Moe's Cam thread sparked this one. I'm in no position to actually follow-through on this ($ reasons) but found it to be a good topic of discussion... and a great 'forum' for some vendors to chime in too! With a stock 6.1 motor and a blower (Vortech in my case), what cam would be a solid performance upgrade and a mechanically safe pairing (considering stock bottom end)?
My new one. :bye: In all seriousness, again it depends on what you want. I don't have axles and I don't run drag radials, so I went with more of a top-end cam. I know Cam went with a cam that's technically smaller than mine, but creates more torque down low because he has all the needed hardware to run it. The issue with a blower cam is that you want less overlap (higher LSA) because the intake charge is being pushed into the cylinder instead of being drawn by the intake stroke and exiting exhaust (scavenge).
Exactly! Jason, other cams will work as well as the stock one it's just some are better for forced induction than others for making max power.
Thanks gents! OK, where can I find a good writeup on what makes a cam 'tick', as in info on LSA (overlap), etc. I have no idea what those terms refer to. Lastly, what cam would you all recommend, considering my rear end is stock (with no DR's)? My ideal power band is mid-high, as the blower will already give me 'too much' power down low and I won't get traction off the line anyway.
If your running a stock motor, I'd stick with a stock cam. The stock pistons and rods are aren't going to allow you to run much boost anyway. Your car will run it's best with high CR and low boost with a stock motor. Running a cam might increase your cylinder pressure to much. If you don't forge the bottom end, save the cam and install money toward upgrading later.
Jason, These should get you started on understanding the cam shaft, not Cam's shaft so don't get that excited. Lift (generally 5**/5**) - how far down the valve is at fully open Duration (i.e. 214/218) - the degrees of rotation that during which the valve is opening, open, then closing. Basically, how long its off the valve seat. Lobe separation angle (114) - the distance between the intake lobe and exhaust lobe, determines how long both valves are open at the same time, called overlap. Cams with more overlap scavenge better and perform better at higher RPMS. A lower lobe separation angle tends to make the idle more lopey. In general, more aggressive cams have higher lift and/or duration which means more air enters the cylinder. Then the issue of cam timing comes into play, which is a bit more advanced. Here's some light reading: http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=41464 http://www.compcams.com/Community/Ar...p?ID=783188293 http://www.compcams.com/Community/Ar...ID=-2026144213 http://www.compcams.com/Community/Ar...ID=-1573211141
well said hal!!!! i have heard many say that when running a stock internaled 6.1, best just to leave in the stock cam when going f/i.
