TSP VVT 1.2 vs GPI SS1 - Page 2 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

EJSS · 04-11-2021, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morepowerjoe

I have a gpi ss1 camshaft as well. Ryan did a remote tune for me and had it dialed in on the first try. His tuning is pretty incredible. Only thing I would suggest is going with a high end lifter. I used the gm performance racing lifters and they are kinda noisy in my engine. But other than that it runs awesome.

I realize this is an old thread but since you already brought it back from the grave I figured I'd chime in since this is what I was about to post about anyway.

So I want to get a stage one cam and it seems that most people love the GPI ss1 vvt cam. Is this the best route? I want to get rid of the afm lifters but I want to keep vvt. I want a mild cam because this is a daily driver and I want to keep this car forever, I dont want to break it or have to spend thousands on supporting mods. Basically I'm just looking for some solid gains that wont break the bank and also wont break the car.

So far I'm catless with a z28 intake. No tune.. yet.

And for my main concern.. I'm near new orleans and I dont know of any shops around here. Does anyone know a reputable shop and/or prices for an install? I want to spend as little as possible obviously but my max is probably around 3k

morepowerjoe · 04-12-2021, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EJSS

I realize this is an old thread but since you already brought it back from the grave I figured I'd chime in since this is what I was about to post about anyway.

So I want to get a stage one cam and it seems that most people love the GPI ss1 vvt cam. Is this the best route? I want to get rid of the afm lifters but I want to keep vvt. I want a mild cam because this is a daily driver and I want to keep this car forever, I dont want to break it or have to spend thousands on supporting mods. Basically I'm just looking for some solid gains that wont break the bank and also wont break the car.

So far I'm catless with a z28 intake. No tune.. yet.

And for my main concern.. I'm near new orleans and I dont know of any shops around here. Does anyone know a reputable shop and/or prices for an install? I want to spend as little as possible obviously but my max is probably around 3k

Your not going to get it done for $3000. I spent around $2400 just on parts alone with the trunnion upgrades and another $3000 on labor. But as far as the gpi SS1 camshaft goes It's a pretty rowdy camshaft. Mine bucks in gear at a stop and shakes the car quite a bit. If you don't mind that then it is a great camshaft for power. It definitely wakes the engine up. I think the power gain was substantial with the long tubes and tune and if had to do it again would probably just stick with that set up. Unfortunately if I was going to do the camshaft again I would probably go with the LS9 for better idle quality and daily drivability.

EJSS · 04-12-2021, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morepowerjoe

Your not going to get it done for $3000. I spent around $2400 just on parts alone with the trunnion upgrades and another $3000 on labor. But as far as the gpi SS1 camshaft goes It's a pretty rowdy camshaft. Mine bucks in gear at a stop and shakes the car quite a bit. If you don't mind that then it is a great camshaft for power. It definitely wakes the engine up. I think the power gain was substantial with the long tubes and tune and if had to do it again would probably just stick with that set up. Unfortunately if I was going to do the camshaft again I would probably go with the LS9 for better idle quality and daily drivability.

Thank you for the thorough response, answers my question perfectly. I'm shocked that it costs this much... I've always thought that a cam instal was somewhere in the $2k range, I had no idea I'd be looking at that much. And I didnt realize the shaking would he that noticeable either. Maybe I'll have to reconsider completely..

Coops · 04-12-2021, 03:00 PM

think i payed $1700 for install and tune, parts where $1700 from gpi, that was last year, car made 90 hp more and is a blast to drive
coop

morepowerjoe · 04-12-2021, 03:08 PM

Yeah the $2400 I spent in parts included the remote tune as well.

Sorry I was incorrect on this amount. $2400 was just in parts plus another $775 for the tune.

Modernmusclecar · 04-12-2021, 04:31 PM

Im in Canada and paid alot with the ls3 conversion and Frankenstein heads. Everything had to come from the US.

1JEWLDSSRS · 04-12-2021, 04:37 PM

Yea it is not cheap to do on these VVT engines. I think all said and done mine ended up costing about 5500 parts and labor, and we did an LS3 conversion on mine and AFM/DOD delete, and that was with the tune, then we threw in a converter and cooler for another 1000 bucks. And on the cam choice if you like a certain cam for it's performance you can have it ground with a wider LSA to "settle down" the shaking a bit so it is not so radical.

EJSS · 04-12-2021, 09:09 PM

Thanks guys, I really want to do it but I'll probably hold off for now.. I know I read about few people who got the cam kit for right over a thousand (not the conversion, just the vvt cam kit) and did the work themselves so I might go this route and follow a guide and just pay for a tune after. But i need to do lifters which means heads have to come off... when I think about all of that, i think I'd rather just stay slow for now lol...
I'd get long tubes but I feel like it will be barely noticable difference from catless, I dont want to spend over a grand on like 10 hp..

morepowerjoe · 04-13-2021, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EJSS

Thanks guys, I really want to do it but I'll probably hold off for now.. I know I read about few people who got the cam kit for right over a thousand (not the conversion, just the vvt cam kit) and did the work themselves so I might go this route and follow a guide and just pay for a tune after. But i need to do lifters which means heads have to come off... when I think about all of that, i think I'd rather just stay slow for now lol...
I'd get long tubes but I feel like it will..be barely noticable difference from catless, I dont want to spend over a grand on like 10 hp..

I think long tubes and a tune add like 50 - 60 hp maybe someone else can confirm. And it's definitely a noticeable gain. Like I said I kinda wish I would of stuck to a ls9 cam which I don't think it is a big deal over stock and long tubes and my tsp exhaust system because it was absolutely noticeable. I think you should go with a long tube system and a cat back exhaust system. And then once you get the tune you can have the afm turned off if you don't want it for the time being until you can do your cam. I think the cam swap is doable yourself, the only reason I didn't do mine myself was I have a bad back and couldn't see leaning over the car for two days. I think that you'll be very happy with long tubes. I'm a little bit biased but I really like my TSP long tubes and 3" cat back exhaust system. I did it all myself in my garage with jack stands and a creeper in like 3 hrs.

1JEWLDSSRS · 04-13-2021, 05:07 PM

^^^ Yes, with the LT's and a good tune you should see 35-40rwhp gains, I got 37rwhp, sometimes even a bit more, and you WILL notice it for sure!! Really wakes up the car and makes you want to get more with a cam swap. The power is out there to be had, that's for certain, LT's without a tune around 20-30 and a possible CEL.

EJSS · 04-13-2021, 05:47 PM

I see, those gain seem significant, but I'm already making about 18 additional hp just with the catless midpipes so if I were to make +40 with long tubes and a tune, that would be approximately an additional 20 hp from where I'm currently at, give or take a few. I think decent long tubes with a tune would probably end up costing me somewhere a little north of $1,000. Which that's fine, but I'm wondering if my thousand should be better spent on those additional 20 hp or if I should put that toward a cam. Unfortunately I have a limited budget as I am the sole provider for my household including 3 young ones. Sucks to be me, I know..

Modernmusclecar · 04-13-2021, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EJSS

I see, those gain seem significant, but I'm already making about 18 additional hp just with the catless midpipes so if I were to make +40 with long tubes and a tune, that would be approximately an additional 20 hp from where I'm currently at, give or take a few. I think decent long tubes with a tune would probably end up costing me somewhere a little north of $1,000. Which that's fine, but I'm wondering if my thousand should be better spent on those additional 20 hp or if I should put that toward a cam. Unfortunately I have a limited budget as I am the sole provider for my household including 3 young ones. Sucks to be me, I know..

When you cam your car longtubes are needed to move that exhsust better. Where did you hear youre getting 18 hp by being catless? With a limited budget a cam is hard to do. Get your longtubes and a tune and enjoy the nice bump in power and sound. They are a fav bolton for a reason.Do tbe camwhen funds allow.

morepowerjoe · 04-13-2021, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Modernmusclecar

When you cam your car longtubes are needed to move that exhsust better. Where did you hear youre getting 18 hp by being catless? With a limited budget a cam is hard to do. Get your longtubes and a tune and enjoy the nice bump in power and sound. They are a fav bolton for a reason.Do tbe camwhen funds allow.

I agree. You'll fall in love with long tubes. Do you still have the factory exhaust?

InFiD3ViL · 04-13-2021, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coops

think i payed $1700 for install and tune, parts where $1700 from gpi, that was last year, car made 90 hp more and is a blast to drive
coop

That's very close to what I paid getting everything from GPI, including tune and an HP Tuners device. I think.

04-12-2021, 03:08 PM	#19
morepowerjoe Drives: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro l99 Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,105	Yeah the $2400 I spent in parts included the remote tune as well. Sorry I was incorrect on this amount. $2400 was just in parts plus another $775 for the tune. __________________ DSS FX Forged Pistons, Eagle ESP L19 Forged Rods, ARP Head and Main Studs, TSP PRC 260 CNC Ported Heads milled .030, Cometic .040 Head Gaskets, GPI SS3 VVT Camshaft, GM Performance Racing Lifters, CHE Trunnions , Molly Pushrods, Melling 10355HV Oil Pump, Cold Air Inductions CAI, Fast LSXR Intake Manifold, Nick Williams 103 TB, TSP 1 7/8" Longtubes with 3" TSP Exhaust, ZL1 Fuel Pump, Mishimoto Radiator, Mishimoto Oil Cooler, Tru Cool 40k Tranny Cooler, 3600 Circle D Converter, Fluid Dynamics Balancer Build Thread https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=609817 Last edited by morepowerjoe; 04-12-2021 at 06:43 PM.

04-12-2021, 04:31 PM	#20
Modernmusclecar Drives: 2011 Camaro SS Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Parts unknown Posts: 820	Im in Canada and paid alot with the ls3 conversion and Frankenstein heads. Everything had to come from the US. __________________ EPS CUSTOM GRIND CAM....K@N CAI....VMAX PTB.....FRANKENSTEIN STAGE 2 HEADS ...1 7/8 STAINLESS POWER CATTED LONGTUBE HEADERS...CORSA XTREME 3 INCH CATBACK.....CIRCLE D 3800 Pro Series stall...391 gears.....Ported/modded GPI intake .Forgestar drag pack with Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials AGP PERFORMANCE DYNO TUNED. 463 WHP 428 FTLBS TORQUE.

04-12-2021, 04:37 PM	#21
1JEWLDSSRS Drives: 2011 SS-RS Join Date: May 2011 Location: FLORIDA Posts: 11,435	Yea it is not cheap to do on these VVT engines. I think all said and done mine ended up costing about 5500 parts and labor, and we did an LS3 conversion on mine and AFM/DOD delete, and that was with the tune, then we threw in a converter and cooler for another 1000 bucks. And on the cam choice if you like a certain cam for it's performance you can have it ground with a wider LSA to "settle down" the shaking a bit so it is not so radical. __________________ TSP STAGE 3 CAM,231/246 @112 LSA 614/641 LIFT, CIRCLE D 5C-4200-4500 CONVERTER,LOD INTAKE.CORSA EXHAUST. DSS 1 PC DS. PEGASUS SOLID CRADLE MOUNTS. 486RWHP/475RWTQ.LOTS MORE.

04-13-2021, 05:07 PM	#24
1JEWLDSSRS Drives: 2011 SS-RS Join Date: May 2011 Location: FLORIDA Posts: 11,435	^^^ Yes, with the LT's and a good tune you should see 35-40rwhp gains, I got 37rwhp, sometimes even a bit more, and you WILL notice it for sure!! Really wakes up the car and makes you want to get more with a cam swap. The power is out there to be had, that's for certain, LT's without a tune around 20-30 and a possible CEL. __________________ TSP STAGE 3 CAM,231/246 @112 LSA 614/641 LIFT, CIRCLE D 5C-4200-4500 CONVERTER,LOD INTAKE.CORSA EXHAUST. DSS 1 PC DS. PEGASUS SOLID CRADLE MOUNTS. 486RWHP/475RWTQ.LOTS MORE.

04-12-2021, 03:00 PM	#18
Coops Drives: 2010 camaro ss white Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Wi Posts: 58	think i payed $1700 for install and tune, parts where $1700 from gpi, that was last year, car made 90 hp more and is a blast to drive coop

04-12-2021, 09:09 PM	#22
EJSS Drives: 2010 Camaro SS L99 Join Date: May 2019 Location: New Orleans Posts: 119	Thanks guys, I really want to do it but I'll probably hold off for now.. I know I read about few people who got the cam kit for right over a thousand (not the conversion, just the vvt cam kit) and did the work themselves so I might go this route and follow a guide and just pay for a tune after. But i need to do lifters which means heads have to come off... when I think about all of that, i think I'd rather just stay slow for now lol... I'd get long tubes but I feel like it will be barely noticable difference from catless, I dont want to spend over a grand on like 10 hp..

04-13-2021, 05:47 PM	#25
EJSS Drives: 2010 Camaro SS L99 Join Date: May 2019 Location: New Orleans Posts: 119	I see, those gain seem significant, but I'm already making about 18 additional hp just with the catless midpipes so if I were to make +40 with long tubes and a tune, that would be approximately an additional 20 hp from where I'm currently at, give or take a few. I think decent long tubes with a tune would probably end up costing me somewhere a little north of $1,000. Which that's fine, but I'm wondering if my thousand should be better spent on those additional 20 hp or if I should put that toward a cam. Unfortunately I have a limited budget as I am the sole provider for my household including 3 young ones. Sucks to be me, I know..