Nastiest most Aggressive LS3 Cam

[acammer]

Originally Posted by Arogg

Cam is next on my wishlist but the maintenance is what worries me. I keep reading about constant adjustments and whatnot... Ill do it eventually especially since now my car is no longer a daily. Id like some more grunt as well as a nasty lope

I'm not really sure what you're reading - but going cammed is still a hydraulic roller setup - there is nothing to adjust/maintain other than eventually (25-40k miles) you'll want to do fresh springs. If it's not a daily, that's not really on the table as a significant issue.

Other than that, you keep the oil fresh, don't beat on a cold motor, and you're pretty well good to go.

[Arogg]

Originally Posted by acammer

I'm not really sure what you're reading - but going cammed is still a hydraulic roller setup - there is nothing to adjust/maintain other than eventually (25-40k miles) you'll want to do fresh springs. If it's not a daily, that's not really on the table as a significant issue.

Other than that, you keep the oil fresh, don't beat on a cold motor, and you're pretty well good to go.

Looks like Ill be reaching out to you sooner than later I guess for a cam package lol. I need the lope and I need a little more power to keep staying ahead of my friends lol

[NOT A 45]

Originally Posted by acammer

I wouldn't say you were off-base with anything there. I would say that LSA is more of a by-product of the rest of your cam specifications, rather than something you aim for. I think a mistake a lot of guys make when thinking about cam specs is thinking LSA = Overlap. They are related, but LSA alone does not dictate overlap.

I'll give you a quick example. Our SS1 cam is a 224/237 on a 112+4, and our SS3 is a 233/253 on a 112+4. The SS1 has 6.5 of overlap, and the SS3 has 19 degrees of overlap - yet they both have exactly the same LSA. We can take that even more to an extreme to belabor the point, our LLT1 (low lift truck - stage 1) cam is a 212/216 on a 112+4 and yet that cam has a negative 10* of overlap. As you can see, LSA alone really doesn't carry a lot of meaning in really understanding the manners of a particular camshaft, at least not without the important context of the actual duration of a given cam. An LSA of 112 on a little truck cam is mild, a 112 on a 245/265 416 stroker cam is aggressive.

You're right in the understanding that less overlap = better driveability, that's a pretty hard and fast fact. It can still vary some: 10* of overlap in a 4.8L is fairly aggressive, but is pretty mild in a 6.6L stroker. You're also (mostly) on point that turbo's and positive displacement superchargers (at least those for mild street applications) don't really like a lot of overlap. The reasons are variable, and turbo's get real sensitive to exhaust open and closing points as well since we use that exhaust pressure to drive the turbo, but in general you want to keep overlap mild on those combinations. The exception comes in with a centrifugal supercharger - they way they build airflow with RPM lends them to really work pretty well with more moderate to aggressive overlap amounts - which is why a healthy NA cam usually makes a good centrifugal supercharger cam.

At the end of it all, there are a LOT of variables to consider when spec'ing a cam. Ryan, our cam designer here at GPI, has come up with just about every combination you can imagine, and has worked really hard to deliver what we consider the absolute best options for this platform, from mild to wild. We've even got a great line of VVT specific stuff - a nice feature to keep on the L99 cars. You should absolutely do your own research and figure out what you think fits best for your needs, but the path of least resistance might be just to shoot me an e-mail and let us help work that out.

I have been visiting your web site and putting a SS3 cam and associated parts in the shopping cart over the last 6 months. Just about to pull the trigger on it and gas shot up to over $4 a gallon! Just know I'm going to take a big hit on mpg.

Anyway, we have been seeing failures with the stock cams pitting on the lobe and roller. Is that why you offer the hardened cam blanks?

[Risingson05]

Umm if your running an auto trans I suggest at min picking up a high stall torque converter . Makes a night and day difference with running big cams .

Not only that - it stops bucking at the light and keeps you in the power band as a big cam will move the power band higher.

I don’t trust the stock oil pump either .

[acammer]

Originally Posted by NOT A 45

I have been visiting your web site and putting a SS3 cam and associated parts in the shopping cart over the last 6 months. Just about to pull the trigger on it and gas shot up to over $4 a gallon! Just know I'm going to take a big hit on mpg.

Anyway, we have been seeing failures with the stock cams pitting on the lobe and roller. Is that why you offer the hardened cam blanks?

Basically, yes, the 8620 hardening is an option for cams that are likely to see heavier wear or abuse - typically both are associated with high RPM combinations. A high RPM combination will typically see more valve-spring pressure, which is harder on the cam, and it also has more potential for valve-train trauma. A missed shift at 6800rpm that buzzes to 7200rpm is likely not going to be too hard on things, but if you do the same on a combo that shifts at 7800rpm... well, things can get exciting in a hurry for the valve-train, and you want every bit of trauma protection you can get.

My (non-hardened) SS3 cam that just came out of my combo looked really good. It was installed in early 2018, I had about 20k miles on it, and some of those quite aggressive. I also had OEM LS3 lifters with 50k total miles on them that came out, and again they looked pretty good. So, I by no means think the cam hardening is a requirement, but it's a nice piece of preventative protection you can provide yourself.

If you want me to go over a combination you're getting ready to purchase you can feel free to e-mail me at andrew@gwatneyperformance.com and I'll be happy to give it a look and see if anything jumps out at me that you may not have considered.

Also, you're not wrong about the mileage - a big cam hurts low engine speed efficiency in a few different ways - the overlap for sure, but also the dynamic compression. My SS3 combo was able to get about 21mpg highway with stock compression. Interestingly, the new Max Package setup we just installed actually gets a little better mileage even with a more aggressive camshaft, no doubt due to a higher compression ratio.

[NOT A 45]

Originally Posted by acammer

Basically, yes, the 8620 hardening is an option for cams that are likely to see heavier wear or abuse - typically both are associated with high RPM combinations. A high RPM combination will typically see more valve-spring pressure, which is harder on the cam, and it also has more potential for valve-train trauma. A missed shift at 6800rpm that buzzes to 7200rpm is likely not going to be too hard on things, but if you do the same on a combo that shifts at 7800rpm... well, things can get exciting in a hurry for the valve-train, and you want every bit of trauma protection you can get.

My (non-hardened) SS3 cam that just came out of my combo looked really good. It was installed in early 2018, I had about 20k miles on it, and some of those quite aggressive. I also had OEM LS3 lifters with 50k total miles on them that came out, and again they looked pretty good. So, I by no means think the cam hardening is a requirement, but it's a nice piece of preventative protection you can provide yourself.

If you want me to go over a combination you're getting ready to purchase you can feel free to e-mail me at andrew@gwatneyperformance.com and I'll be happy to give it a look and see if anything jumps out at me that you may not have considered.

Also, you're not wrong about the mileage - a big cam hurts low engine speed efficiency in a few different ways - the overlap for sure, but also the dynamic compression. My SS3 combo was able to get about 21mpg highway with stock compression. Interestingly, the new Max Package setup we just installed actually gets a little better mileage even with a more aggressive camshaft, no doubt due to a higher compression ratio.

I could live with 20mpg. I intended to use the stock lifters just so I didn't have to pull the heads. Basically I was looking at the SS3 with pushrods, trunion upgrade, springs, timing gear and remote tune. I did notice TSP offered a single bolt cam but you only offer the 3 bolt.

[acammer]

Originally Posted by NOT A 45

I could live with 20mpg. I intended to use the stock lifters just so I didn't have to pull the heads. Basically I was looking at the SS3 with pushrods, trunion upgrade, springs, timing gear and remote tune. I did notice TSP offered a single bolt cam but you only offer the 3 bolt.

What sort of miles do you have on the car? Stock lifters with a bigger cam lobe, more spring pressure, and more rpm can be a recipe for regrets. I felt really fortunate to have things on mine look as good as they did, we have had undesirable results doing that plenty of times, and typically recommend against it unless it's a lower miles car that's not planning on getting too aggressive.

[NOT A 45]

Originally Posted by acammer

What sort of miles do you have on the car? Stock lifters with a bigger cam lobe, more spring pressure, and more rpm can be a recipe for regrets. I felt really fortunate to have things on mine look as good as they did, we have had undesirable results doing that plenty of times, and typically recommend against it unless it's a lower miles car that's not planning on getting too aggressive.

30 couple

[Royal Tiger]

Not a 45, do it once and do it right. I changed everything above the pistons. Long term I have my eyes on a 427.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by Arogg

Cam is next on my wishlist but the maintenance is what worries me. I keep reading about constant adjustments and whatnot... Ill do it eventually especially since now my car is no longer a daily. Id like some more grunt as well as a nasty lope

Constant adjustments?? We installed mine and didn't have to do anything until after I put 23k miles on her, then we freshened up the valve springs. That's all..

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by acammer

I'm not really sure what you're reading - but going cammed is still a hydraulic roller setup - there is nothing to adjust/maintain other than eventually (25-40k miles) you'll want to do fresh springs. If it's not a daily, that's not really on the table as a significant issue.

Other than that, you keep the oil fresh, don't beat on a cold motor, and you're pretty well good to go.

Yep, this.^^

[Car Nation Videos]

What is full exhaust vs exhaust?

If someone tells me they have exhaust done I will then ask them is it Axle back, Cat back, or straight piped.

[Batmanntexas]

Originally Posted by Car Nation Videos

What is full exhaust vs exhaust?

If someone tells me they have exhaust done I will then ask them is it Axle back, Cat back, or straight piped.

In my mind, Full Exhaust = Headers + complete new system (with or w/o cats).

Mine would be a good example: LT Headers and an aftermarket full 3" exhaust system from the header collectors to the tips.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by Batmanntexas

In my mind, Full Exhaust = Headers + complete new system (with or w/o cats).

Mine would be a good example: LT Headers and an aftermarket full 3" exhaust system from the header collectors to the tips.

Exactly this.^^^