Cam swap for my DD?

[Marko76]

Hey, guys. I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place, but I've been thinking about upgrading the cam in my LS3 SS 1LE. Obviously I want more power and a better chop, but I want something that I can still reliably DD. What are some of the cams you guys that DD your LS3s run, and how reliable has it been since the swap?

[1JEWLDSSRS]

I'm running the TSP Stage 3 cam with an AFM/DOD delete and all the other goodies involved including an LS3 conversion kit, and back in 2017 when I did that was also running a 3200 stall converter and trans cooler in my daily driver. Drove the car for 3 years that way every day with zero issues. Now I have a secondary vehicle since I retired in 2020, and the Camaro has been upgraded with a 4500 stall, high rise manifold and is a weekend car, but I could drive it every day if I wanted to, very easily.

[acammer]

This is a wildly subjective question to ask. There are some guys that will happily daily drive something that others would consider a racecar with a license plate. Reliability and driveability are fairly opposed to performance in a general sense, and in cam and valve-train configuration this is no different.

When it comes to cam options, you first have to decide a lift range that you want to operate in. Most of your aftermarket cams will be of the "high lift" variety, with lift in the .615-.650" range. These require the use of dual valve springs, or fairly aggressive beehive/conical style springs which have a finite lifecycle. In other words, springs for high-lift cams are only good for somewhere in the 20-40k mile range, depending on a few variables, such as sustained high rpm, abuse, etc.

You can also obtain low lift cam options that will use an OEM or OEM style valve spring. With lift in the ~.550 range, these are ligther springs that are easier on all the valve-train components, and have a much more OEM-like lifecycle. The trade-off is of course power, a low lift cam gives up anywhere from 15-25whp over a comparative set of valve events on a high-lift lobe.

After you consider lift, you have to consider valve events, and what that means for an operating RPM range. As you get more aggressive with the camshaft, and potential aftermarket intake options with shorter runners, you will shift the peak power and shift point that follows higher and higher into the RPM range. As you drive RPM up, you will inevitably drive reliability and longevity down. In your case, since you want something daily-driver friendly it's unlikely that you'll be getting too extreme, but it's another consideration.

Perhaps one of the biggest considerations has to be the parts themselves. There is a wide range of parts to choose from, starting with the camshaft, it's lobe design, and material, and then onto critical components such as the lifters, springs, etc. Generally speaking, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Cheap parts can be appealing, but often represent a less than optimized design or material that can leave you wishing you'd spent for something higher quality. Obviously budgets have to be considered, and not every build needs a $800 set of lifters or $700 set of valve springs. As with all things performance related, it's all about optimized the combination for the desired use cases.

That's a lot of general considerations - if you want to talk specifics I can tell you that here at GPI we would lean towards our SS1 or SS2 camshaft for the usage you've described. You want it to sound great, and have a nice gain in power, while keeping good reliability and longevity, and not cutting into driveability too sharply. We've put a tremendous amount of work into a proprietary lobe design that perfectly walks the line between aggressive and stability of the valvetrain, and we have a solid track record of reliability over many, many miles logged by our customers. We could even take an additional step towards longevity and offer our SS grinds in a low-lift configuration to put together an ultra reliable, low maintenance combination that still has that signature sound while still producing respectable gains.

I'm not just a sales guys, I was a customer long before I worked for GPI, and I can tell you that I packed the miles on my GPI SS3 setup, including road trips across the country. While that cam is a bit aggressive for a daily driver, it uses those same signature lobes I described above, and when it came out for the next round of upgrades after 20k miles everything was still looking great and could have easily went back together and continued on.

Besides top quality and performing parts, we also offer our customers top notch service. We're happy to work one on one to arrive at the perfect combination for each customers unique needs. If that's something I can help you (or anybody) with - feel free to shoot an email to andrew@gwatneyperformance.com.

[ss camaro-monte]

You can run a very big cam as a daily. I run a gpi custom cut 216 228 vvt baby cam. Love it with a 3200 stall and it really doesn'tl lope but you can hear the cam in the exhaust a little. Just depends on what you can live with. Personally if you go bigger than a cam like mine why bother with a stage 1. GPIs stage 1 only made 15rwhp more than what they custom cut me. Stage 2 is another 10-15 over that. The stage 1 lopes pretty good but I would go and just do stage 2 at that point. Just my 2 cents. I vote gpi stage 2 with a stick. Still a great daily and you will make good power. But there will be NO doubt it's cammed. Even their stage 1 you know it's definitely cammed.

[acutron42]

Great advice as usual Andrew! Marko76, I can't express enough how happy I am with my GPI build. I also highly recommend their tuning service. I went with the email/HP Tuners option & Ryan Stevens & his team are in a league of their own. I was doing data logs on my way to work, sending the data & loading new tunes before I left work. That is service!

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Great information Andrew, as always!! I agree with Acutron here, you can't go wrong with GPI's product and service, second to none. Lots of happy guys, and gals on here with their products and service. Good luck Marko76 with your build!

[Badbubba]

Too big and you'll buck a lot in the driveway and parking lots. With your manual trans, you can somewhat compensate. All depends on how much you can tolerate. Light throttle and 1200-1700 rpm is when my bucking and jerking occur. Other than that, the cam is great. When I was stock, I had some bucking. If yours does it now, multiple that by about 10 for a big cam. LS3, 6M, GPI SS3.

[1LE_Justin]

For a DD with still decent power without losing much under the curve, look at BTR's new v2 cams or Race Proven Motorsports LS3 Cam.

[Marko76]

After doing some research and messaging bavk and forth with @acammer I decided to go with the SS2 and have GPI remote tune it for me. Thanks guys for all of the feedback!

[acutron42]

You will be very happy!

[acammer]

Originally Posted by Marko76

After doing some research and messaging bavk and forth with @acammer I decided to go with the SS2 and have GPI remote tune it for me. Thanks guys for all of the feedback!

Glad to be a part of it!

[ss camaro-monte]

I think you will be very happy! We have talked about this on the forum before and there is a reason Andrew also said ss1 or ss2. The ss3 is a very serious cam and has more overlap then the ss4. The ss2 is the sweet spot. Gives you a little more up top then the ss1 but can still be daily driven. Throw in a ported rod mod/ tb and if you have the coin their ported heads. Put another 30rwhp on top of whatever that ss2 would make but up to you. Either way the ss2 with stock heads and intake will be a fun ride. Good luck!