# Cams?



## ChiefyGTO (Aug 7, 2006)

Alright, I was looking into a camp setup, but amid all of the names and specs, I got lost. Anyone care to help me out in figuring out what everything means - duration, valve lift, O.D,. I.D., install/open pressure, and so forth?
Also, what do the springs, pretentioners, and locks do?

Thanks!


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## PEKO (Nov 30, 2006)

Duration meaning how long the cam keeps the valve open. Lift is just what it says,


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## ChiefyGTO (Aug 7, 2006)

PEKO said:


> Duration meaning how long the cam keeps the valve open. Lift is just what it says,


I would assume the longer/higher the better? And what about the other stuff?


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

there's a LOT more to it than just the numbers. the ramp up (how fast the valve goes from closed to open) can vary for instance on two cams that have the exact same specs. you should also get dual springs to apply more closing pressure (and speed) and titanium retainers to have less mass thrown around so the valve can move faster. i entrusted my cam to Ed Curtis over at Flowtech Inductions. he's well respected and has been custom grinding cams for ls1s a long time and does it for ls2s now. i got the whole setup from him and it's a torque monster. the boys that like to post dyno numbers miss out often on there's a lot of time that an engine spends under that magic peak number. having a cam that produces a lot of torque from down low to high rpm is the thing that gets you scooting fast.


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## ChiefyGTO (Aug 7, 2006)

svede1212 said:


> there's a LOT more to it than just the numbers. the ramp up (how fast the valve goes from closed to open) can vary for instance on two cams that have the exact same specs. you should also get dual springs to apply more closing pressure (and speed) and titanium retainers to have less mass thrown around so the valve can move faster. i entrusted my cam to Ed Curtis over at Flowtech Inductions. he's well respected and has been custom grinding cams for ls1s a long time and does it for ls2s now. i got the whole setup from him and it's a torque monster. the boys that like to post dyno numbers miss out often on there's a lot of time that an engine spends under that magic peak number. having a cam that produces a lot of torque from down low to high rpm is the thing that gets you scooting fast.


How much does it cost through him for a good setup?


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## ChiefyGTO (Aug 7, 2006)

Also, ya, I know having the vehicle run through the RPMs quicker=making the vehicle quicker, even at equal power numbers.. which has had me thinking for a while, what else besides cam setup will have this engine burning through the RPM's quicker than these Goats go through gas while flooring it?


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## oldsow (Aug 6, 2006)

you can go with a different set of heads and a cam, good heads will give better flow and more flow through the valves when that cam opens them up, which might lead to a better air intake, like an LS6 or Fast 90. better if ported along with porting the throttle body.
lots of ways to go , just cost money. Or you could just get a D1SC procharger or STS Turbo, or a Maggie, instead.
but if ya want to go heads and cam , or cam, flowtech is a good place.
make sure you know waht all you need to go with yoru set up , like pushrods ro stronger springs on your heads, gaskets, head bolts etc.
hope this helps.


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## ChiefyGTO (Aug 7, 2006)

^^ that helps abit. But I'm still trying to figure things out.

For quicker revving along with more power (obviously), what setup and brand should I be looking at?


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## bott06goat (Sep 17, 2006)

I've been talking to thunder racing about a cam setup. The guy I deal with over there told me he got 450hp to the rear wheels of an LS2 vette with some bolt-ons,headers and exhaust and a cam. It was kind of an extreme cam but still very streetable with a good tune. The cam I think I'm going with is going to cost around $2000 with parts and labor after all is said and done and is a little less extreme (about 430hp to the wheels). I have no idea what the numbers mean either so I just find a trustworthy pro and ask them.


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## FLYNLO (Nov 9, 2006)

ChiefyGTO said:


> ^^ that helps abit. But I'm still trying to figure things out.
> 
> For quicker revving along with more power (obviously), what setup and brand should I be looking at?


Chiefy, you need to find a pro and talk to them. Ultimately, it is want you want the car to do. If you want to just run thru all ranges of the RPMs, then you might want a cam that has more mid range torque. Ultimately, the cams that make the most power up top are the ones that are gonna get you down the track faster because if you are shifting for optimum performance, your RPMs will be above 4k the whole time.. I think that is the cam you are wanting. In my ZO6, the stock cam was very good at this. That is how they got 405hp out of 346CID. It is the first(and only) car I had ever driven that went thru the first three gears like a dirt bike....just braaaaaap....braaaaaaap....braaaaaaaaaaap. And there you were at 100mph in about 9 seconds. It also had a "powerband effect" like a dirtbike. Once you went above 4000rpms it was on!!! This car has a very similar drivetrain to that car....same horsepower with basically the same gears and tranny. I just think the cam on the LS2 is more of a mid range cam versus a higher RPM type of a power curve.....we have the same power with more displacement. There is some low hanging fruit(displacement) that a different cam may be able to take advantage of.

Another question is how each of the numbers will affect the driveability of the car. The bigger the lift and duration, the more lope you are gonna have. If it gets too big then your car may have trouble idling....do you want your sweet machine dying at a stop light? I know I don't. To correct this they may have to raise yur idle to close to 1000RPMs....not really that big of a deal unless your car is loud as hell to begin with. Lobe Seperation Angle(LSA) is a way to offset this. The LOWER this number, the more lope you will have....and nominally more power. What you will find is guys will go aggressive on the lift and duration and try to tame the beast with the LSA. A 111LSA is pretty damn lumpy whereas 114 or 115 is more tame. So alot of people will go aggressive on lift and duration and have a more tame LSA at the expense of 10 or so HP.

Still another question is how emmisiions compliant do you need to be? Bigger cams will not pass emissions due to the fact that there may be some overlap in intake and exhaust which might allow unburned fuel thru the exhaust....not good for emmisions.

Again, know exactly what you are wanting your car to do and then portray that to your trusted local tuner(maybe even non-local). Most tuners are more than happy to explain the basics to you.

Most of my experience has been with the LS1 and LS6 engines so my numbers above might be off a bit. I am still getting familiar with what is common to the LS2.

I might sound like I know what I am talking about but I really don't . This is just scratching the surface. Talk to your local pro. Good luck.


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## ChiefyGTO (Aug 7, 2006)

FLYNLO said:


> Chiefy, you need to find a pro and talk to them. Ultimately, it is want you want the car to do. If you want to just run thru all ranges of the RPMs, then you might want a cam that has more mid range torque. Ultimately, the cams that make the most power up top are the ones that are gonna get you down the track faster because if you are shifting for optimum performance, your RPMs will be above 4k the whole time.. I think that is the cam you are wanting. In my ZO6, the stock cam was very good at this. That is how they got 405hp out of 346CID. It is the first(and only) car I had ever driven that went thru the first three gears like a dirt bike....just braaaaaap....braaaaaaap....braaaaaaaaaaap. And there you were at 100mph in about 9 seconds. It also had a "powerband effect" like a dirtbike. Once you went above 4000rpms it was on!!! This car has a very similar drivetrain to that car....same horsepower with basically the same gears and tranny. I just think the cam on the LS2 is more of a mid range cam versus a higher RPM type of a power curve.....we have the same power with more displacement. There is some low hanging fruit(displacement) that a different cam may be able to take advantage of.
> 
> Another question is how each of the numbers will affect the driveability of the car. The bigger the lift and duration, the more lope you are gonna have. If it gets too big then your car may have trouble idling....do you want your sweet machine dying at a stop light? I know I don't. To correct this they may have to raise yur idle to close to 1000RPMs....not really that big of a deal unless your car is loud as hell to begin with. Lobe Seperation Angle(LSA) is a way to offset this. The LOWER this number, the more lope you will have....and nominally more power. What you will find is guys will go aggressive on the lift and duration and try to tame the beast with the LSA. A 111LSA is pretty damn lumpy whereas 114 or 115 is more tame. So alot of people will go aggressive on lift and duration and have a more tame LSA at the expense of 10 or so HP.
> 
> ...


Well that's a whole lotta scratching that I didn't know. Thanks! Helps out alot. :cheers


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## cammed06 (Dec 12, 2006)

*cams*

At 3100 miles I did a HPE S Cam and Lt's, race cats and magnaflow cat back. It made 342 rwhp stock and after mods and tune 412 rwhp. With factory 18 tires, dry pavement is like wet pavement. It has .605/.609 lift at 112 lobe sep. At idle it sounds lumpy (NASTY). At 80 mph, cruising, it's quieter than stock. Under full throttle it's really nasty. Another guy did the same setup as me with no cats and SLP loudmouth, he made 432 rwhp, but it's obnoxiuously loud. That particular car was shot for GMHTP magazine at HPE and will be in there soon. I love my setup and I now have over 6100 miles on it, no problems. If you upgrade your mid-pipe at all re-use the factory metal gasket, between the cat back as the kooks gasket was blown, leaking, within a few hundred miles. HPE (Horsepower Engineering) does about a cam a day in the GTO's. The owner does the tuning and he knows his s!$%. Also, Steven Fereday works there. Everyone there races in some form or fashion, the same LSX's that we do. They know there stuff.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

ChiefyGTO said:


> How much does it cost through him for a good setup?


the parts were $925 complete for cam, moly push rods, dual springs, titanium retainers and locks. my buddy with a LS2 had his car really respond with the Streetsweeper HT also. i installed it in my garage having never done one myself before. there is a great writeup on LS1tech on cam install. the only difference is getting the radiator out (the toughest part IHMO ). my cam at 228/232, 6.12/6.00, 111 lsa idles at 850 rpm smoothly but the torque pulls like a monster from 2,500 thru 6,800 redline now


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