LS3 cam for daily driver

LS3 cam for daily driver

Author
Discussion

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

217 months

Monday 22nd April 2013
quotequote all
Hi,

I have been looking into LS3 crate engines and whilst the 480 seems to be the most popular option the 525 with the ASA cam and uprated valve springs isn't much more money. But, will the ASA cam have good enough manners for an everyday driver or would a milder cam (will less power) be a better choice?

The ASA cam is 226/236 .525/.525 lift on a 110-deg lobe. Have any of the LSx based builds gone with a similar cam option and can any details of the idle/low rev range throttle response be given?

In comparison the 480 cam is 219/228 .525/.525 lift on a 112-deg lobe.

I think I will be going with a 6 speed T56 magnum gearbox so the mpg should still be reasonable on long drives even with the more aggressive cam.

Tim.

wadsapple

3,346 posts

194 months

Monday 22nd April 2013
quotequote all
I have just taken out an ASA cam and it was perfectly ok at low speeds so would be fine in my opinion for road use.

Brummmie

5,284 posts

228 months

Monday 22nd April 2013
quotequote all
TimJM said:
Hi,

I have been looking into LS3 crate engines and whilst the 480 seems to be the most popular option the 525 with the ASA cam and uprated valve springs isn't much more money. But, will the ASA cam have good enough manners for an everyday driver or would a milder cam (will less power) be a better choice?

The ASA cam is 226/236 .525/.525 lift on a 110-deg lobe. Have any of the LSx based builds gone with a similar cam option and can any details of the idle/low rev range throttle response be given?

In comparison the 480 cam is 219/228 .525/.525 lift on a 112-deg lobe.

I think I will be going with a 6 speed T56 magnum gearbox so the mpg should still be reasonable on long drives even with the more aggressive cam.

Tim.
Thats not a big cam by any means, so should drive nicely, FWIW my cam is a 242/256 .625/.596, but i went to ITB so the low speed was better behaved.

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

217 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2013
quotequote all
In that case the extra 400 odd pounds sounds well worth the 45bhp gain. I would love to see/experience a ls based cerb if anyone is near Telford. Hopefully I will be joining you soon.

V8 GRF

7,294 posts

217 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2013
quotequote all
TimJM said:
In that case the extra 400 odd pounds sounds well worth the 45bhp gain. I would love to see/experience a ls based cerb if anyone is near Telford. Hopefully I will be joining you soon.
I don't know if you've spoken to Sportmotive but iirc they had some issues with fitting the 6 speed box as it was longer than the the T5 and so required some work to make the gearstick fall in the correct position. have you considered the Tremec TKO 500/600, which is a beefed up version of the T5?

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

217 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2013
quotequote all
V8 GRF said:
I don't know if you've spoken to Sportmotive but iirc they had some issues with fitting the 6 speed box as it was longer than the the T5 and so required some work to make the gearstick fall in the correct position. have you considered the Tremec TKO 500/600, which is a beefed up version of the T5?
Yes, I am talking to Sportmotive - the TKO600 was my first choice but the chassis issues will hopefully be rectified as part of the chassis re-design. This then makes getting the gearing right and the diff change less of an issue as you get both a .8 and a .63 gear. They also do a wide ratio option but I don't think this would be as usable for a daily driver. The choices are:
wide ratio (drag strip): (1st-2.97, 2nd-2.10, 3rd-1.46, 4th-1.00, 5th-0.74, 6th-0.50)
normal "protouring" ratio: (1st-2.66, 2nd-1.78, 3rd-1.30, 4th-1.00, 5th-0.80, 6th-0.63)

It's not just gearstick position but also width to pass chassis rails of the larger T56 box (this is a cerb chassis). This is one (but not the only) reason why I am looking to replace the chassis with something a little different from standard. The idea of a Cerbera with its long wheel base on a much stiffer chassis and altered geometry (similar to Sagaris) is very tempting. I am trying to build something that isn't just very fast but also very track capable. Once some more details and the funds are in place I will post up a more complete build thread - currently I am trying to make sure I get the initial decisions right and I have a lot to learn.

V8 GRF

7,294 posts

217 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2013
quotequote all
TimJM said:
Yes, I am talking to Sportmotive -
Cool just wanted to check you were aware of the 'issues' smile

Brummmie

5,284 posts

228 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2013
quotequote all
TimJM said:
In that case the extra 400 odd pounds sounds well worth the 45bhp gain. I would love to see/experience a ls based cerb if anyone is near Telford. Hopefully I will be joining you soon.
I am Birmingham, so not a million, taxed and insured today!! smile

TimJM

Original Poster:

1,497 posts

217 months

Tuesday 23rd April 2013
quotequote all
Brummmie said:
I am Birmingham, so not a million, taxed and insured today!! smile
Great - I would to see you car, it will give me something to aim at for my build.