Choosing a C6 Corvette Camshaft (Finding the Right One for YOU!)

[@99bx99]

Look at every freeway on ramp as a mini drag strip! LOL. I thought I was the only one who did that.

[@carbo2950]

My friends call me lumpy. No one calls me late. Thanks once again.

[@dretuck4604]

I have an 05 automatic & went with a Texas Speed stage 3 low lift cam. It does well especially in 3rd heading to work. I went with this cam because it didnt need a torque converter installation.

[@Toys4Life]

Nice!

[@LsxCay]

What is the idle like? Is it choppy?

[@jamescarpenter4777]

I went with the same cam. Great streetable cam with good performance and a nice idle. I have clips on my channel. Mine is a 6 speed.

[@dretuck4604]

@@LsxCay so I believe the low lift cams utilize the duration of the valves opening to compensate the lift height. I think Mine sounds unique for the car and I'm only running the SLP loudmouth axle back exhaust. Not too loud but you can definitely tell it's not stock at idle.

[@LsxCay]

@@dretuck4604 thank you I will maybe be getting something like that done to my 05 aswell

[@InTheHookJohn]

Richard speaks very highly of the Truck Norris cam

[@Toys4Life]

Indeed!

[@srmurc6zo6]

A single profile cam works well in ls2s. I've used a 232/595 114 in a ls2 w/ a 6 spd auto, a 2800 stall converter, and kooks 1 5/8 headers. It made good power everywhere and was very driver friendly.

[@Toys4Life]

232 with a stall doesn't concern me, what do you think about a 232 duration cam with an M6, I'm worried about zero mile per hour to 20, when I finally get into some RPMs. Thoughts, other than going with lower rear differential gears?

[@srmurc6zo6]

A 232 may may be borderline annoying at low speed. Maybe something like 224/228 581/588 114 would be good for you. They were very popular. Good power, great sound and drivability.

[@Toys4Life]

I think this would be a solid choice for me - thank you!

[@WarriorsPhoto]

My experience with cams goes back to my Honda days. I know that my buddy went with such an aggressive cam that he didn’t like the car anymore. I know that my buddies that went with mid range cams were very pleased with the results. Especially taking the vehicle to 8k and higher day in and day out. LOL One more thing to add. I’ve heard from a lot of people that putting too aggressive of an exhaust on their Vette. Made it horrible for daily driving. This is similar to what you’re attempting to do. 😊 Good luck T4L. 🎉

[@Toys4Life]

This is what I'm trying to be careful not to do because I agree. Mild cam as opposed to monster Cam and any exhaust will definitely be relatively quiet, I like to be able to carry on a conversation while driving my cars 🤣

[@WarriorsPhoto]

@@Toys4Life LOL 😆 I wasn't this smart in my youth. Sounds like you may have been similar? 😂

[@srmurc6zo6]

@@Toys4Life Corsa Sport exhaust works excellent on C6s! It just hums while cruising with zero drone. It has a nice tone at idle and only gets loud when you really get on it. It's my favorite out of a large pool of exhausts that I've tried. Also Corsa Sport is louder or has a higher tone at idle with stock exhaust manifolds than with headers.

[@Toys4Life]

I have the corsa sport axle back and Agree!

[@WarriorsPhoto]

@ I’ve heard only good things about Corsa exhausts. I am considering getting a Z06 titanium exhaust. That’s a little louder and with a titanium tone.

[@ctvette1318]

Excellent choice! Make sure to take us along for the install as well.

[@bluegoat05]

I can vouch for not going too small. I put a cam in my 5.3 pickup years ago. Because i didn't want to change torque converter or worry too much about tuning, i went with a small cam recommended by comp cams based on those criteria. I spent a few days putting it in including swapping springs and pulling the heads. But the result was nearly unnoticeable in the seat of the pants. Massive waste of time and money. So while i understand not losing too much bottom end, my opinion now is it better damn be noticable if all that money is spent haha

[@bluegoat05]

I was young and stupid so I'm sure you won't make that mistake

[@Toys4Life]

Yeah, for a heavy pickup would need a fairly aggressive cam and a stall and a big tranny cooler - especially if you tow stuff once in a while!

[@ruleslawyer]

One big thing to keep an eye on it your head flow rate. Some heads don't benefit much, if at all from bigger lift. I'm not sure for the c6, but my heads supposedly don't flow much above .580. Keeping the lift down also halved the cost of the needed springs. Big cams with a lot of overlap will also tank fuel economy. If you're just looping for the loping idle, a lot of that can be achieved in the tune by adjusting the idle down and adjusting how much over/under run the idle is allowed to have.

[@Toys4Life]

Several good points - thanks!

[@hazrdos]

7:45 Hey I know that guy. Thanks for the guest spot

[@Toys4Life]

Are you the owner - I talked to him/you at the last Corvettes of MN Track day- sweet car for sure!!!

[@hazrdos]

@Toys4Life Yes that was me

[@Toys4Life]

@hazrdos Your car rips!

[@daren9721]

Btr red hot cam,good naturally aspirated cam and good for a blower also

[@drewmorg.]

Ohhhh he's cammin boys

[@nikkoalpha2]

Another great video. Planning before based on driving styles is critical. Many mistakenly put in the wrong cams based on factors that are not normal for their driving habits. Costly errors that can negatively affect performance happens. Do one’s due diligence and all should be good.

[@j.c2217]

valuable information about the camshaft and also with KZbin voice translation for those of us who speak another language in my case Spanish, thank you

[@Toys4Life]

¡Gracias señor!

[@richarddobreny6664]

Another great video, while you’re in there, a few other items to do perhaps? Water pump, underdrive pulley, rocker arms

[@Toys4Life]

For my own stuff I usually only carefully inspect and replace as needed - but I get a discount on labor (:-)

[@M-PASTA]

I went with the Texas speed Stage 1 LS3 N/A Camshaft but I got dual valve springs and hardened pushrods as well the lift is .629 and it says the operating range is 1600-6800 rpm

[@Toys4Life]

Sounds like you have a solid combo!

[@junioraguilar4004]

Do you an auto or manual ?

[@M-PASTA]

@@junioraguilar4004 manual

[@jonranper]

Hi Brother. You might want to check out the Lingenfelter 2-3 cam with .578 lift. I'm considering it for my 04 C5 with and auto and there's a few videos of guys showing the start up and idle and it sounds very usable.

[@Toys4Life]

I peeked at it an it is very small increase in duration over the LS2 stock cam (207/220) vs (204/213 ) but a bigger increase over the stock LS1 cam (196/208) so I think it is a bit too mild for what I am looking for.

[@jonranper]

@@Toys4Life I can see what you mean. I'll be looking to hopefully get my 04 LS1 up to around 400 hp without murdering the gas mileage. I retired last year and absolutely love touring in my Vette. Got to get my garage cleaned up first!

[@patrickkeschl596]

Great video. So many times I hear guys say they chose a cam because “i read a lot of good information about it” and “a lot of guys on the forum recommended it”. Definitely not the way to pick a cam.

[@Toys4Life]

I agree, the best cams are the ones that are tuned to your specific goals!

[@drewedward3003]

Pick a cam that makes power under the curve!! Don’t look at peak numbers

[@GenXVette]

Very timely, I am looking to do a cam swap on my 2003. I would like to hear your thoughts on how the cam choice may differ based on if you have a manual versus automatic. I have an automatic, so I have to take into consideration the torque converter.

[@Toys4Life]

Most of the manufacturers list the recommended converter stall RPM, with an automatic I would really take that seriously. Also, more cubic inches can handle more and take duration so the 5.7 would be a tiny bit less than the 6.0, but not much.

[@Howdy76]

i'm 74, HAVE A 2011 VETTE, IN SUPERSONIC BLUE METALLIC, SHE'S A GEAR JAMMER. I WILL LEAVE EVERYTHING ALONE.

[@Toys4Life]

Nothing wrong with that 😄

[@srvmotoman]

Had a C6Z with H/C only and the cam was from Texas Speed and Performance. The cam specs were: Duration .050 236/248 Lobe Lift .353/.353 Valve Lift @ 1.8 .635/.635 Lobe Separation 114 Intake center line 110 This was good for 534/502 to the wheels. Stock intake and exhaust. Smooth idle during stop and go traffic. And most importantly, it have that lope at idle sound that we can not get enough of. This would be similar to a "stage 2" cam from what I have gathered. Hope this helps!

[@Toys4Life]

With the C6z manual, how was it soggy when you hit it from a dead stop until RPMs got above 2500 rpm or so? This is one of my biggest concerns. Roll racing - no problem, but starting from 0 mph with a manual transmission and stock rear gears - could be boggy? Thoughts?? Thanks!!

[@srvmotoman]

@@Toys4Life Unfortunately, I never took it to the track to get 1/4 mile times. I like the twisties more. I did have the shift light set to 3300rpm for launches. There was a boggy-ness to it during launches now that you mention it. I never really noticed it. Upon a 0 mph launch, you could feel the torque kick in, but after about a second you feel the full force of torque kick it. Sorry kind of hard to explain. It still punched you into the back of the seat. But you're right; it was not as immediate as a roll race. So if I had to guess, the boggy-ness was less than a second. But any amount of boggy-ness will certainly cut into drag times. Also, the performance shop (Aikman Performance) recommended this cam since they knew that I would not be taking the vette to the drag strip. I'm now curious is a different spec'd cam would have been recommended for the drag strip. Aikman Performance is big into taking vette and mustangs to the drag strip and the Texas 1/2 Mile races.

[@Toys4Life]

Thank you for the input!!

[@shepvette6278]

Another awesome vid Ken!!!

[@Toys4Life]

Thank you sir! Just came inside and almost froze. Are your toes in the sand yet?

[@shepvette6278]

😎🌴🌊

[@shepvette6278]

@@Toys4Life C'mon down!

[@WhaleRacer]

I watched a lot of Richards vids before I spec'd out a cam for my G8. I went with a custom cam and spring package even though RH shows that the off the shelf BTR cams and their spring package works very very well. I'm happy with my results but if I could do it again, I would change a few cam specs slightly. I can tell you that a 212/224 115+3 LSA is done revving at 6500 in a 6.0 so you gotta go a bit more aggressive than that to rev all the way out to 6800. My goal was to keep a smooth idle and I still have that and run high 12s in the 1/4.

[@Toys4Life]

I watch a ton of Richard holdner as well, great stuff!What are the specs of the can that you went with?

[@WhaleRacer]

@@Toys4Life 212/224 .590 lift 115+3 LSA. It comes on at about 1800 RPM and should be shifted at like 6400. If I went with a 114+2 LSA I think it would have bit more power with the same RPM range and should still provide a low smooth idle without shaking the car.

[@WhaleRacer]

@@Toys4Life The Cam Motion cam calculator is a fun tool. I called them and had a chat about valve events and got a bit more technical insight on cam design choices.

[@doolallyproductions7234]

Best mods you can do to any LS is cam and headers and intake manifold unless you have a LS3 just cam and headers

[@Toys4Life]

Likely true - but keep in mind headers generate a lot of underhood heat in a daily driver.

[@BlownInterceptor71]

Is there any way I can ask you a few quick questions about my 2004 C5 commemorative edition.

[@Toys4Life]

Hi there! As you may imagine I get quite a few requests of this nature and so I have drafted this response so that folks don't feel like I am intentionally ignoring them. Feel free to ask your question here and I will take a stab if they are quick and I see this pop up in my feed. If you would like a personalized discussion regarding your Corvette I do offer individualized consulting as well - just shoot me and email at [e-mail] with your questions and I will reply with more details. Thank you - Toys.

[@Franciscoabaez]

I have questions, I see many people do headers and cams, it is necessary do both or I can do only the camshaft?

[@Toys4Life]

Ideally, if heat weren't an issue for daily drivers, headers will help a cam make another 10 to 20 horsepower everywhere. You can definitely add a more aggressive cam with stock manifolds and still get gains, just not as much. The more aggressive the cam, the more it will benefit from headers.

[@Franciscoabaez]

Thank you.

[@carvereubanks]

I’ve got a manual 05 with headers and exhaust. Looking to get something manageable as I daily drive my C6 but also want power and chop. I’ve been looking at stage 2-3 and just not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

[@Toys4Life]

YES - WATCH Part 2 coming soon. I ordered my cam and it will be here soon!

[@bigbenisdaman]

I'm one that went with a small cam to start with, later put a little bigger one in. TSP 220r, sounded great, but left a decent amount of power on the table. Now it's got a not outragous, very streetable 228/232 with same .600 lift but def. bumped up the power. I wouldn't mind it being bigger, but woudn't gain much and would def. lose driveability.

[@Toys4Life]

@bigbenisdaman Do you have the LS2 6 speed manual? That cam 228/232 is on my list as being one of the most radical I would consider. How much do you notice the loss of torque below 2200 RPM? Thanks! Toys

[@bigbenisdaman]

@@Toys4Life It's in my C5 that's an auto, so converter, it's still a smoother cam than some out there and great power. My c5 has a 376 with ls1 stuff on top.

[@petesovia8799]

Hello, I know that this does not pertain to "Cam" info - however - can you make a short video on how and what you use to shine your C5 Wheels ? as I watch your videos - I cant get mine as nice as yours Thanks for your consideration

[@Toys4Life]

I just wash them when washing the car. I think the camera makes them look a bit better to be honest!

[@guntherdadson5046]

personally i recommend if you have a stick car, go with a bigger cam than you think. i have a c5z with a BTR stage 4 and just about everything else you can think of. car made right at 480whp. wish i couldve gone with a stage 5 (if they made it) but i was limited on my PTVC.

[@Toys4Life]

@ 233/248 duration I am afraid of losing too much low end torque which with a manual means a boggy 0-20 mph without abusing the clutch. Do you disagree? 3k and above would be fantastic though!

[@guntherdadson5046]

@ if it was a camaro I would but the vettes are light enough to where it doesn’t matter. I feel like my car has a similar amount of passing power from 2-3k rpm as it did before I did the cam. After 3k it puts you in your seat. Driving around town isn’t bad either as long as I keep my revs up above 2k. Car with 325 Toyo R888Rs spins 1st, 2nd and most of 3rd the with stage 4 cam. It’s not as bad as most guys claim it would be. The only time I would say it’s hit or miss is through parking lots at 5 mph or so, above that it’s fine.

[@Toys4Life]

I Appreciate your first hand real world opinion - thank you!

[@d-one-and-only]

what wheels have you got on the red one?

[@Toys4Life]

C6 Z replicas - but in non C6 Z size- not sure of the brand unfortunately.

[@gloriamaletta8667]

The GM LS3 495 crate engine camshaft is mild camshaft it runs with stock LS3 valve springs would make a pretty big difference vs the stock LS2 cam with gobs more torque 2700-6200rpm than the LS2 cam it will need a tune it's pretty mild 219/228 duration 525/525 lift should pull hard to 6700rpm this mild setup should not need tons of maintenance and be dependable and reliable even this mild setup would like a 3000+rpm lockup stall converter

[@JJ-wf6eu]

Any recommendations for a 2010 stock auto C6 for purely sound as the main reason??

[@srmurc6zo6]

Just about anyone's stage 1 or 1.5 should do it. Just call and make sure they don't require a higher stall converter than o.e.

[@JJ-wf6eu]

@ thank you. Appreciate the info about the stall converter

[@invertedpolarity6890]

If it is just for sound, just do a good quality set of headers. Kooks are the best for fitment and quality.

[@Toys4Life]

Do a ghost tune.

[@oler777]

So far all I've done is put speed engineering full exhaust on my car. I wanted to do a camshaft or a supercharger because my end goal is 550 hp. I bought my parents a white C5 Corvette and it has a Texas beach cam better valve springsand a whole bunch of other stuff done to it. It's fun to drive and a really fast car with the automatic in it, but it is a pain in the ass to drive sometimes it will stall out because the cam is huge.

[@Toys4Life]

If my goal was $550 horsepower, I would leave the engine stock and slap on an A&A, in fact that's exactly what I did with my C5 and it makes 585 to the tires. The C6 build is targeting around 400-450 to the rear tires.

[@oler777]

@ with the a&a kit does it come with different injectors? And will the stock fuel pump handle the extra fuel?

[@Toys4Life]

Comes with bigger injectors and usually a boost a pump for more fuel.

[@SafetyRey]

i daily my c6. looking at the gt2-3 foor my ls2

[@invertedpolarity6890]

If you are seriously considering that cam, save some money and just go with a stock LS9 cam. Much cheaper but very similar specs. I would suggest the Cam Motion LS2 Stage3 cam for your car.

[@Toys4Life]

I am all for mild cams but that very mild!

[@Toys4Life]

@invertedpolarity6890 This cam is on my radar actually!

[@SafetyRey]

@@invertedpolarity6890 thank you. I'll look into those as well. Just started my cam journey.

[@invertedpolarity6890]

@@Toys4Life Would be an excellent cam for an automatic trans car. If a manual trans, I would likely go with the Titan 2 LS1 cam.

[@Ls_corvette]

I’m getting my vette cammed rn. Tsp1 I want that chop

[@Ls_corvette]

There’s a blue Camaro on yt with this cam and it sounds soo good on a ls3 combined with headers and it makes decent power so i definitely had to go with that as in my c6 is a daily driver and all I care about is the chop

[@Toys4Life]

Tsp1 as in the 224R?

[@Ls_corvette]

@@Toys4Life just a Texas speed stage one 225/236

[@todd8928]

I wish you were my neighbor. Dang!

[@N8RZ]

gt11 is the best mild ls cam

[@7000U9ZHIFT]

The lpe gt11 cam is a underrated cam.. I love that grind

[@Toys4Life]

Seems like it would be a decent improvement, although I think I want a little bit more up top, not at the cost of a ton of low end torque, but a little bit more nonetheless up top.

[@raymondleathers5921]

Let me know if you need help. I’m very knowledgeable on the subject. Also you can run up to .600 no problem. Ls start to have issues at about .610-.620 lift. What happens is the rocker starts scrubbing the valve stem and will dig in to the tip. You’re going to want to pay close attention to your dynamic compression if you want to keep low end tq. Ls2 are plenty happy at 8.5:1 on pump gas. Your cam should be tailored around heads(flow and volume), compression and runner length. If you would like to discuss this stuff I’ll give you my email.

[@Toys4Life]

Appreciate the offer!! I'm open to suggestions. Stock 243 heads, 6.0 LS2, I want to make significantly more power up top while minimizing the torque loss below 3000 RPMs. This is more of a concern for me because I have a manual transmission and I don't want to get too soggy (from 0 to 20 mph) whereas this could be overcome with an auto with a stall converter. Basically I want it all, lol. The question for me really is what combination of duration, lift, LSA and overlap are the best balance between those two objectives? Thoughts? And I'm not a fan of cams that keep the ingredients secret as I do want to know what I'm buying (:-).

[@raymondleathers5921]

Anytime you go up in duration you’re going to drop dynamic compression ( when the intake valve closes and you start compression air and fuel). You want to make the dynamic compression as high as possible for the fuel your going to be running allows. Pump fuel can handle 8.5:1 no problem. I’ve run motors as high as 9.2:1 but they end up with a narrow tuning window. One way to increase dynamic compression when going up in duration is tighter lobe separation angles however engines with tighter lobe separation angles stink (fumes from unburnt fuel due to more overlap) and fall off rpm sooner. I would mill the head .040. That increases in compression translate over to the dynamic as well and you will end up with wider separation angle to obtain the desired dynamic compression ratio. The added compression will increase tq and throttle response. Then with a wider lsa it will carry rpm later. I think you would be happy milling the heads .040 and running something like 227/234 on at 114 lsa and keep the lift under .615. I haven’t done any of the math so don’t hold me to that 100%. That should make power to about 6300 and shift at 6600-6700.

[@Toys4Life]

Thank you for the input!! I won't be taking the heads off (just yet) so milling and perhaps porting will have to wait for now (:-).

[@gloriamaletta8667]

GPI SS2 228/240 duration 646/637 lift with a lockup converter stall between 3200-4200 and it should run really crisp with really good throttle response and lay down at 45mph at cruising speed once the converter goes into lockup 4200rpm should put it right at the sweet spot they have camshafts with more duration than the SS2 the SS2 cam should be very streetable this is the biggest cam I'd want to drive on the street the SS3 SS4 are more aggressive mid range torque should be really good 3000-4500rpm with the SS2 camshaft with peak torque about 5200rpm and redline 6700rpm it will rev to 7200rpm if your not wanting to put a stall converter in it go with the SS1

[@Toys4Life]

Sounds like you've done your research!

[@gloriamaletta8667]

@Toys4Life l have a 2011 Camaro SS with a GM Performance LS3 495 horsepower crate engine tuned on E85 with a 6L80e transmission and a Circle D 4200rpm lockup stall converter with a bunch of other upgrades it weighs 3920 pounds with me in it has stock 3.27 gears full interior and AC best eighth mile pass 7.22 at 96mph 1.70 60 foot time with only 3 passes this setup in a lighter C6 with good traction and a clean run should go 2 to 3 tenths quicker this setup drives like a stock LS3 at part throttle once the converter locks up in 5th gear at around 45mph very streetable it has a ever so slight chop that is barely noticeable at idle vs a stock LS3 and has a wide torque band and pulls strong to 6700rpm redline it has CNC ported and milled LS3 heads

[@danlaur7973]

DON'T get too big of a cam that will cause your car to lose its street manners

[@Toys4Life]

That's the goal. I am trying to find that line for a 6.0 LS2 with M6 trans...

[@rle1020]

Btr redhot cam

[@gloriamaletta8667]

Do not over cam it no need

[@Toys4Life]

I agree! I see a lot of go big or you will regret it too, I prefer to get as informed as possible and increase the odds I choose the right cam for what I am asking the engine to do (:-)

[@gloriamaletta8667]

@Toys4Life if the cylinder heads flow well you won't need a huge camshaft l prefer something that makes the most average power throughout the intended rpm range rather than being sucked in to peak numbers most very large camshafts will make 10-15 more horsepower at peak than something more mild that makes more power earlier in the powerband gearing stall converter weight of car all comes into play something not to choppy that runs clean and crisp something that will run smooth by 2000-2200rpm

[@antonarcane93]

American Heritage Performance all the way!

[@ViperMods_216]

You'll regret getting too small of a cam

[@Toys4Life]

I certainly don't want to do that, please define too small (:-).

[@Dan-gj1hz]

Much better to go too small and retain the best drivability over going too large and no longer enjoying to drive it. Can easily get a cam that is not fit for your driving style.

[@Dan-gj1hz]

@@Toys4Life In my personal opinion, there is no such thing as “too small of a cam”. There is only “I didn’t get the right cam for my application and driving patterns”.