Please give honest opinions need help

[mikedkelly]

The 0-60 time of that is around what a Toyota Camry TRD gets. Would you put a cam in a Camry?

Just leave it.

Thank you for your comment. lol I don’t know if I agree with that! But thank you

Sponsored

 

[mikedkelly]

Like adding 600 lb of primitive aftermarket mild steel market accessories to replace OE light weight AHSS parts, heavier wheels and tires, then needing to blow $7K on suspension to handle it reliably, then discovering need more power so blowing another $10K on turbo kits, IC and tune to get same acceleration as stock or maybe a tad better.

Growing up on a farm where we had fully equipped shop and Aircraft Tech engineers plus skilled machine shops in town, with never ending engine builds to pass the winter months when not snowmobiling or dirt biking I can personally attest that unless one has a carbed engine with no ECU a cam swap is not worth it unless just want the lumpy idle. Even with carb and no ECU still need headers, exhaust, likely ignition and probably carb upgrade that's $4K min alone on top of cam but you should probably swap out heads as well there's another $2K if lucky.

Agree totally. He is basically arguing that I make it run like shit

 

[not on the rug]

What is your goal for the car?

What's the budget for your build?

Do you want speed? Handling? All-around performance? Sound?

Personally I'm not a fan of those at all, but everyone has their own taste when it comes to looks.

 

[not on the rug]

Thank you for your comment. lol I don’t know if I agree with that! But thank you

They're pretty slow in the modern car world. A new camry is 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds. Pretty much what that car will run. Bassist is 100% correct

 

[bassist]

Thank you for your comment. lol I don’t know if I agree with that! But thank you

Facts are facts.

Toyota RAV4 prime will also be competitive in a 0-60 race with the car in question.

 

[bassist]

They're pretty slow in the modern car world. A new camry is 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds. Pretty much what that car will run. Bassist is 100% correct

The most insane vehicle I had from an acceleration standpoint was a stock WRX.

Faster than my Mustang GT off the line, pulled harder, and when it came time for the turn, took them faster as well.

Shame Subaru let the car wither on the vine.

 

[not on the rug]

The most insane vehicle I had from an acceleration standpoint was a stock WRX.

Faster than my Mustang GT off the line, pulled harder, and when it came time for the turn, took them faster as well.

Shame Subaru let the car wither on the vine.

I had a friend with a nicely built WRX and another with an STI. Both were very fast off the line. Once you drive fast AWD cars you start to realize how the practical application of power to the road makes all the difference in the world.
I've owned a handful of fast, built RWD cars. I've driven a ton of fast RWD cars. I love them for what they are. Hell, my next project build is likely to be a tt or supercharged 370Z. But they just don't apply the power like an AWD car does.

 

[ScLeCo]

Like adding 600 lb of primitive aftermarket mild steel market accessories to replace OE light weight AHSS parts, heavier wheels and tires, then needing to blow $7K on suspension to handle it reliably, then discovering need more power so blowing another $10K on turbo kits, IC and tune to get same acceleration as stock or maybe a tad better.

Growing up on a farm where we had fully equipped shop and Aircraft Tech engineers plus skilled machine shops in town, with never ending engine builds to pass the winter months when not snowmobiling or dirt biking I can personally attest that unless one has a carbed engine with no ECU a cam swap is not worth it unless just want the lumpy idle. Even with carb and no ECU still need headers, exhaust, likely ignition and probably carb upgrade that's $4K min alone on top of cam but you should probably swap out heads as well there's another $2K if lucky.

You're making blanket statements that are not absolute. There are so many variables that it makes adding a cam a per car/person/cam dependent question.

Agree totally. He is basically arguing that I make it run like shit

Based on your comments I don't think you understand enough about cams and engines to make a judgement. That was not what I was saying at all.
I ran a Thunder Racing 231°/234° duration at .050", .640"/.590" lift, and a 112° LSA in a 1999 SS for six months without a tune and it ran beautifully. Of course I gained power with a tune but that's true of a bone stock engine or any performance upgrade. It all depends on the engine, cam specs, and goals.

 

[Squatch]

I don't know how many boyfriends you have, but putting some lope in your idle may be invigorating. It's like a Harley, it doesn't have to be fast with the vibrations of the purposefully "off" engine crank to get her motor going.

Personal choice.

 

[Ninjak]

I'm a Ford guy. The vehicle in my sig, the 68 GTA has a 351w with an Eagle crank, RPM Edlebrock Heads, Holley Street Brawler 681 4 barrel, and yes, Stage 1 Voodoo cam.

Installing a cam in an LS1 is not difficult and is a common modification for most Chevy owners. Now, do you need other mods to go with it? To make it do what it's in there to do, yes. Just to get your rumble on? No. Just like any mods, it's how far you want to go, and what your purpose for the vehicle is.

Considering how easy it is to do a cam in an LS1, I say go for it.

 

[23OBX2.7]

You're making blanket statements that are not absolute. There are so many variables that it makes adding a cam a per car/person/cam dependent question.

Based on your comments I don't think you understand enough about cams and engines to make a judgement. That was not what I was saying at all.
I ran a Thunder Racing 231°/234° duration at .050", .640"/.590" lift, and a 112° LSA in a 1999 SS for six months without a tune and it ran beautifully. Of course I gained power with a tune but that's true of a bone stock engine or any performance upgrade. It all depends on the engine, cam specs, and goals.

My statements are generalization intentionally for the OP who seems to have strong common sense.

 

[ScLeCo]

My statements are generalization intentionally for the OP who seems to have strong common sense.

A cam will not ruin a car, or destroy it's cats, or cost thousands of dollars.
People have been putting cams in LS engines since the dawn of time.
Yes you will need a tune for most but the mildest of them but a tune is recommended for any car regardless of mods.

 

[crzyhawk]

I think the decision to add a cam is just like most of the decisions people make with 4X4. What's the use case? If you have no actual goal, then you should not mess with it. if you have specific performance goals you're looking for, then there's no reason to not proceed with caution.

Now, this might be a dick of an opinion, so take it for what it's worth. I think if you have to ask if you should or not, then you probably should not. Swapping cams for the sake of saying that you've swapped the cams is what I'd consider a stupid reason.

 

[NullUser]

LS1s are very responsive to a cam swap with minimal mods. That being said, the car is plenty quick bone stock and unless you plan on drag racing it or something, the best move is just to enjoy it as-is.

My brother had a '99 Z28 that made just under 300hp (299.7 to be exact) on a chassis dyno, stock. Not super impressive in 2025, but stout numbers in the early 2000s.

 

[Ducati1098]

In matters of taste ....

I'll almost always default to ...
"it's YOUR car, do what YOU want with it."

This^

I recently bought a mint, completely stock, 06 C6 Z06 with only 15k miles. I’m sure most would’ve said to leave it alone or leave it untouched, but at the end of the day I bought it because I always wanted to build one a certain way.

Needless to say, the whole engine and everything else was apart a month after I bought it. Now it’s back together, runs flawlessly and is exactly what I wanted

Sponsored