Cadillac Owners Forum banner

Help me pick a CAM and accessories for my Maggie'd V

5K views 52 replies 17 participants last post by  CTS-Voodoo 
#1 ·
I need to start making up my Christmas list for the wifey so I figured I could start putting this together as headers will milk me and no way I'm getting 1200 bucks or more for headers for Christmas :D

I obviously want performance first, but I really do like the choppy, lopey sound of some CAMS. My Caddy is not my DD and I really don't care about gas mileage but I don't want something too difficult to drive and on the verge of dying due to such high duration/lift.

A: What CAM would be best for me? (keep in mind, I'm not so technical so break it down potato-head style for me).

B: Will I need springs (duals/singles?), lifters, rods, anything internal to the heads to support the CAM? If so, what will I need to look for and where?(links would be great :D)

C: Aside from the CAM and any accessories in the head, anything else I can do at the same time? I will be adding a 160 thermostat at the same time. I guess I'll need a source for that too. Probably not that hard to find.

My goal here is to come up with a parts list that I can use to allow the wife to pick and choose some gifts!

Thanks in advance and any and all info is certainly appreciated.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
WE can build a custom cam just for you ,we have a few members here and a bunch in the gtos,we are THE GO TO GUYS in the maggie arena and we have continually made more power than any one when it comes to adding a cam to the maggied ls motors.You can have it all,great sound perfect idle and huge power gains.Our kitts come complete with cam,pushrods,springs and retainers,all in on package just for you,we will seperated for your wife so you can open 3 seperate gifts ..LOL...The package price is a little less than $1000 but it is the highest of quality.Let us know if we can help.
 
#3 ·
Dude, your not done fixing your fueling,,,and your already looking for cam/headers :eek: Your badass lol :thumbsup:

From what I've read, you shouldn't get too big of a cam with FI. Someone will give you much better advice on this though.
What I do know is if your getting a cam, overdrive your crank pulley. Then you can toss the idea of the 2.6 and not worry about belt slipping. 8" crank pulley should give you a bit more boost than a 2.6". <<<Got that from Randy.

I'm assuming the cam/headers should make it easier on the engine when your running more boost. I'd get a Meth kit, as cheap insurance.

You should be up around 500rwhp, and real good torque with that setup. Just make sure your installer is real good. I'd hate for you to fall into mod hell again.

I might treat myself to a lil something this Christmas. I like the idea of a 90mm setup. But,,,,,and don't tell anyone,,,,,it's probably a better idea to let her exhale better before I shove more air down her throat.

Good luck with everything

Tony
 
#4 ·
I obviously want performance first, but I really do like the choppy, lopey sound of some CAMS. My Caddy is not my DD and I really don't care about gas mileage but I don't want something too difficult to drive and on the verge of dying due to such high duration/lift.

A: What CAM would be best for me? (keep in mind, I'm not so technical so break it down potato-head style for me).

B: Will I need springs (duals/singles?), lifters, rods, anything internal to the heads to support the CAM? If so, what will I need to look for and where?(links would be great :D)

C: Aside from the CAM and any accessories in the head, anything else I can do at the same time? I will be adding a 160 thermostat at the same time. I guess I'll need a source for that too. Probably not that hard to find.

My goal here is to come up with a parts list that I can use to allow the wife to pick and choose some gifts!

Thanks in advance and any and all info is certainly appreciated.
A: 220-230 duration will keep the car on the stockish side to drive. Above 230 and the car will become more and more of a race car quick. Give you an example- a 224/224 isnt bad and the power would come on in nearly a stock fashion. A 224/230 will have better overlap and will start bringing the power in around 3k. 230 and up brings that power in around 4k lol trust me, my 233/239 comes in a little at 3,300 and then turns into a damn rocket ship at 4k. I would describe the drive as 80% of stock manners, but the idle is so worth the minor annoyances. For what you're talking about I would say a 226/230 or a 230/236 would be your max on duration.

B. Springs are based on lift. Most cams are right around .590 or .600 but I've seen guys run .630 on stock pistons (watch your clearances). LS engines are NOTORIOUS for being asthmatic on the induction side so most cams are setup .610 intake, .595 exhaust or something along those lines to make up for it. I would reccomend calling up someone like comp, texas speed or livernois motorsports and picking up a set of at least .650 rated springs. Mine are dual .700 max, I was being overly paranoid.:eek:

C: Ported oil pump, aftermarket roller timing chain and sprockets, roller rockers, 160 thermo. Texas speed will have all of these (its where i got all of mine ;))

D: Lobe separation angle: This is critical in how the car runs. A tight (lower number) LSA will produce more torque and more of the "poppy" or "muscle car" sound. Typically a 112 LSA will make an LS engine sound nearly the same as a hopped up 67 camaro. A 113 will sound a little more mellow (and be easier to tune) a 114 will be even more mellow, a 116 is stock on the z06 cams and a 118 is about what every stock car uses on the planet. LSAs lower than 112 on EFI isn't recommended as the computer REALLY doesn't like it.

That said, a 226/230 .610 .600 113LSA would probably be very driveable and still sound scary as hell. It would bring the power in hard around 3500. If you wanted a more poppy sound 112LSA. Realistically on an LS6 with headers youre looking at about 400/375 rear wheel so figure about 470/450 crank.

Now that I've sold you on traditional huge cams, Reverse overlap is another cam that does well in LS motors. They boast GREAT overall power but they sound funky. :suspect: Thunder Racing's 230/224 is a great example of this. I don't know how much you're trying to make your car play "hot for teacher's" intro via its exhaust tips - if thats the goal however you'll want to stay away from these.
 
#5 ·
^^^ He is FI.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Ah, well then that changes EVERYTHING! Since hes running a maggie he can push the duration quite a bit. All that added air equals fake cubes as far as the heads are concerned, so bigger is better! I would say something like a 239/243 with .620 .620 114LSA will be solid for a daily driven street machine. That would probably start to really push around 3k but you could further widen the power band (slight drop in max power) by extending the duration out to 239/245. Another good choice might be something like a 242/248 .620 .620 114LSA, this will push the main portion of the power further up the RPM band, probably starting closer to 4k.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I need to start making up my Christmas list for the wifey so I figured I could start putting this together as headers will milk me and no way I'm getting 1200 bucks or more for headers for Christmas :D
Hellzzz Yeah!!!! I love my cam. You will see a lower boost # with a cam & headers, but nothing a od pulley won't take care of. The pulley is my next mod. Here is my video again and one from after I got it tuned. Both vids are with the off road pipes.


[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]
 
#9 · (Edited)
LG G5X1 with a 112LSA all the way....excellent blower cam and stock ci cam. Seriously do your research on this one. Specs: 228/232 duration and .588/.574 lift. Very linear and still offers lots of power. Most gains are right around 40-45whp/30-35wtq on STOCK LS engines. With combination of headers and exhaust gains are another 30@ the wheels. Trust me, do your homework on this one and call or email LG. VERY helpful guys and offer everything you need
 
#11 · (Edited)
Im sure you want more lobe separation with a blower than 112. LG cams are great... have a g5x-3 in my ls1 myself. but 114 lsa or higher better for blowers. and have HIGH exhaust lifts and duration to remove all that boosted intake air. To have a higher intake lift and or duration than the exhaust side doesnt make much sense.

If you look at Comps Blower cam for EPP its LSA is 115... which is much more ideal in my opinion for a blower, with more exhaust tailoring...to match all that boost on the intake side.
ref epp:http://www.exoticperformanceplus.com/performance_parts/index.html?item=679

Cams are tough as specs dont tell the entire story... rarely companies provide the ramp rates etc that shows the real characteristics of the cam and you can visually see the grind.

Suggest
1. higher exhaust lift than intake
2. longer exhaust duration than intake
3. 114LSA or higher (higher as in 114, 115, 116)

4. remember to change them valvetrain components to handle new lifts and durations.
5. make sure piston to valve clearance is acceptable
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the info guys! I'll do my research definitely and I'm sure I'll be back with some questions :D
 
#21 ·
Oh I know I could have gotten bigger. This is a baby cam compared to my last lol This cam was actually part of the package deal when I bought my short block so I thought what the hell. People have had good luck with them so why not?
 
#22 ·
Any opinions on the VRX2 Cam from vengeance racing (224/228 .581/.588 114 LSA)
 
#28 ·
What do you guys think about this one? 224 / 228 .610 .590 - 115+2 LSA
My installer recommends it. I need to pass emissions and am afraid that a larger CAM ie the EPP Blower Comp: 232 / 240 .595 / .608 - 115 will give me problems in passing emissions. Another thing to note is that I will be on E85 which should help with emission testing.
 
#31 ·
Well the E85 has a higher octane content, so provided you dont care about mileage, (youll get about 30% less mileage on E85, but the power potential is definetely there.) you'll be set. The 115 will sound stockish and will provide plenty of wiggle room for the forced induction. Honestly, I think a 232/240 115 would pass smog in california, but it would be close. What it really comes down to is how good your tuner is.
 
#30 ·
I'm pretty sure its both. Also, we have those drive by sniffers at randomly changing locations.
 
#32 ·
I emailed Bob at EPP and he says that it should pass emissions. I'm leaning towards his CAM as of now.
 
#33 ·
The EPP 232/240 cam you mentioned will make more power in the upper rpms than the AIR Emax 224/228 115lsa+2 Cam. If EPP says it will pass emmissions then it will be my job to get you to pass. ;) The E85 helps. wont lie. the emax cam will be easier to pass on the tough CO emmissions sniffer. Or Go custom grind. 228/234 115lsa
 
#34 ·
hmmmmmmm

What would you do Clint?
 
#35 ·
Hm-m ... haven't read this thread yet till now. Good stuff, here. I understand cams, but have zero experience with them so have little to add. Love reading these posts about them.

Deedubb, whatever cam you do, I'd choose one that assumes headers, 'cause you will want them sooner not later once you get this all sorted out. Not to mention they'll make your car sound fabulous with hi-flow cats.

Also, find out about the emissions testing. Ted's advice, above, is right on.
 
#36 ·
Well i am runnin a NA setup with high flow heads and high compression. My current cam is a 226/234 LSA of 115 with a 0.595 lift. My next cam i hear is a MONSTER Pops hard and doesnt lobe... Its 235/235 with a LSA of 111 and lift of about 0.600 Made serious power on a LS2 with L92 heads...This will be my break above 400HP... :-D And you are right the power really kicks in at around 3500, but i think there has to be a better way of gettin great power midway and up top

Meth is good for heat control, dont think its a power adder, but a power regainer...It reduces the heat thus reducin the spark retardin...
 
#39 ·
Wait, a 235/235 with a 111 doesn't sit there sounding like street cousin of a dragster? Really? I figured you'd be able to idle out the intro to hot for teacher like my car does.

So then the benefit of same duration intake/exhaust lobes is a smoother idle, though once upon a time I was told you want a little overlap in there to allow extra cylinder time, in any case, I want to see a video of it once you got it in there.
 
#40 ·
The 235 / 235 on a 111lsa has 13 Deg of overlap. So you'll be hearing some choppyness there for sure, weather you call it popping, or Loping, you'll hear it. !!! The cam you had before had right at Zero Deg of overlap, but I bet was still choppy.. Emax cam has -4 deg of overlap, but still has some chop. Deedubb wont bleed out any boost with the Emax cam and will have an easier time passing emissions. Will provide power right off idle and flow to 6300 + rpms... The EPP cam with her 6 deg of overlap I estimate will more more power from 4000+ rpms over the Emax, might have less power below 3000 rpms, and have a harder time passing the sniffer. Cam to Cam, I think the EPP will put down about 10RWHP more on the top side, all things being equal. If Deedubb wants a choppier idle, and higher hp in the upper rpms, then EPP cam is the way to go, but still will be interesting to try to make her pass.

Anyone out there passing emissions with a 232 / 240 cam..? I know you use denatured alcohol and gas mix and or special open loop tune, but what about straight up passing without messing with the tune or putting additives in the fuel.? I'm wondering myself.
 
#42 ·
Guys, just wanted to thank you all for the informative thread. SNAGGED!
 
G
#44 ·
i'm going with a 224 /.550 on 114* for my maggie install.

most of the stuff you guys are throwing out there seems waaay too big and i think will be too radical to really enjoy this type of car. i personally am not looking for an erratic idle and terrible bottom end manners in a car i drive every day.

the cam in my rans am is only 234 / .600 on 115 and its making 1200 horse. shit it made 800 to the tires on a stock 1998 f body cam.

what i'm saying is let the blower make the hp. get the cam to suit your ears and powerband requirements.
 
G
#45 ·
oops, and its getting comp 918 springs and an slp 160* t-stat to avoid the hit or miss people have with the mr. gasket t-stat.

i am considering throwing on a ported throttle body while i'm at it.. along with a g-force axle.

i didnt read all of your posts, so hopefully you have an aftermarket clutch all ready, or at least one on deck.
 
#46 ·
Ive always enjoyed watching and hearing about your car MM. And I know you made sick power with your turbo setup, I even plagerized your Duel Walbro Setup w/braded line for my own personal car 9 years ago, hope you don't mind.. ;-)

Problem is Deedubb's Mag112 is nearly maxed out as it is and putting down 430 corrected in this thin air in Denver. No other supporting mods. With a Goal of 500rwhp, a cam, exhaust work, e85, and meth should get him there, I just dont want him to go too big on the cam, and sacrifice low rpm driveability and possibly not pass the sniffer. But it's his car, I'll throw in and tune whatever he would like. ;-)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top