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Katech heads/cam package?

5K views 40 replies 12 participants last post by  darkman 
#1 ·
Whats up fellas , im looking to get this package done soon

http://www.katechengines.com/performance/vehicles/v1-cts-v/

Anybody have any input as far as the overall performance gain, is there another route i can take? Or what else should i do if i get this done to improve the my performance?. I have the ls2 motor, any input or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
#7 ·
I want to keep the drivability as much as possible, i dont want to go too aggressive with the cam , ive talked to a guy who has worked at katech and he told me the drivability is excellent with the gm cam, and it puts out good numbers. What are other options out there? If u dont mind sharing
 
#8 ·
like, the neighborhood of 600 with heads and cam. I'm looking for something around 550

I thought about the driveability, too, and my buddy with the M5 thinks it ruins the V as a "date car". I disagree completely--if a girl is in the car, you do -not- lose.

the driveability is a handful already--I had to make a light this morning, and the V tried to eat me in 2nd gear. maybe I've learned to goose the throttle from having broken motor mounts for 2 years, and that caused me to stick my foot in it a little excessively...

...but that blurring acceleration, I've only experienced that on a motorcycle. I want more of that, and any girl I'm out with should enjoy that too.

I'm all for driving a monster in a tuxedo.
 
#13 ·
Katech may be a little more pricey, but they are quite well known for their build quality. That's my LS6 in the picture which now has a few more upgrades. As far as the Hotcam goes it performs very well in midrange torque which is a good thing for the heavier V and with a lower lift and a higher overlap, it's a great road course cam. Here is an article on how the Hotcam stacks up to some of the other popular street cams in an LS3. http://www.gmhightechperformance.co...evy_ls3_engine_camshaft_comparison/index.html The donkey dick cams the dyno freeks like to run will beat the LS6 valve train to death after one season of track days so the Hotcam seemed to be a good choice for me.. That being said there are certainly alot of other good cam choices for you. With this setup expect about 420 rwhp on an eddy current dyno.
 
#15 · (Edited)
my numbers from the LA shop are similar to Lingenfelter. I'm thinking about going Lingenfelter. maybe. for the name.

2grand for heads including valves and springs, and cam. supposedly makes 550 without tune, 600ish with. price doesn't include cores
 
#16 ·
The driveability making that kind of power must be terrible. And I have yet to see any Na v1 with an ls2 or ls6 make more than 480whp
 
#19 ·
By all means go for it. It would be cool to see a Na v1 make that kind of power. I just think they must be sacrificing a lot of something to make that kind of power.
 
#22 · (Edited)
i don't believe in forced induction, and only after strenghtening the bottom end... pistons and valve train

I didn't want to mention that, because a lot of people have bolted on forced induction with the stock internals--and they track it. and then post to ask why they're experiencing motor failures and bad symptoms. that's something else I won't do (track it), I think it's just beating on the car.

I think the forced induction of a mild cam is their way of keeping it cadillac/consumer friendly. something else I'm not worried about.

I'm heading to the shop Thursday to talk about duration and specific numbers--asking through my connect would be frustrating, and it's better to go myself now that I'm interested enough.

I might even ask to work there.

what happened to hot rodding, do people not want to make the driveability compromise anymore? it sounds like people think loping is a bad thing.
 
#23 ·
With the heads and cam upgrade , the pushrods, springs , valves etc will also be replaced .,,, as far as the bottom end needing upgrades with a maggie...no, the ls engines have solid bottom ends. But abuse on any motor will eventually do it harm (over revving, missing shifts etc) thats on the drivers terms.
 
#26 ·
As said above, with heads, cam, headers and tune even with a LS2 you will be extremely fortunate to make 435-450 on a competent dyno. With the work I have done (heads, cam, forged, stroked, intake, headers, underdrive pulley, and injectors I couldn't make 500 to the ground. Our cars have a high drivetrain loss and I don't see a stock bottom doing over 475 on our cars.
This being said I hope hope make those numbers, but remember the dyno is a heartbreaker!

Good Luck!
 
#27 · (Edited)
what did I miss?

I knew my forced induction opinion was going to get people. I still think it amounts to car abuse.

so wait... rwhp and hp aren't the same thing/interchangeable??? <--(that's just a troll) I'm only looking to up the power of the motor, and not about the numbers coming out the back. I'm staying open minded, and I appreciate the feedback.

and no I wasn't high--I've been sober for a year. though I still use chewing tobacco

I'll keep you posted, I'm pulling the trigger on this soon.
 
#31 ·
thanks. rather than dyno numbers, my goal is kill my roomie's M5 with heads and cam. I'll probably go with forged pistons just for down the road. it's going to involve a full motor disassembly. I have about 5 weeks before my summer classes start. I'll post what I find out tomorrow after visiting this LS/Vette shop.

 
#34 ·
not at all, I was going to replace bearings and pistons anyway.
There ya go, now you're talking. If you're pulling the engine then stroke that badboy to a 402/408 or something and you'll get your 500+ rwhp and eat up your roommate's m5. :thumbsup:
 
#37 ·
Im taking my car to Katech on monday for them to inspect a strange light knocking sound from the bottom end when i have a load on engine , its very light sound so the tech at katech wants to inspect it. After i find out what that is , (nothing major i hope) , then i will most likely go ahead with a tvs supercharger, after reading a bunch of different topics and posts about the drivability of NA vs Maggie, im leaning more toward the forced induction. Ill keep you guys posted.
 
#38 ·
cam3439 said:
^^+1. I did the maggie with B&B catted full exhaust and CAI then achieved 460rwhp/440rwtq. What a night and day difference, and it's an awesome DD.

So, what's the average drivetrain loss percentage that people are seeing? I'd like to calc. crank hp.
The maggie does make a great dd.

V1's typically dyno around 330-340 stock so about 16% loss. With our maggies that puts us around 530/510 crank.
 
#39 ·
I wish our drivetrains were that efficient. I think we are much closer to a 18-20% loss.
 
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