cam preference: hp or torque?

[emerica4601]

alot of people look for horsepower when going wiht a new cam.
thats not true in most cases however ...

you can either buy a cam with alot of lift, which essentially opens and closes the valves quicker, giving you less torque off the line and more horsepower during high rpm's(for example: formula 1 cars), OR you can get a cam which holds the valves open longer which gives you torque off the line, but a loss of horsepower on the high end.

which would u rather have? would u rather show off your cam'ed powered v8 at a red light when a mustang pulls up next to you OR on the highway when an import honks 3 times?

[Viper_Storm]

Originally Posted by emerica4601

alot of people look for horsepower when going wiht a new cam.
thats not true in most cases however ...

you can either buy a cam with alot of lift, which essentially opens and closes the valves quicker, giving you less torque off the line and more horsepower during high rpm's(for example: formula 1 cars), OR you can get a cam which holds the valves open longer which gives you torque off the line, but a loss of horsepower on the high end.

which would u rather have? would u rather show off your cam'ed powered v8 at a red light when a mustang pulls up next to you OR on the highway when an import honks 3 times?

both, go for something right in the miggle

[Mr. Luos]

The cam I installed in the LS1 when I had it netted me over 350 ft/pounds from 2700+. Also gained 41 RWHP at a higher RPM.

I got both. Here is the chart before and after the cam. Nothing else but valvetrain components installed here. Springs, pushrods, and 226/234 554/575 112.
The dyno operator was asked to start at different RPM's for these runs, but they are still matched up and on the same chart.
Before cam = Red
After cam = Blue



Needless to say...I didn't have to worry about many cars from a light or on the highway.

[Savage Messiah]

I'm with Viper, right in the miggle

[Stryker SS]

I say go with the former. The cam with high lift gives your camaro something it can definately use, high-end power. You already have plenty of low end torque.

[Rally Sport]

I say go highend as well because its not like you stay in the 0-60 range for long, really.. and thats the only time when torque is really used, but you do already have enough.

[cooltc2004]

Umm, please tell me you guys, err, nevermind.

Go for the torque, without torque, your car is nothing, period.

[emerica4601]

haha its a tough subject to touch. if you go for the torque, your car will be the one that rockets by all the other cars off the line. only problem is if your doin a 1/4 mile, you'll get to lets say 60 in a heartbeat ... but from like 80 up is when a ''high end hp cam'' kicks in ... kinda like a surprise attack.

i think its all preferance. like i said before .. would u rather woop somebodys ass on the highway or at a red light?

personally ... im gonna say high end power :-)

[blindeyed]

gEt a VtEc Yo!!














I'm kidding of course...

[nastyNater]

vtec owns ls1/lt1.....hahaha jk

[emerica4601]

hahaha vtec is just extra cam lobes that create engage at about 5000 rpm which gives high end power. all vtec's have noooo low end torque. the s2000 has like 240 horse and only about 140 torque.

wihch means ur slow off line untill the vtec cam lobes kick in;-)

[DVS LT1]

There's definitely a lot of misconceptions about cam specs and power - not to mention streetability. Guys like throwing in big cams with huge lifts that are making big power but are grossly inefficient.

There's one cam out there from Comp Cams - can't remember which scu - it's such a bad spec but they keep it around because its one of their best selling grinds. The duration is too long for an otherwise streetable LT1 (I realise streetable is a relative term) and the powerband is limiting.

Lous your cam is getting .554 lift with a 226 duration which is a quite streetable and efficient setup (best of both worlds). Although you are achieving that lift with a 1.7 (if not 1.8) ratio rocker. On top of things you've got an engine that can actually burn up most of that fuel mixture!

For the LT1's unless you care nothing for gas prices or powerband, a cam with greater than 230 duration is not ideal. Streetability in the sense driveability (engine smoothness) is another issue - us Gen II guys have got it tough. The LS1's with their coil per cylinder ignition and reverse firing order are extremely smooth cars. I've seen Vette's with .600+ lift cams that idle as smooth as a big ass Caddy. The LT1's are much butchier and even though getting some cam chug is fun, the fact is you can attain that characteristic with an efficient cam.

When I dump my hot cam this winter I'm going with a custom grind that's going to yeild about a .580-.590 lift with a duration around 220 (218 maybe, but with as much lift possible). Believe me it'll still chug at idle but I'll have a heck of a lot more usable power than some pig cam with a really long duration. Think about it - the longer your valves are open the greater overlap you start to get between intke & exhaust whereby fuel goes right out the intake valve and into the exhaust valve. Sure you can make more power with a BIGGER cam but why not make similar power by actually burning all the gas with a more efficient setup.

My car is not a daily driver but I do cruise around and drive in traffic. In the future when I either buy a project Z or go full out racing with mine (and get it towed to the track on a trailer lol) then sure I'll be doing a .700+ lift solid roller with a duration as high as it wants because the thing will be operating above 4500 RPM anyways (and always, right). AND, if I'm rich enough to be enjoying that type of hobby I won't be worried about the gas milleage I get from containers of 110 octane racing fuel!

EDIT: where's my brain, the cam spec I'm working out is 218-220 duration with .575-.590 lift.

[Mr. Luos]

Originally Posted by DVS LT1

Lous your cam is getting .554 lift with a 226 duration which is a quite streetable and efficient setup (best of both worlds). Although you are achieving that lift with a 1.7 (if not 1.8) ratio rocker. On top of things you've got an engine that can actually burn up most of that fuel mixture!

My old cam.

New one is a 248/254 629/622 113.

[nastyNater]

hey I agree w/ DVS LT1. He summarized the camshaft way faster than i couldve. i just didnt feel like typing that much. well said...

[DVS LT1]

Originally Posted by Mr. Luos

My old cam.

New one is a 248/254 629/622 113.

NICE Luos - that's crazy!
I bet she still runs smooth though, compared to any other SBC with a cam that big.

You know for all my ramblings there's still the kid in me that gets excited about big cams, lol. He starts saying, "Fuck it - convert to a shaft mount 1.7+ rocker system and do up that solid roller boy!"

What kind of power is your engine making now with that cam - was that cam in the motor you're selling or will it be in the iron block you're building up?