Fun with cams
11-01-2005, 05:59 PM
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Fun with cams
Ok its my first post on here so don't knock me too bad. Anyways I have a 2000 Tahoe (new body) with the 5.3 4x4. The truck has 130k miles on her but runs flawlessly. Not leaks, excellent compression testing results, no noises, no oil eating etc. The miles are true highway miles and the truck hasn't been stressed by the past owners at all (I know them personally).
Mods so far are:
-JBA cat-back exhaust
-"Custom" built K&N intake
-TB Bypass
-Accel 9000 8mm plug wires
-Bosch vr-4 spark plugs (I think that is the name)
I haven't had it too long so I'm working evenly on cosmetics and power. I've decided finally that I'd like to get a cam and all the relevant stuff with it. Before you yell and tell me to "GO READ THE BOARDS!" I will say that I've spent a good 6 hours reading them and I know a good bit about cams now. Well I'm just looking to get some opinions for which cam to get. I know it is a "personal choice" but if you guys have some experience then I'd like to hear it.
What I'm looking for is follows:
-More low-end increase rather than top end. Tahoe's aren't dragsters and I don't intend to make myself one. Just something that will get me going a little better and give a little more kick when I hit the gas. Just something to help this 5.3 feel a little more confident. I rarely put the truck about 4000 rpm so low end will be better for my towing and small sprints. So basically more drivability but with the strength to pull when asked.
What I've been looking at:
-For the cam I'm looking at the specific sizes:
1) TR's 214/220 .600/.525 115+2 LSA - This one seems to be the most "easy" and logical choice for mild improvement. Since I don't have headers this cam apparently will still work optimally and give a nice kick. No programming required either.
2) TR's 220/220 .551/.551 114 LSA - If I',m going to do a cam then I might as well do it right. Well for this one I know I'll need a new stall and probably new headers for the best gain. I'd also need to get it reprogrammed.
***Spring will obviously be changed and I might chage out the rocker arms, push rods nd other things as I see fit due to the miles of the truck.
Which one would you guys recommend? I know the 220/220 will give bigger gains but will they be that huge and justified by the extra cost of the stall, programming and misc. parts. I'm willing to do the work but need to know if I can justify the extra money and time. As I said earlier I'm not looking for a pocket rocket. I can just jump in my dad's "weekend toy" being an '03 S2000 with a votech SC (435hp in a 2700 lb car!). I just want more guts from the truck and make it a little more fun...
An advice would be great!!
Mods so far are:
-JBA cat-back exhaust
-"Custom" built K&N intake
-TB Bypass
-Accel 9000 8mm plug wires
-Bosch vr-4 spark plugs (I think that is the name)
I haven't had it too long so I'm working evenly on cosmetics and power. I've decided finally that I'd like to get a cam and all the relevant stuff with it. Before you yell and tell me to "GO READ THE BOARDS!" I will say that I've spent a good 6 hours reading them and I know a good bit about cams now. Well I'm just looking to get some opinions for which cam to get. I know it is a "personal choice" but if you guys have some experience then I'd like to hear it.
What I'm looking for is follows:
-More low-end increase rather than top end. Tahoe's aren't dragsters and I don't intend to make myself one. Just something that will get me going a little better and give a little more kick when I hit the gas. Just something to help this 5.3 feel a little more confident. I rarely put the truck about 4000 rpm so low end will be better for my towing and small sprints. So basically more drivability but with the strength to pull when asked.
What I've been looking at:
-For the cam I'm looking at the specific sizes:
1) TR's 214/220 .600/.525 115+2 LSA - This one seems to be the most "easy" and logical choice for mild improvement. Since I don't have headers this cam apparently will still work optimally and give a nice kick. No programming required either.
2) TR's 220/220 .551/.551 114 LSA - If I',m going to do a cam then I might as well do it right. Well for this one I know I'll need a new stall and probably new headers for the best gain. I'd also need to get it reprogrammed.
***Spring will obviously be changed and I might chage out the rocker arms, push rods nd other things as I see fit due to the miles of the truck.
Which one would you guys recommend? I know the 220/220 will give bigger gains but will they be that huge and justified by the extra cost of the stall, programming and misc. parts. I'm willing to do the work but need to know if I can justify the extra money and time. As I said earlier I'm not looking for a pocket rocket. I can just jump in my dad's "weekend toy" being an '03 S2000 with a votech SC (435hp in a 2700 lb car!). I just want more guts from the truck and make it a little more fun...
An advice would be great!!
11-01-2005, 06:17 PM
#2
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You will lose low end with both of those cams, and besides, if you rarely go above 4K RPM, most of the power on either of those cams will be wasted on you, as that's just when they start to shine (3000-6500 RPM or so).
Also, unless you plan on getting an aftermarket torque converter that stalls higher than 1500 RPM, you will be very disappointed, especially with the 220/220. Instead of gaining low end, you will lose it.
I will suggest that you seriously consider the cam in my sig. It was ground for a big, heavy vehicle that has no plans for an aftermarket torque converter. Like you said you wanted, I gained low end with this cam, and could still pull to over 6K RPM if I wanted to.
If you call or contact Cam Motion, talk to Terry and tell him Kevin with the Avalanche sent you.
Also, unless you plan on getting an aftermarket torque converter that stalls higher than 1500 RPM, you will be very disappointed, especially with the 220/220. Instead of gaining low end, you will lose it.
I will suggest that you seriously consider the cam in my sig. It was ground for a big, heavy vehicle that has no plans for an aftermarket torque converter. Like you said you wanted, I gained low end with this cam, and could still pull to over 6K RPM if I wanted to.
If you call or contact Cam Motion, talk to Terry and tell him Kevin with the Avalanche sent you.
11-01-2005, 06:24 PM
#3
Rregardless you need a custom tune to take full advantage of the cam and also it will help with the driveablity. WIth a Nelson Performance tune you can expect almost a 30 rwhp increase with JUST the tune then the gains you get with the cam. Headers are going to be expensive for your SUV since its 4wd I got mine from another member on the board here so I got lucky. You are looking at atleast 600 bucks for long tube headers. I would do the cam Nakedav recommended and also a Nelson tune he will make your tahoe run a million time better. ALso aftermarket rockers are not needed. Just get some comp 918 springs and a set fo hardened pushrods. The pushrods arent necessary for your app but in my opiion are cheap insurance.
11-01-2005, 08:01 PM
#5
NakedAV's cam sounds about right for what you're looking for, that or one like mine. I'm sure his cam makes better power than mine due to the increased lift though. If you're looking for low end torque in a heavy truck you don't want to go too big on the intake duration.
11-01-2005, 08:44 PM
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formerly 1BADC10 (12/14/2011)
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Just got my Comp 269Xtreme (216/220 .525/.532 114*) this evening.
918 springs is a must. Retainer & pushrod replacement isn't necessary, but as one of the previous posts stated, it's good insurance if you're adding more power adders later.
Now, feel free to chime in on this, but after talking with a few "old heads" about timing, I'm told that advancing the cam will move more power toward the low end, and retardin' will move it toward the top end. Not to seem like I'm doubting knowledge, but shed some light on those that are unaware.
918 springs is a must. Retainer & pushrod replacement isn't necessary, but as one of the previous posts stated, it's good insurance if you're adding more power adders later.
Now, feel free to chime in on this, but after talking with a few "old heads" about timing, I'm told that advancing the cam will move more power toward the low end, and retardin' will move it toward the top end. Not to seem like I'm doubting knowledge, but shed some light on those that are unaware.
11-01-2005, 08:48 PM
#7
What's a cam?.....
NakedAV knows from practical experience. If he says his 8 million pound truck reacted well to that cam then it did. Learning cam talk is like learning Chinese. I hate cams. 210/218 @.050 52* 116lsa That's Vinci's Ultra Torque. Seems like exactly what he's looking for. Decisions, decisions....
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11-01-2005, 09:10 PM
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Well I definately found the right place for help... 
Ok well I've learned so far the being indecisive about buying a cam is as much a part of the process as putting it in!
I'll definately give Cam Motion a call and see what they say. As I see it now there are quite a few cams out there that I can use. Too many to be exact. I'm thinking that if I got with something that has an in between 205 and 214 and and exhaust roughly 6-10 more than my in then I should be fine. 918's , new rods, etc will definately happen and maybe some new rockers. I'm jsut a little concerned with the fact that the truck has 130k miles on it. I know I said I wanted more "torque" which I meant to mean driveability but please don't think that I'm like your grandma maxing out at 45 in the fast lane of a 65 mph highway (which I'm usually running 80...). I'm 21, in college, usually the guy riding your *** to move from the fast lane, and enjoying throwing the trucks weight around, etc. I know the Hoe won't fly, that is why I take my dad's S2000 out every now and then. I tow a little and do some light 4x'ing. I will say though that although I want more "drivability", I wouldn't mind having a little more kick while plowing down the onramp or passing that grandma on a two lane road. The truck shouldn't have to kick down on a hill to maintain speed...I'm mild mannered but sometimes it is fun to "vent" and venting with a more powerful Hoe is alot more fun!
Keep the suggestions coming! I'm only getting slightly overwhelmed by now!...
Ok well I've learned so far the being indecisive about buying a cam is as much a part of the process as putting it in!
I'll definately give Cam Motion a call and see what they say. As I see it now there are quite a few cams out there that I can use. Too many to be exact. I'm thinking that if I got with something that has an in between 205 and 214 and and exhaust roughly 6-10 more than my in then I should be fine. 918's , new rods, etc will definately happen and maybe some new rockers. I'm jsut a little concerned with the fact that the truck has 130k miles on it. I know I said I wanted more "torque" which I meant to mean driveability but please don't think that I'm like your grandma maxing out at 45 in the fast lane of a 65 mph highway (which I'm usually running 80...). I'm 21, in college, usually the guy riding your *** to move from the fast lane, and enjoying throwing the trucks weight around, etc. I know the Hoe won't fly, that is why I take my dad's S2000 out every now and then. I tow a little and do some light 4x'ing. I will say though that although I want more "drivability", I wouldn't mind having a little more kick while plowing down the onramp or passing that grandma on a two lane road. The truck shouldn't have to kick down on a hill to maintain speed...I'm mild mannered but sometimes it is fun to "vent" and venting with a more powerful Hoe is alot more fun!
Keep the suggestions coming! I'm only getting slightly overwhelmed by now!...
11-01-2005, 09:17 PM
#9
You dont need new rods you need new pushrods big difference just makin sure ur clear on this. I dont know how motor savy you are. IMO the stock rockers are fine, save your money for other htings. Im only going to after market rockers due to the engien that I am building with a decently high lift cam and will be revving the **** out of it(ie 7000rpms).
11-01-2005, 09:29 PM
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1slow01Z71 sorry about that I meant pushrod I just got lazy and left off the first 4 letters. The one that works the valves via the cam. I can find my way around an engine just fine it is just the specifics I'm learning more and more about as I get more curious and into it. Grandfather used to be a pit crew chief for Indy, my dad has owned pro-stock race teams (camaros back in the late 80's early 90's) and raced formula fords and has worked for Chip Ganassi. I've been around cars all my life and I guess it kind of runs in my blood for better or worse!
So your basically saying that with this small of a cam rockers aren't necessary, regardless of miles on th truck? Should I at least look into refreshing them or doing something to help them out a bit? I'm not going to be straining the engine but as was stated by the guys earlier I'd like the insurance or if nothing else the piece of mind knowing that it will be OK.
So your basically saying that with this small of a cam rockers aren't necessary, regardless of miles on th truck? Should I at least look into refreshing them or doing something to help them out a bit? I'm not going to be straining the engine but as was stated by the guys earlier I'd like the insurance or if nothing else the piece of mind knowing that it will be OK.