I didn't say it did. I'm saying you can go a lil bigger like a 224 and have drivability just as good. Only reason to go with a Hotcam over say a 224 would be price imo but for going thru all the trouble of installing cam and springs I'd rather spend a lil more and get somethinng that performs a lil better. All I was saying. :)
Ok, wasn't trying to sound like a dick if I came across as one. I do agree with you but for a couple hundred bucks and doing it yourself why not. If money was no option do you think I'd care. Plus my 2000 Maro is getting a 408/turbo etc so it should have enough power if I want to have some fun. If I want to cruise its the cam/bolt on's T/A.
i have the hotcam.. i have not put it in yeat.. i got it b/s it gives 49rwhp to a stock ls1.. if u tune it u can get even more. the hotcam has a 112lsa the smaller ur las the higher your power band is going to be i think ls1 cars have a 116 stock.. the hot cam does not give us lift but thats where the 1.85 rockers come in to play.. if u set ur car up right u can have a powerful fun fast play toy and not lose any driveabilttty
sorry to kinda hijack, but i want to learn more about the specs of cams. im kinda lost on the durations, lsa's, etc., and how each specification affects power output/powerband/idle/driveability, etc. i looked in the internals forum but theres no sticky... can someone point me in the direction of a good thread that describes this to the most basic extent possible?
Cool man, knowledge is power.
yes, the most you'll get out of the hotcam is about 35rwhp on a stock motor with supporting mods. I'd say more like 30rwhp but like stated 35 has been done. It definitely isn't the best but for the lift, spring hashness it does well. With 1.85 rockers you could prolly get another 10 maybe 12 or so with it but that to me isn't worth it. Might as well keep stock rockers and go with the bigger cam.
exactly the point, the point behind the hotcam is for a overall lesser value in cam/springs/pushrods, etc you get a great gain for your money. At the same time never have to worry about springs again. You can pick up the hotcam and LS6 sprinsg for 200 or less used. I got the springs on the car already, bought it that way b/c it use to have the 1.85 rockers and I jsut picked up a brand new regrind of the hotcam for 125 bucks. With my current mods, full bolt on's, suspension, gears/converter, etc the cam should perform fairly decent. Making some great responsive power throughtout entire rpm's while not hurting the wallet.
I think the hotcam is a good cam if your just after the sound and you don't like changing springs. As far as power goes there are far better options but the more radical you get the harder it is on springs. Camshafts are all about compromise. Just be honest with yourself about what you really want of a cam and know what the trade off is going to be.
You can't run the hotcam without changing the springs. Well...you shouldn't. Big time risk of breaking one.
Personally...the 224/224 cams are GREAT for powerband and driveability.
Nope, you need atleast the Ls6 springs with the hotcam but you'll never have to worry about them again and they and only cost 40-60 bucks
That's what I meant that you wouldn't be changing them every 20 to 30k like you will be with these big lift cams. Put the LS6's in there and forget about it. No spring maintance.
Agreed.
Although most valvesprings would be good on the 224 cams for a long time as well.
Me on the other hand...I swap valvesprings out every 15K miles. :lol:
Takes me 3-4 years to get 15K on it. :lol:
Just over 35K on it. 1999.
Motor has around 7,500 in just short of two years, two race seasons though.
1.85 rockers will net you no more than 10 rwhp.
how do i know this, because i had them before i dumped them for a cam.
with 3 dyno pulls the average was 9 rwhp.
rocker arms =waste of $$$
so you hope.
a 224 user could get a used fast intake for the price of rockers and make more power than you can with rockers.
then again for a hotcam, youll need every bolt on you can to try and beat a 224 car.
For someone who has never owned a hotcam, you sure know a lot about it. When you speak on things you know nothing about, it kinda makes you look like an idiot. It's not my fault my "lowly" hotcam got 31 hp and your "best thing ever" 224 got 39. That 31 hp was with a ls1 intake also.
Works well with boost.
Although there are better cams for boost out there.
But the hotcam does give a little extra for those looking to maintain a stock feel and idle.
Of course, the 224 type cams do the same anymore, and they offer great idle and driveability.
you guys need to realize that a cam wakes up with a set of flow matched heads... with that given a 224 cam will make a gm hot cam look stupid...
I got 31 untuned with hotcam, 224 guys are getting 35-42 tuned.....i'm not impressed.
i have never in my life seen a gmpp hotcam make more power than any 224 cam in an ls1. (doesnt mean it hasnt happened but...)
a hotcam isnt worth the money with these motors i.m.o.
a hotcam on a 1998 Isn't ever gonna make 31RWHP, if he had a newer motor with the better flowing heads then Maybe just MAYBE but, with a 98 and those shitty heads it's impossible
this is the most intelligent post in this thread. I will only respond to intelligent threads from this point foward. I thought the purpose of this forum was intelligent debate and to help out fellow enthausits?
Oh, i'm installing my bbk 80, ls6, and vinci tuner this weekend. I'm doing all the work MYSELF. I do all my own work, i'm a master gm mechanic, so i think i know just a little about ls1s. (over 25 years in the industry. I'm not some 19 or 20 year old who reads on ls1tech and posts here like he knows everything. You know the guy that has never turned a wrench, an internet benchracer. My experience is REAL world.) Are there any other master gm mechanics here? If so i would love to chat with ya. I get major discounts on gm parts so i buy and support GM.
It's funny how some say there's no way a 98 can do this or that when they have never seen the car, nor do they know what's done to it. Funniest thing i've ever read. Those type of threads make the user look kind of like an idiot.
being that you about the real world, you would know dyno numbers mean shit.
track numbers are whats important. they tell the cars power.
theres plenty of cars out there making 400 hp and more, yet they cant get out of the 12s.
bragging about 31 h.p is not real world.
btw, what is it with you and name calling, its rather childish.
After a successful install yesterday, picked up 34.3 hp with ls6 intake, vinci tuner, and bbk 80mm. I'm setting on 398 hp, with stock "crappy" 98 heads. Almost 400hp, stock heads, hotcammed 98 = YEAH......
I'm glad you like your cam, intake, and Tb. Sounds like a very generous Dynojet dyno to me tho.
New sign:
98 Z28, Whisper airlid, K&N airfilter, MSD 8.5mm wires, NGK-tr55 plugs, LS6 Intake, BBK 80mm t-body, Grantelli 85mm MAF, Vinci Tuner, Flowtech longtubes & y pipe, Borla catback, ASP Pulley, GM Hotcam, Bilstein hd shocks, UMI subframes
Car is done and an AWESOME Daily Driver. Moving on to next project: 04 Mystichrome Cobra, Kenne Belle, Full Basani exhaust...ha ha......You can buy these type things when you have a little paper and not a broke loser on the internet.....peace......
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...pazLS6Dyno.jpg
here is mine... bone stock LS6 crate... with... well... see sig...
Still no track times from Calico??
his last log in
Last Activity: 05-13-2009 05:24 PM
ever since being busted out, nothing from him.
:lol:
what was the point in this thred? o yeah i put the mto cam in my car and went from 12.9 with 2.00 60fts to a 12.47 with 2.00 60 fts @114
on first pass with 8k da sounds good too [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wdpY1i0Uz8[/ame]
theres a vid of a 12.54 spinning tires if u go to my vids
hot cam, and 12.4's suck balls when the car goes 114 in the 1/4. i need a better track or a shit ton of seet time
the point in the post is so show that i cut .5 off my 1/4 mile times with a little old baby hot cam....just so otheres that my want to look in to smaller cams see u dont need 600 lift and 280 cams to make a street car go faster. every one seems to think big cams make u go faster just due to size but not all ways true GM uses a lot of ex compared to after market cams 218 227... and .525 lift and cus ove one half sec off 1/4 times
For a guy who has "need a bigger cam" under his username you sure defend that small cam.
You are correct that people do not need monster cams to go fast. I have a lowly 224 and managed to hit 11s.
I know guys that go 114 in bolt on cars. I went 11.8@118 with my 613 lift cam. Not bragging cause I still think it has alot more in it I just need more practice. Bigger isn't necesarily always better but in the case of the Hotcam you can get more performance without sacrificing drivability by stepping up a lil.
:true:
my buddy had a 228/232 don't know the lift but it was cam and fast intake no head work full bolt on 430 gears 11.19 120s and could drive it everyday course the variable stall converter aka m6 helps bigger cams just an example of what a good size cam can do i'm only going with a 224 for my d.d. i believe in moderate cams and matched parts
it's was a 02 maroon hardtop z28 my buddy garret sold it few months back tuned by jeff in glen burnie