Beginner question.
 

So I plan on getting some Kooks headers and hfc's and after doing a lot of research I've heard people say getting a cam would also be a great idea. Now what exactly does a cam do? Also what's this whole converter talk about? I don't plan on taking it to the track anytime soon so daily drive ability must be good. What do you guys think? Any help would be awesome. Btw my camaro is an automatic.

You need a combination of air and fuel to create the explosion in your combustion chambers that makes your motor go zoom. There are valves that control the flow of air/fuel into your cylinders, and the resulting exhaust that has to get outta there. A cam will adjust the length that those intake/exhaust valves are open and (or closed) thereby giving you more powaaaahhh

Not even gonna pretend to know how a convertor functions, or what it does. I am a manual tranny guy until I can't buy them anymore. Perhaps by that time I'll be driving an electric car, anyhow...

Get an intake along with your exhaust system - you'll need a tune, anyhow, and it will be greatly beneficial. You could probably expect anywhere from 20-40hp gain for the intake/exhaust after tune.

Getting a cam will give you a big bump in power, but your cam choice should compliment your existing/planned mods, as opposed to working the other way around (guess you could, though) It's gonna add a significant cost to your install, but you'll probably get a relatively proportionate power gain. Many cars with basic intake/header bolt ons are in the 390-420hp level. Throw a cam in there, and you're probably looking at 450-500 depending on the cam choice.

I would say keep it simple for now. Intake (Roto-fab, cai, etc..) and headers (love my Kooks!) and cat-back (Corsa, baby!) for now. Once you've done some research on what else you want to do from a mod perspective (nitrous? turbo? sc? NA?) then let that be the guiding choice to help you pick a new cam to compliment your planned mods.

Thanks for the response I appreciate it. I currently have the borla attak catback exhaust and a CAI intake system. I don't really think I'll be doing any other performance mods for quite some time. Besides the headers and cam of course. Just want to make the right decision based on my use of the vehicle.

Nobody else? Lol

Ok, I will take a shot here... Is your car a L99? If it is, a CAM is more difficult as you have to pull the heads. If you have a manual you have the LS3. Yes the motors are technically a little different.

L99 (automatic) when you do an aggressive cam also requires a new higher stall torque converter or you will be pulled at stops due to the rpm and engine surge. A higher stall stops that as the surging is taken up in the slack of a bigger converter (generalizing here as I am not a pro either).

On a manual there is no torque converter as you adjust your rpms via the clutch engagement and can put in huge cams cheap and easy compared to the L99.

Also on a L99 you have active fuel management that turns the V8 into a 4cyl on the highway. These are different lifters and different mechanical bits than on the LS3.

The L99 also has Variable Valve Timing (VVT). Some aftermarket cams require you to eliminate the VVT and the AFM lifters and basically turn the L99 into a LS3. You can run bigger cams (one cam, just stating plural for options).

If you have a L99 (auto camaro), reach out to Rhino of GPI Performance. He has some great packages for the L99 car.

A cam in a manual is easier and less expensive. But both cars can make huge gains. The basics of the cam adjusts how long the valves open as well as raising the RPM and power band of the car. Aggressive cams, make huge gains. All require a tune. If you do a cam, may as well do it right and get headers, cam, tune, etc all at once to really take advantage of the package. If you do headers before a cam, you will have to re-tune it when you do a cam.

I tried to make it pretty simple overall but I had a cam in my 99 Formula and loved it. Totally changes the torque and powerbands across the power curve. For example on a dyno chart, 40 HP peak is not the same amount of felt power as 40HP carried across the curve.

Hope that helps some. Definitely check with GPI though if you have an auto. I have seen cam install prices from a low of $4K all the way to nearly $9K for similar components. Shop around, research the shops and the cams and go for it!

-- Damon

I don't want to sound rude or discouraging here, but I've always thought it made sense to learn and understand a lot about cars and performance before actually jumping in full throttle, so to speak.

We've all started somewhere. I'm more of a visual learner so I learn as I go along. I can see what you're saying but I'm starting a little late here, I was never really into muscle cars until I got behind the wheel of one. I've fallen in love with my camaro which is my first American car and I would love to really unlock it's full potential even if I'm not all that aware as to how to do that. I still haven't even bought any of the things yet so I'm not jumping in quite yet lol. And don't worry about sounding rude I've been part of forums where the people were just toxic so it would take a lot to really bug me.

Since you have to pull the heads for a cam install on the L99, look into porting the stock heads while you're at it. Or swapping them for a set of new heads, though they're pricey.

And whatever you do for a cam, stick with a VVT cam. That's the only advantage of the L99 over the LS3 and it's a damn good advantage. As for a stall/torque converter, you don't necessarily need one with a mild cam (GPI SS1 or to an extent, SS2), but it's definitely a good idea and will drastically improve acceleration at low speeds. You'll also need a transmission cooler if you get a converter.

The L99 advantages quickly become disadvantages considering the overall cost of camming these things... Unless you're installing yourself.

Also you may want to know that half your lifters due to the l99 being AFM capable are different and that makes them a liability down the road along with the entire AFM system operation which disables half the cars cylinders firing. Sure some new fangled I saw designed for a upper end car the other day researching with VVT had a different approach but for most the AFM engines characteristics make it a real liability to the longevity of the engine. You may ask why..... Well half the engines not firing, its still draggin the pistons and lifters up and down and still oiling them.....
And the cam on those lifters may be slightly different also, what it has shown over time on AFM engines is more broken AFM lifters, more build up of gook in the engine and just not the best idea to save a MPG.... thus why people want to disable it with what ever methods and change out the lifters. Others may know more.... and they may chime in, and that's good.
I do know the automatic is nice for its quick shifts especially if tuned. And had I stayed with my l99 I would have most likely gone Forced induction and ditched the lifters in the process. One of the bad things many will not tell you is that camming the car with as high a lift as we are capable of means checking and replacing the springs every so many thousand miles... depending on the amount of lift the higher you go the more you should check them and that can be from 20-25k most cams to less if your a real fanatic, also there are solid lifters that should be relashed, that some have used that can make more power but are more drive train unfriendly and increase wear...... Lots to learn about in here, good luck. The l99 has lower compression that is because of its design, and not everyone has to go high lift for a cam , our cams have lots of LSA and low duration which would make a ton more power if they were not so crappy but then again it would make the engine work harder and therefore it would make more power costing some gas mileage and GM did not want to go that route some other automakers did by bumping up things a little year to year just to try to attract buyers.

i recommend doing the headers 1st for a non race car. If you want more after that then go into a cam and converter. headers and a tune make a good bit of difference on a L99 and you remain stock reliability and longevity. If i had to do it again i wouldnt do a cam for my weekend touring car. Just to much of a hassle getting it all done right. Its even more with a l99. Too many things to go wrong. Spend the money on suspension. Thats the best investment on any car.

A cam'd car doesn't make a very good daily driver.

Thanks everyone for the insight. This is exactly why I asked the question. Based on the info you've all provided I will stray away from the cam especially being that it's a hefty price tag for install especially on the autos but because this ss is my daily.