6.2L LS3 CAM TEST-STOCK VS STAGES 1-3 WITH STOCK HEADS & STAGE 1-3 WITH CNC PORTED AFR LS3 HEADS.

HOW MUCH HP IS A CAM SWAP WORTH ON AN LS3? HOW MUCH HP IS A CAM SWAP WORTH WITH STOCK LS3 HEADS? HOW MUCH HP IS A CAM SWAP WORTH WITH PORTED LS3 HEADS? HOW MUCH HP ARE THE AFR LS3 CAMS WORTH? TOP-SECRET LS CAM INFO. DO YOU GAIN MORE POWER FROM A CAM SWAP WITH PORTED HEADS? HOW MUCH MORE POWER DO I GET FROM A STAGE 2 VS A STAGE 1 CAM? HOW MUCH POWER IS A STAGE 1 CAM WORTH? HOW MUCH MORE POWER IS A STAGE 3 CAM WORTH OVER A STAGE 1 OR TWO. DO I LOSE LOW SPEED TORQUE OR DRIVABILITY WITH A BIGGER CAM? CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO WHERE I COMPARED THE THREE DIFFERENT LS3 CAMS OFFERED BY AFR ON AN LS3 EQUIPPED WITH AFR LS3 HEADS. I ALSO COMPARED THREE DIFFERENT CAMS USED WHILE TESTING FOR BTR WITH STOCK HEADS.

[@Vuhjayjay68]

Yes 6.2 stuff

[@Sparkystacoma]

This needs an excel sheet so we can say I want this head, cam, intake combo. It produces x hp and x tq and x,xxx rpm.

[@KNS_Racing]

I'm honestly surprised vendors haven't done this yet for their stages. btr and tsp kind of do it now for some of them but not an actual comprehensive graph or spreadsheet like you said.

[@madmod]

Cam stages always made me chuckle. I like how you describe it. "No such thing as magic cam specs!"

[@InFiD3ViL1]

Right. Cam stages are really only relevant as a way of comparing each manufacturers cam models. For instance, I run a GPI stage 1 LS3 cam. The lift on this cam is much higher(647/638) compared to some other companies stage 3 cams, albeit the duration and overlap is rather mild at 224/237, 7º. So basically, stages make little sense between different cam companies.

[@WildEngineering]

its usually duration that matters not peak lift

[@madmod]

@@WildEngineering theres a ton more to cams than just lift and duration for sure but seems most people spec cams off of sound, not performance.

[@WildEngineering]

@@madmod yeah its weird that people would rather have "chop" than proper set up HP

[@nallen1006]

@@madmod Youre talking very minimal differences. I mean even the "stage 3" cams here didnt lose any power down low. Even bigger cams would keep gaining up top and only lose very minimally down low. Unless youre in a strict class racing it doesnt really matter.

[@gsturnerjr]

LS3 1LE Camaro I had would gallop around any parking lots with the BTR stage3. It made 473whp, very fun to drive. In the 80's the term "3/4 race cam" was thrown around alot.

[@kevincantu1238]

Whats ur current setup ??

[@gsturnerjr]

@@kevincantu1238 the 1LE was stock 3.91 rear, stock LS3(no head work) w/btr stage 3 cam, pushrods, springs, retainers and polished throttle. Cold air intake and longtube headers.

[@KidbuuPS]

6.2!! I been waiting for this

[@WildEngineering]

Yay 6.2 stuff!!! If I wasn't at work this video would have been watched already but I'll have to bookmark it for tonight

[@dalethomas9307]

Great test. Would have loved to see the stage 4 LS3 cam as thats what I run in my S10.

[@sstevocamaro]

I’m gonna watch the rest as soon as I make it home. I know this is gonna be a good one.

[@paisley2342]

Love to see some combinations with milling of heads to bump compression to see total gains

[@vikenlink]

Hi Richard…. Now that Holley Terminator x systems support VVT with there new V3 software… would be interesting to see how much more hp and torque can be achieved using a non VVT performance cam compared to a performance VVT cam with similar specs 😊

[@walterrezendes5716]

Great info/data here,no baloney, thank you.

[@corbinschad1]

Thanks for more 6.2. When is the 6.2 vvt stuff coming??

[@joseiracheta3817]

Richard your killing me smalls. I was hoping to see truck norris in an ls3

[@alexvillalobos7137]

That should make more power but not as much as these cams. That cam was made for smaller displacement motors but it should make good power and it’s supposed to have more low end torque than stock down low

[@MesaMinis]

I would prefer the second cam for the bottom end power and fair top end

[@thetxwildchild]

Putting a Texas speed bald eagle N/A my 6.2 right now . 3200 stall. Hope i to see it on the Dyno tomorrow 🎉

[@JC-dj5hj]

How did it do? Swapping from a 4.8 with chopacabra cam to a 6.0 and trying to find the best cam to go with

[@thetxwildchild]

@@JC-dj5hj The truck never made it on the dyno but it's fast and fun...

[@ryanhansen3344]

I have a 5.7 ls1 2001 c5 with a 227 234 cam 111 + 2 @ .600 with 1 7/8 lt's & ls6 intake. Stock injectors are 28lb. On mustang dyno it pulled 353 hp @ 6500 and 328 ftlb @ 4800 to the tires. Not bad on stock 241 heads & 6speed with 3:42's Great daily driver and faster than stock 2002 Zo6 cars.

[@omegasquad868]

my 2002 WS6 LS1 stock block, heads,and LS6 intake with a RPM5 cam basically an old MS3 spec cam put down 414/390 also on a mustang dyno thru a Yank 4k stall convertor and was also a daily for 12 years never an issue driving

[@chandlerlofton6536]

That big cam would do nice with a 4 inch stroke on that motor.

[@kenm724]

What were the specs on the BTR 231 cam? You didn’t specify them

[@scotttimpany2845]

AFR FTW!

[@RickP1030]

Thats pretty sad #'s considering a Bonestock CT525 LS3 crate engine made 604hp at only 6,400 rpm (At 6,400 it was still making 6-7 hp more for every 100 rpm increase so itd have easily hit 620 by 6,900-7,000, Peak torque was 553ftlbs at 5,300 using the factory GM carbureted intake they come with along with a APD Billet 2in 4 hole black widow spacer, MSD 6014 programmable Ignition box, APD Billet 750 on a conservative Depac engine dyno. and those #'s are real

[@richardholdener1727]

Having run plenty of the 525-hp LS crate motors-they are nowhere near 620+ hp

[@Russell_and_Rosko]

What witchcraft is this? Those numbers are bananas.

[@garylacoursiere4413]

My big takeaway here is that my stock LS3 wants headers and Stage 1. I'm currently 420HP/400Tq on a chassis dyno.

[@SSV-i-c-e]

Hi so its doing that with a stock ls3?im thinking the same for my 2010 Camaro ss

[@gloriamaletta8667]

My 2011 Camaro SS with a new GM performance LS3 495 crate engine with CNC ported and milled LS3 heads tuned and running on E85 made 430 horsepower at 6200rpm and 410 foot pounds of torque at 5000rpm at the wheels has a ton of upgrades a aluminium one piece drive shaft a built 6L80E transmission with a circle D 4200rpm stall converter stock 3.27 gears with a Auburn limited slip with suspension mods and drag radials has gone 7.22 at 96mph in the eighth and 11.28 at 122.7mph in the quarter mile it makes good horsepower and torque to the 6600rpm redline shift point and does 1.71 60 foot times

[@garylacoursiere4413]

@@gloriamaletta8667 Nice ride! Either my dyno shop is overrating me, or yours is underrating you!🙂

[@gloriamaletta8667]

My engine on a engine dyno made 520 at 6200rpm and 490 torque at 5000rpm with 26 degrees timing and running E85 but it has a pretty loose 4200rpm stall converter

[@omegasquad868]

@@gloriamaletta8667 your 60ft needs improvement especially with that 4200 stall but im sure once you iron that out you will be in the 6s in the 1/8

[@nallen1006]

Weird that none of the cams lost power down low.

[@emersonurbina8042]

I'd love to see more ls2 cam and boost videos

[@richardholdener1727]

endless 6.0l cam and boost videos up-same results

[@C6nroofing]

No ls2’s are wack

[@boost1728]

My takeaway from this is no need for a small cam if you’re running a 3,000-ish stall converter or better

[@hayden6056]

If you're constantly at full throttle or only care about that torque converters will definitely even the playing field at all time. As someone that barely flashes their converter is where you'll notice the difference. If you're looking for real performance though 3k converter will dissapoint lol

[@boost1728]

@@hayden6056 Turbo SUV, not throwing a 5,000 stall in it. But at the same time don’t want to give up 25hp up top. With a 3k stall, you can have the bigger cam without losing out on torque the only place big cams seem to lose out on torque- below 3k.

[@hayden6056]

@@boost1728 depending of level of traction and what you're trying to do a high performance stall should always be set 500 rpm below peak torque. Also be aware that a stall will usually lose you turbo response because you don't have as much resistance to spool it up.

[@boost1728]

@@hayden6056 I agree with traction but disagree with your converter recommendation- you don’t want a 4k stall in a tow truck.. ideal stall depends entirely on the vehicles purpose. And a higher stall will absolutely not lose turbo response. The higher RPM you can load the turbo up at, the better…. Notice the fastest turbo LS cars running 5k+ stalls leaving on 20psi? Good luck doing that with a stock converter or a manual transmission without launch control.

[@hayden6056]

@@boost1728 fair enough , it's how I've always had my stalls built , I don't understand why you'd need to flash the converter that hard with all that power while towing personally. Chassis not rated to pull something that has the same amount of torque as a truck rated for a 30 tonne load. Shouldn't need to have your foot in to it constantly. When I went to a taller gear my car spooled up faster with no other changes . When I went to a lower flash rate stall it also became more responsive. A torque converter when it's not hit flash point doesn't have the resistance to build exhaust pressure as easily. The more load on the motor the faster the turbo spools. Hence why third gear and above you're peak boost comes in earlier than first and second if you have traction. You can even test it on a chassis dyno. I've had as bigger difference as 700 rpm depending which gear I was in on laggy set ups. You're obviously an expert in the field so as someone with a lower knowledgeable amount on this subject theirs no use me contributing any further you already know everything. Hope your build turns out to be everything you hoped for.

[@Ws6Ms]

Ls3 with stock cam and ported heads is still a solid 500hp engine thats insane... even with stock heads 490hp

[@Low760]

On an engine dyno, no accessories fitted etc.

[@HioSSilver1999]

We made 470whp/470wtq with a bolt on ls3. They'll make more power than he shows.

[@fiteboss]

@@HioSSilver1999 I made the same using a mild cam and headers with an LS3 intake on a L92.

[@takeit2-11]

I gotta fever and the only prescription... turbo magnum! turbo magnum! turbo magnum!

[@MesaMinis]

I wonder how much I’m making with a l99 with long tubes

[@405banshees5]

Can u tests the honey bager cam from south Texas speed looking at buy one what's best 6.2 cam that u can still drive everyday 😂

[@richardholdener1727]

for a daily-I would pick one of my two cams or something with similar specs

[@dannykichar9066]

Richard have ever done this test on a ford 347 or 351 would be helpful

[@richardholdener1727]

much bigger difference on heads for a 5.0l

[@davidreed6070]

Richard have you tried or done anything with liberty LS3 heads. They look good, maybe they would send you a set for testing.

[@richardholdener1727]

I have not

[@Foreverjazzfan]

So really you can save $ on just using stock heads. On both applications it only gained 8-10 hp over stock heads. Way less work just adding the camshaft and not pulling and paying extra for the heads. Have the 5.7 LS1 in my 01 SS Camaro and thought about the 243 heads with the BTR stage 2 can and Kooks Long tube headers but now I’m deciding to not do the heads. Should still be up around 400Hp without them.

[@omegasquad868]

ea my 02 WS6 made 414rwhp with stock 241 heads and a RPM5 cam similar to the MS3 specs

[@chipcurrey653]

Buying the aftermarket heads seems to make no sense considering you can get a 408/416 rotating assembly for that price or less

[@Papisartee]

Nice video 🔥🔥🔥

[@richardholdener1727]

Thanks 🔥

[@trentdawg2832]

……iron block mafia!!!

[@gregoryfricke5810]

MY NEXT ENGINE WILL BE A 6.2 LS 3 HEADS AN INTAKE AN TURBO

[@DXB9993]

Ported head L92 416 stroker It will be used on the street into a truck What camshaft will be mid no hight choppy idle? Would it be possible to take a look at your new runs video on pump gas since most of our vehicles are driven on the street and use pump gas. Thanks a lot

[@richardholdener1727]

with very rare exception, every na motor I run is on 91 pump gas

[@DXB9993]

Do you have any recommendations for camshafts for the above stroker?

[@paisley2342]

Great test, but to control for variables it would make sense for the same cams to used in the stock head as well as with the AFR heads.

[@PiterStreak]

Yup, this

[@richardholdener1727]

that is you missing the point

[@paisley2342]

@@richardholdener1727 I am not clear,? What is the objective? Cam only vs cam plus heads should be same cam used as a contol. Unless AFR or cam manufacturer disagrees? I.e. the gains are embarrasing?

[@evcass69]

Do you have tests with high CoD LS3 heads, 235-260cc, and low 22x intake duration? I'm looking for good hpde torque in the upper 3K range, yet have the cc's help the power carry above 6400. I'd like to see a 416 LS3 w AFR 245 or Mamo LS3 heads, combined with a BTR LS3 stg2 v2 and LSXR.

[@richardholdener1727]

you need to drop the valve size down on the LS3 head to improve CoD

[@jasonnash2691]

Have you tested the TSP stage 3, if not can you

[@richardholdener1727]

I have not

[@Edgar-and-Wrench]

What would be a solid cam for a 4000 lb truck with 30 inch tires and 3.73 gears? I like low end torque and not having to gas it to 5-6000 rpm to get power. L92 6.2 and t56 set up

[@richardholdener1727]

I have some for sale (cheap)-email me

[@Goldeal]

@@richardholdener1727I have a 2012 Yukon with the L92 6.2. What exactly would I need to go along with a stage 2 cam? It’s my daily I’m just looking for at least 50+ hp

[@unk0wnpiglet0ne73]

I’m throwing a LS 3 in my 06 four-door z71 I wanna run e85 FBO what can you recommend I also have a v3 sc1 I’ll throw on later down the road when I get bored of N/a

[@bluecollarhotrods9781]

Richard, would you say that the results would be similar on a smaller displacement - cathedral port engine? Say a Gen III 5.3L with a truck norris cam... stock 706 heads vs ported/larger valve 706s? Would that engine only pick up 7-10 crank HP from the cylinder heads? Then more obviously with a larger cam, like a "231" cam? (Comp 459 comes to mind)

[@richardholdener1727]

cath ports might gain more from head flow-the rec ports already flow a ton

[@bluecollarhotrods9781]

@@richardholdener1727 I swear you did some similar tests in the past, just haven't been able to find out if you've done anything with better flowing heads than stock and a smallish cam. I remember the 4.8/5.3 test with the TEA 706s, Crane 224/232 cam, FAST LSXRT, etc. I swear that you said that the heads helped, but the gains weren't that big all things considered. That 224/232 cam is larger than the TN.

[@SoGoodRc1]

​@richardholdener1727 second to last test the "227" cam or stage 2 would you see much increase if raise a full point on static compression @same advance just better fuel?

[@allthathpandnotire3019]

I’ve got a tsp ls3 stage 3 n/a cam in my stock ls3 with headers and exhaust. I added a novi 1500 kit and e85. I’m running a wastegate to limit the boost up high but am pulleyed for max boost so it is higher lower in the rpm band. Am I losing power down low with the n/a cam? The car pulls good down low, I’m just curious how n/a cams work with centri blowers, I’m assuming it’s not as big of a deal since it’s a blower and not a turbo… ya know, because “wrong cam” ha

[@richardholdener1727]

if it adds power na-it adds power SC

[@JuanRodriguez-yl9oq]

What cam size would give a ls3 better hp increase down in lower rpm with stock 821 heads, stock springs, ls3 intake, and stock converter?

[@richardholdener1727]

small

[@JuanRodriguez-yl9oq]

@@richardholdener1727 decided to go with 212/218 .550/.550 112 LSA from TSP. We’ll see how it does. I really didn’t want too much chop.

[@sjhudon386]

What kind of gain would shorter intake runners give you? Or are these cams too small for high rpm?

[@richardholdener1727]

see the many intake videos I have up-the gains would only come up top-with losses through much of the curve

[@indio1684]

Awesome more 6.2 stuff please, put sloppy “best” Cam on there. Lets see what it does

[@richardholdener1727]

makes less than the 224 or 223 cams

[@alexvillalobos7137]

There’s plenty of videos with it and it’s an outdated cam. I think the truck Norris cam made more power and that cam doesn’t even require a stall converter

[@mcdadcoleman]

6.2 stuff but LS3 stuff not truck motor vortec 6.2 gen 4 stuff . Yeah you can't please everyone 😊. Is it possible to run your tests with a factory ECU like many people would be using?

[@richardholdener1727]

makes no difference in power using factory ECU-just takes too long for programming

[@mcdadcoleman]

@@richardholdener1727 I'd be curious about that. Also, we could see tests with VVT VS NO VVT. There are advantages to both approaches. Thanks for all you do Richard!

[@sjhudon386]

What kind of a gain would shorter intake runners get. Are these cams too small for 7500rpm