Is a cam upgrade worth the money?
Discussion
xover said:
I want to get more sound, power and enjoyment out of my car. The supercharger upgrade is costly so I figured maybe just get the cam done, can anyone who has gone from exhaust upgrade to cam advise on how it sounds and feels and whether they think it was money well spent?
Depends on the cam, depends on other mods, depends how much you're being charged and depends on how much they're charging to re-tune after the cam swap.On it's own...a cam swap is not a cheap option really and to reap the most from it, it really benefits from other supporting mods.
IMO - the cam is a fantastic upgrade, but not cheap so I won't comment on value for money.
You get the lopey idle, crackling overrun and depending on your cam choice more power and or more torque.
I think the stock LS2 lacks urgency and isn't overly willing to rev, a good cam will wake it up and it'll pull like it should
You get the lopey idle, crackling overrun and depending on your cam choice more power and or more torque.
I think the stock LS2 lacks urgency and isn't overly willing to rev, a good cam will wake it up and it'll pull like it should
When you say full exhaust, I assume you mean headers as well, as they're a must to get the full benefit of the cam. Otherwise, with full exhaust and uprated cold air intake, you already appear to have most of the supporting mods, so if thats you're bag, go for it, I very much doubt you'll regret it. You could get a FAST intake as well, but thats small beer in terms of gains, over the other mods and the cam itself (though it does give some tasty engine bay bling).
Although I have a cam, I can't really comment subjectively on the difference it makes solo as I also had a lot of other stuff done at the same time, but know those that have gone that route, generally haven't regretted it, especially if you go for the more aggressive cam option.
Although I have a cam, I can't really comment subjectively on the difference it makes solo as I also had a lot of other stuff done at the same time, but know those that have gone that route, generally haven't regretted it, especially if you go for the more aggressive cam option.
blue666uk said:
When you say full exhaust, I assume you mean headers as well, as they're a must to get the full benefit of the cam. Otherwise, with full exhaust and uprated cold air intake, you already appear to have most of the supporting mods, so if thats you're bag, go for it, I very much doubt you'll regret it. You could get a FAST intake as well, but thats small beer in terms of gains, over the other mods and the cam itself (though it does give some tasty engine bay bling).
Although I have a cam, I can't really comment subjectively on the difference it makes solo as I also had a lot of other stuff done at the same time, but know those that have gone that route, generally haven't regretted it, especially if you go for the more aggressive cam option.
Thanks for the response.Although I have a cam, I can't really comment subjectively on the difference it makes solo as I also had a lot of other stuff done at the same time, but know those that have gone that route, generally haven't regretted it, especially if you go for the more aggressive cam option.
That's right I have the headers.
So what's the deal? More low end torque and a decent idle sound?
How much did you pay to have it done and where?
I Had the Cam and Lifters Done At Monkfish with Full Exhaust Headers, CAI, Ripshifter, QuickRak and A New Rad at the same time so can't remember what the breakdown on prices were.
However Torque, Power, Drive ability and Noise (Rice Krispies - Crackles and Pops on Over-run) and Smiles Per Gallon are ALL Way UP!
Even Tiff Loved It.
Do It
However Torque, Power, Drive ability and Noise (Rice Krispies - Crackles and Pops on Over-run) and Smiles Per Gallon are ALL Way UP!
Even Tiff Loved It.
Do It
xover said:
monkfish1 said:
Ideally you would want to be doing an intake manifold too.
What is the main advantage here?Expensive power if you are paying labour to someone else to do, but well worthwhile if you can do it yourself.
Intake gives better air flow and a bit more power on top. The LS2 intake is not very good, plus you can then later install a bigger throttle body as the new intake can take bigger than stock one. If you then want more you can go for a cold air intake too.
See how you can suddenly get sucked into this modding lark?
MyM8V8 said:
xover said:
monkfish1 said:
Ideally you would want to be doing an intake manifold too.
What is the main advantage here?Expensive power if you are paying labour to someone else to do, but well worthwhile if you can do it yourself.
Intake gives better air flow and a bit more power on top. The LS2 intake is not very good, plus you can then later install a bigger throttle body as the new intake can take bigger than stock one. If you then want more you can go for a cold air intake too.
See how you can suddenly get sucked into this modding lark?
If going for a cam, the LS2 intake manifold will limit what you get out of the cam upgrade. Don't get me wrong, it'll still be an improvement, but less than it could have been.
Personally I've not seen much evidence that a throttle body bigger than the LS2's standard 92mm really does much at the sort of power levels you'll be at without also upgrading the heads, which is significant money in parts alone.
Your fuel consumption will be impacted as well, just in case that's a consideration.
In my experience, replacing the LS2 manifold with a FAST102 contributed to a noticeable improvement in the sense of urgency at around 4,000rpm, which I wasn't expecting.
xover,
If you go for these mods keep us all posted. I keep looking at the cam pac options and dreaming..if only. There seems to be so much power available in these kits.
I have quite a few mods on my car now, and would love a cam kit, but I really need to sort my brakes out first! and as ever that is big money in anyone's book.
There is also a little voice that keeps saying..you have had the car for nearly 10 years..and spent a fortune on it....when are you going to stop? the cars worth more in bits...
....umm maybe that little voice is right?.....bummer!
If you go for these mods keep us all posted. I keep looking at the cam pac options and dreaming..if only. There seems to be so much power available in these kits.
I have quite a few mods on my car now, and would love a cam kit, but I really need to sort my brakes out first! and as ever that is big money in anyone's book.
There is also a little voice that keeps saying..you have had the car for nearly 10 years..and spent a fortune on it....when are you going to stop? the cars worth more in bits...
....umm maybe that little voice is right?.....bummer!
xover said:
blue666uk said:
When you say full exhaust, I assume you mean headers as well, as they're a must to get the full benefit of the cam. Otherwise, with full exhaust and uprated cold air intake, you already appear to have most of the supporting mods, so if thats you're bag, go for it, I very much doubt you'll regret it. You could get a FAST intake as well, but thats small beer in terms of gains, over the other mods and the cam itself (though it does give some tasty engine bay bling).
Although I have a cam, I can't really comment subjectively on the difference it makes solo as I also had a lot of other stuff done at the same time, but know those that have gone that route, generally haven't regretted it, especially if you go for the more aggressive cam option.
Thanks for the response.Although I have a cam, I can't really comment subjectively on the difference it makes solo as I also had a lot of other stuff done at the same time, but know those that have gone that route, generally haven't regretted it, especially if you go for the more aggressive cam option.
That's right I have the headers.
So what's the deal? More low end torque and a decent idle sound?
How much did you pay to have it done and where?
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