STOCK LS CAM SHOOTOUT-FOR LOW $ BUILDERS!

[@djzomb1]

I cant believe we all get this information for free. thank you to everyone involved!

[@PapaWheelie1]

He puts a ton of work into these - definitely much appreciated

[@soundslikealot]

Richard = LS king for sure! So much information 👍

[@BEANS-O-MATICtransmissions]

Literally ! I've always thought the same thing ! How great of a time we live in to have this information spoon fed to us. I'm soo thankful guys like Richard and Matt Happel do what they do so we can pick the right combo's and save thousands of dollars in parts and dyno/drag strip time. The guys in the 60's to late 90's would have killed for all this great information.....

[@middlesiderrider]

Seven years ago i had to pay for the Car Craft magazine that contained this exact info in an article by Richard

[@niagrasprings]

@@PapaWheelie1 QUOTE definitely much appreciated UNQUOTE except by 13 morons who stopped by to give a TD.

[@jamieK111]

You must spend $500/month on engine degreaser :) Channel is awesome, educational and a great service to the community!

[@SuperFuzzyman123]

Best engine channel by far, can we just take a moment to appreciate how much time he puts into each video for us

[@DoctorHemi]

For a daily driver, of all these cams, I'd go with the LQ9 (2001-2004 LS1) cam--very little torque loss at low-rpm, but 21 peak HP gain while also spreading curve out to higher rpm.

[@baddaddybrady2]

It was amazing meeting you at west tech. Thank you so much for doing the science behind all the junkyard builds?? Keep killing it!!

[@richardholdener1727]

thnx-always great to meet car guys (and gals)

[@450ktm520]

You mean, he's real and not an actor?

[@mauricecooper176]

Why don't see you on hoonigan

[@jakelitz516]

Your an inspiration brother

[@bleach_drink_me]

Awesome video. Coming from the import world where a set of cams start around $800 I am really impressed with how many budget friendly options exist for the LS platform. I have learned the 5.3l is the sweet spot for a powerful budget ls build. I put my setup together after watching your videos and will do so again. Thanks for all the testing you have done.

[@middlesiderrider]

The L33 5.3ho cam you used was 193/193 duration at .050" and .479/.479 lift with 116 lsa

[@jakewade7388]

Richard, This is the content I have been looking for. BEST LS CHANNEL PERIOD! Thank you for all your time consuming work. It helps all of us.

[@656hookemhorns]

The LS2/3 seems like the best compromise to me.

[@mseabrooke6147]

Name: "Richard Holdener". Title: "National Treasure". Thanks for putting this together for the LS community. I am doing a rebuild on a customer's 5.3L LM7, and I wanted too see what other stock-style cams might work with factory valve springs and lifters, while picking up some power upstairs. This was a great help. Watched it 3-4 times and studied. Bookmarking for future friends and enthusiasts.

[@TomsTurboGarage]

Thank you for the excellent videos sir, I love em!!

[@invujerry]

I remember reading the article you wrote on this. Had to be almost 5 years ago. Glad to see the information still holds up!

[@disfordiesel8219]

It was an excellent write up. Thanks Richard.

[@kevinstevens915]

I’m so happy that I found this channel information overload and I know we all love our LS

[@zebdeming]

How do you not have over 100k subscribers? Great solid info as always, thanks for your time

[@chriskubond6314]

This is such a cool channel. Nowhere else can you get info on what all these different cams do to an LS motor. He took all the research that some people spend hours looking up and put them into a 10-15 min video. I see 100,000+ subs in his near future

[@joshdrobny93]

I think the ls3 would be the best comprise for me. Especially in an auto where the converter blows right up into the gains

[@rongravel4585]

Everyone who’s a real mechanic has that old craftsman screwdriver in there box that looks like it went there a war 40 years ago and has been used to install a LS cam. Lol. Thumbnail got me in the heart

[@stlchucko]

Ron Gravel I have some 5” long bolts that I screw into the cam for a grip.

[@JadXtreme]

Love these cam comparisons. Would love to see some aftermarket “low lift” cams compared with more aggressive aftermarket cams in 5.3 or 6.0. I’ve done both versions of the Howard’s ASA cam, one with 110 LSA in a 02 LS1 and the 112 LSA version of the same cam in a 08 L76 in a G8. Both cars made about 400 hp to the wheels (only CAI, cam, headers, tune) and cams only grossed .525 lift, 226/236 lift at .050. Seems to me that a good designed low lift cam can make great power over stock cams but I have not seen any comparisons. Thanks! Love the channel!

[@cc23001]

He's pretty much documented all ta that. The 454 Comp cam he likes as well as the other Comps he normally runs are more aggressive than the BTR stage 1-3 truck cams he recently posted

[@jessemurray1757]

I'm glad you compared the LS2, LS3 and LS6 together. I'm sure you know the LS2 cam is actually the 01 LS6 cam. The 02+up LS6 cam is more aggressive than the LS2 cam. Finally the LS3 cam is a hybrid between the LS2 and LS6 cams.

[@richardholdener1727]

yep

[@02badfnz]

Holy shit. Wouldn’t think in a million years those’s cams would do that. Mind blowing

[@dragbikedemon]

I read all this in your crane cams trio write up. Awesomeness at its finest!

[@jessemurray1757]

That LQ9 cam is the same as the 01-up LS1 cam. The earlier LS1's 97--00 used a cam that made less low end and about 10 more top end.

[@milojanis4901]

The 2000 C5 only cam was very good. .500" lift, tighter LSA

[@muaminhugsy4964]

Even tho I'm not a V8 guy nor do I see much, the stuff is informational, especially the boost stuff. Love it.

[@damianlongton4180]

Hey Richard just wanted to say that I appreciate your time and your dedication to helping us motor heads with information and tips on building our projects. I have been watching for about 6 months and covered most of the videos even the one's I'm not interested in just because it's cool to see the difference in manufacturers factory output numbers and what they offer with upgrades. I always loved hot rod magazine tech articles well low and behold your the man behind most of the test I was intrigued by. So I've been building ls stuff on a budget for a few years on and off we have a small mechanic shop in upstate ny and I've been a fan of the LQ9 6.0 for it's availability and price also the power you get with a basic cam and factory head swap. Before I had watched all your videos I was keeping track of things online and what cams had the hype. I put a Texas speed 228r in jeffs chevelle with a victor jr. Carb intake with the MLS ignition system. That was a incredible combination coming from the old small block combination we had in the chevelle before. I'll get to the point idk how much I can write on here.. I recently put the LQ9 cam in my winter truck a 02 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the lm7 steel block. Hey it's a free swap why not? I have a hypertech plug and play tuner and transmission upgrades I rebuild the GM truck transmissions. So I can spin the stock 5.3 6200 and take advantage of the cam better than most can just doing the swap my truck typically shifts at 52-5400 stock. I run it out just high enough not to pop the limiter in between gears. The truck definitely pulls harder up top! I am curious to see how it works with some more mods but the trucks mostly my secondary rig to keep salt off my gmc with a cammed lq9 but plans to boost the original 5.3 are in the works on the 06 gmc. I could tell you more about some of the things I have been trying but don't want to write more on the response part of this story. But anyone reading the lq9 cam does offer cheap noticeable results nothing crazy like a big cam swap but hey for free I'm not upset with my results thanks again for your time and dedication to helping out the performance community! Keep the test coming there awesome! I'll try to keep you posted on some of my findings too.

[@kwik440]

Richard, .. YOU ARE A BEAST!! Thank you for doing all this testing, and educating me !!

[@richardholdener1727]

Beast Mode-engaged!

[@TurboJohn74]

Nothing better than Richard's fresh content and coffee!

[@junkopotomus]

I was rebuilding my LM7 for my Land Cruiser and this video helped me stay with a stock grind. I love your videos. Ty

[@vortecturbo]

We've been doing LS2 swap cams for Budget builds since 2005 this is nothing new it's just the fact that Richard exposed it. By the way Richard huge compliments on doing this back-to-back comparison you greatly help inform ton of people that didn't believe us

[@leehay1865]

same, the LS2 cam is a great for a DD, I build Jeeps and use this in all the 5.3 swaps I do.

[@user-vd5ru9lw6k]

How are you putting ls2 cams in 5.3 with the cam shaft sensor?

[@vortecturbo]

@@user-vd5ru9lw6k do you utilize a Gen 4 front cover with a cam sensor crossover pin a and aNC and use a one pole cam gear

[@devin7632]

I want to put a ls3 cam in my lq9 but I was wondering the same thing

[@user-vd5ru9lw6k]

You have to disabled the cam sensor and run on batch fire, little harder on fuel and coils but works

[@raymondwalker2109]

Good stuff Richard you sure do put a lot of work in that we don't even see. if I could just stomach these commercials whenever I'm up late at night if I want to watch infomercials I just watch KZbin

[@burntorangeak]

I'm feeling your spiritual judo chops, Right in my heart...

[@dkelley4177]

Building a Desert Cruiser. It lives at lower rpm. Need Torque down there(799s). Thanks Richard for clearing things up...

[@kevintribbey4313]

its nice to see that the $50 ls2 cam i deleted the DOD & VVT on my LC9 with wont be a disappointment.

[@sleepyhead9756]

Suprised only 155k views. This is legendary work

[@bushmandanny3457]

Great vid. Put LS2 cam and LR4 pistons in my LM7. Now I have some legit numbers to brag about. Thanks!

[@rideswift]

Im diggin' that LS3 power curve!

[@rickybobby0314]

Now you should do a aftermarket cam shootout on a all stock lm7 🙂

[@montecarloss185]

Richard is putting together a "stage 2" shootout sloppy stage 2 vs the world! I'm looking forward to that one

[@bryanmayes9234]

@@montecarloss185 i cant wait lol i hope he runs em in a 4.8L lol as i put an elgin ss2 in a low mile 4.8L. Prolly gonna run it like this then port an extra set of 862's i have and see the difference

[@middlesiderrider]

In this same test in Car Craft magazine Richard ran three different Crane cams in this engine. The 200, 210, and 224. They all made much better power than the factory cams, with less torque lost down low.

[@jakewade7388]

@@middlesiderrider In that article, he lists the 200 cam as 200/200 113 LSA. All I see that Crane makes close to that is a 200/208. Do you think they just don't make the 200/200 anymore?, or was it a typo and meant to be the 200/208?

[@middlesiderrider]

@@jakewade7388 I don't know but I'm sure the folks at Crane can tell ya. I think the big deal with that cam was the ability to use stock springs. Should still be able to if the lift is the same. That would be a nice cost savings if you're as broke as I am

[@jensenfrank7246]

Love your channel! There is such a wealth of Knowledge! I’ve personally learned more than a handful of things!

[@Vindexx]

Thanks for making these videos! They answer so many questions that I've had about my cam that came in my engine!

[@scottbankston3377]

It's interesting that all the cams performed almost identically up to the mid 4000 rpm range, keep'em comming

[@ronb113]

Excellent video, it doesn’t get better than comparisons like this!

[@AverageTrackRat]

Great effin video. Wish I had or found this back in the day! A similar vid for the coyote family would be GREATLY appreciated

[@chrishansen7004]

Might have to put the ls3 cam in my 4.8 seems like the best compromise all around

[@AZpatriot69.]

Will it need a tune with that cam?

[@kc2giw]

Of all the cams I was most curious about the ls6! D’oh

[@rickmassey4576]

Reason I was even watching this :(

[@PMcGuffin]

Same here, I’m hoping he will revisit it. Also he didn’t give specs for that one so I’m wondering if it was the earlier LS6 cam or the later upgraded one.

[@utahcountypicazospage5412]

Get the later version ls6 forsure Texas speed has a truck-cam stage 2 it is a ls6 cam with torque I have it in my 1999 z28 idles super smooth no one suspects that I have a cam and put down 350 hp 350 tq thru an automatic with 4000 rpm stall and 410 gears which all that makes you lose power on the dyno

[@HioSSilver1999]

I made 451whp 423wtq with a ls6 cam. It was a bolt on ls6 engine actually. That was on pump gas and no dyno tricks.....well i did bypass my ps to get on the same level as these eps guys. It was in a m6 4gen and through a 9". I think one could get a ls6 cam near 500whp in a 346.

[@DrewEdwardBacklas]

Would love to see a comparison of camshafts looking for low end torque to optimize as a truck motor.

[@petejoseph8257]

As usual a great informative vid by Richard Holdener.

[@SICKSOJOE]

Heres one for you... I have an ls6 crate motor in my 99 Z28, with most bolt ons including a fast 102 & 1.8 rockers. the heads were milled .015 to 62cc for a slight bump in compression. the car went 10.8 @ 125 @ 3370lbs thru a 6 speed. it made 445rwhp on VP110 and 31* of timing, 13:1 AFR. i see a lot of heads/cam setups on LS1tech that struggle to produce the power my setup makes and im using stock parts. what i would like to see on your dyno is a 5.7 with the combo i have compared to some heads cam setups, it would be very interesting to see how the stock ls6 topend compares. I feel this is a good setup for anyone looking to make 450 at the wheels or less, its great on gas, has a stealthy idle, & is very torquey and snappy but will make power north of 6600rpm. yet i still have a hard time selling people on this setup.

[@viciousrap700]

Richard, I think one thing that should be noted here is that most guys especially F body guys are going to have a torque converter upgrade. In these 4L60E cars 3600-4000 stall converters are very common even on bolt on engine cars. Converters just pick these cars up so well it's amazing, frankly. So having said that, the low speed trade off that most are going to experience from some of the bigger cams is going to be a moot point when the converter is flashing so high. Just my thoughts brotha.

[@calvinevans8305]

Thanks Richard, you have so much research data. You need to sneak into the school of automotive machinists some day and reveal some of their engine wizardry.

[@GlobalMediaInc]

Another Great Video! Now We Need The Aftermarket Stage 2 Shootout! BTR, TSP, SS2, SummitPro, LJMS, LG Motorsports?

[@jakewade7388]

And Cam motion

[@dkelley4177]

Elgin by any other name...

[@jessemurray1757]

ok last comment. Its worth mentioning that in order to swap the later Gen 4 cams into a Gen 3 block you need to run a later timing cover, gear and extend cam sensor harness. The Gen 3 engines got their cam signal off the cam itself and the later Gen 4 engines got their signal off the cam gear. Finally, running a 1 bolt cam in an early block can be a challenge since I don't think anyone makes a 24x gear with a 1 bolt.

[@richardholdener1727]

I showed all the various cam gears and cam snouts in the original story. We used a Holley so none of that mattered

[@jessemurray1757]

@@richardholdener1727 that's fine but most people wont be. Its worth a mention, hence why I mentioned it.

[@bluejay693]

Great video! Here's another idea, everyone is always removing the VVT phaser on their L99 (auto version of the LS3) when doing a cam upgrade, But GM moved to VVT for all their gen V motors. You think VVT would be an improvement. I'd be curious to see the effects of the VVT phaser with a Max effort cam compared to a cammed LS3 or VVT deleted L99 and see which one actually made more power.

[@richardholdener1727]

vvt is better but I can't test it

[@Aseutester]

@@richardholdener1727 Find a way!

[@austincohoon4203]

Please do a truck cam shootout with Texas Speed, BTR, etc... plus any "torque" cams that are out there. A discussion about how they would impact the need for a torque converter would be great as well. Lots of us want something that grabs you by the seat of the pants and sounds more aggressive without having to pull the engine and trans apart to maintain our drivability in town. I've ridden in a lot of trucks with cam upgrades that needed a new torque converter even though the manufacturer claimed they didn't.

[@richardholdener1727]

I like stage 1 truck cams or something like the BTR torque cam

[@RoyBrown1794]

Hopefully he does an after market cam shootout for btr2,ljms2,sloppy stage 2, the comp 54-454-11 and many more that he uses 🤗

[@thrashrootsmotorsports166]

He already announced the ss2 vs the world test coming up

[@richardholdener1727]

yep

[@1fast72nova]

I'm waiting on the big block big bang and the ss2 vs the world (which I hope includes the ls9 on the smaller side and a larger NA cam like an ms4)

[@pmd7771969]

The 1st high hp engine I saw in person when I was 16 was a twin turbo cadillac 500 near syracuse ny. I would have put that in a 70 nova or t bucket myself. But we were in awe. The car was probably 800 to 1200 hp. So I began my cadillac engine building years. I also did olds 455, sbc 350,400. 427,454.

[@jcanfixall1585]

What do you do about the Cadillac oiling issue to get any RPM out of them???

[@jakewade7388]

I would love to see a LS 5.3 truck cam shootout, Comp, Cam Motion, Tick, BTR, TSP. I would also like to see a test done on the effects of valve lift. say .500, .550, .600 on stock 862/706 heads.

[@chriskubond6314]

That would be an awesome video. Lets see who makes the best truck cam

[@sanchez_lsx1198]

I had a tsp stage 3 low lift cam 216/220 .550 lift it did well for its size.

[@guyconnell2250]

I would do an LS2 in a pickup. Seems to be the best "compromise".

[@cedricandrews3874]

Thanks for the videos and great information on the combinations. I would like to see the ASA cam on the LM7. You can use this cam without a spring upgrade on a LS2, or LS3. Again thanks for the great information.

[@TheTrothKeeper]

Thanks for the h2h LS9 vs LS7, I wondered how similar they were in real world application. A lot of people poop on the LS9 cam but it is dirty cheap new GM and works! FWIW I have used a LS2 cam in a LM7 for years in an old C10 and it is nasty good on the street loaded with junk ridin heavy or unloaded. Easiest swap is still the LS6 though, too bad the price jumped up on new ones. Keep the goodness coming!

[@richardholdener1727]

ls7 and ls9 are the same

[@MrPhukyew]

@@richardholdener1727 the ls7 is 120.5 lsa and ls9 is 122lsa. Also ls7 cam was designed to be used with 1.8 rockers to achieve the .59x lift so there may be a slightly different ramp angle there.

[@tonymanns8249]

Great presentation. Thanks. I own a 2005 LS2 GTO M6, it pulls hard at all RPMs and is fun to drive. Even though the LS2 has a small cam it makes very good torque and HP. Good flowing heads can yield both low RPM torque and high RPM HP. :)

[@richardholdener1727]

the stock ls2 makes peak power at less than 6000 rpm, so the stock heads teamed with a stock cam and long runner intake don't really make good high-rpm power-but a cam swap helps that a lot

[@tonymanns8249]

@@richardholdener1727 At the drag strip it pulls hard to 6000 rpm. I've raced it many times. Low 13's at 108 mph is fast enough for me. :) The factory CAI is restrictive, I installed a Lingenfelter CAI and K&N filter gained almost 3 mph.

[@davidyoung30]

Just pulled a stock LS3 cam from my new crate motor. Picked up an LC9 to fool around with. Thinking I’m going to gap the rings, delete the DOD and VVT, put the ls3 cam in, and make an ultra low buck turbo deal out of it.

[@DarthDarklorD]

I think the HO 5300 cam is the same as the later LMG cam without DoD lobes. I had to use one when I deleted the Wife's 08 Tahoe, perfect swap, no tuning.

[@TurboDog73TX]

From what I saw the LS2 cam would be the winner in a daily driver on an extreme budget..

[@ChurchAutoTest]

100%. I loathe giving up any bottom end on my daily LM7 Tahoe. That LS2 cam looks like a real winner.

[@bri-manhunter2654]

Stalls help & cheap on LS setups, unlike my Hemi🤣

[@shitbox7413]

I have a LM7 with a LQ9 cam in a C10, it works well. I have also read that it’s the same specs as some LS1 cams.

[@tomwhite9034]

Now that I did not know and this is what I like learning about. Thank you Richard

[@CarGuy87]

Wow amazing information for the community Richard. You have instantly gained a subscriber. Looking forward to learning more from you bud

[@crazylarryjr]

Looking at the results, if you are building a lightweight chassis (like an S-10), the LS3 cam is the best balanced of all the stock cams, for maintaining good torque while making power on the cheap

[@pmd7771969]

Lots of cam issues can be fixed with a proper matching of components. A tork converter should be about 700 rpm past its beginning powerband.

[@marcstlaurent3719]

Wow great cam comparison , thanks Richard .

[@41Fivin]

all of your videos are awesome man keep it goin!!!

[@NoferTrunions]

Great comparison test! Thank you so much! I still don't understand why the 122 LSA cams behave the way they do. With little overlap, I'd say that tuned exhaust header effects would be minimized however the header vs a non-tuned exhaust w/cats wasn't shown - so no way to know where the headers were doing their job. I would have thought the 122 would have killed top end and had little effect bottom end. However that is not true. So it's like a complete re-thinking of how this stuff works is where I'm at. NOTE: ADVANCE: I believe the LS9 may have 6* of Advance built in which would add bottom. QUESTION: Where all the cams installed AS-IS wherever the OE timing marks put them OR "straight up"? If some cams have advance built into them, then it's hard to relate results to specs. INTAKE CLOSING?: Another way to look at the LS9 is that the cam is a "big" cam w/"lots" of duration where they simply reduced the overlap, so the exhaust opening and intake closing are the same as a traditional cam w/114 LSA. Could the loss of bottom end be due simply to the intake closing? I wouldn't think the headers are doing much at 2500 rpm. FUEL ECONOMY?: The other question about these comparisons is what is the fuel economy at low throttle settings (cruising on the interstate?) I suspect the 122 might produce better fuel economy but we'll never know. CENTRIFUGAL SUPERCHARGERS?: I'm thinking the 122 might be a good idea IF the 122 itself was not the cause of low end loss. IF the INTAKE CLOSING, that could be managed to maintain some low end torque for the centrifugal. (Of course the boost ratio as the square of rpm ratio has no bottom end torque by definition.) A comparison with stock manifolds & cats (which ones of course) might reveal some interesting results as well as supercharged runs (what happens with a good NA cam w/SC?

[@mrcodesteez1211]

Man thank u so much for all that information such a kick ass video so much work involved and u gave it away for free thank u for that

[@roberthanna4400]

I appreciate these videos brother! I wish I was following you back in 17! I put my four-door together and went with the LS nine cam and I mentioned it before on a previous video yours it is a absolute turd Down low!!

[@DBSSTEELER]

Now do this same test with a 6.0 and heads that give you over 10.0:1 compression so we can see the effects with cubes and the correct compression zone for those cams.

[@richardholdener1727]

same results-everything is elevated

[@raylaux8295]

6L heads will loose cylinder pressure. Go read some about it son.

[@sean5comet]

@@raylaux8295 he clearly said "and heads that give you over 10.0:1 compression." He didn't not say to use the stock 6.0 317 casting heads. So maybe he should use a head with a smaller combustion chamber than what the 317's have...son

[@vmoutsop]

This is good. As I've said before, my thing is HP, not so much TQ, I don't care as much for low TQ under 4000rpm as long as I have decent TQ and good HP above it and can rev like Ralph Kramdem - "To The Moon!"

[@Turbogto_guy]

Test idea. Pick a cam. Change just the lsa starting at 108 and go up to 118 to see the difference. Just lsa change. Now that would be interesting. I tend to think a higher lsa makes a higher peak power and broader curve.

[@richardholdener1727]

i did that already

[@jerico5660]

You are the man! GOAT LS and then some! Thx dude!

[@LT3Fluffy]

For the truck guys would be nice to see the truck cam comparison like the btr stage 1-4. I've seen you do up to I think stage 2 but would be cool to see what the "wilder" truck stuff actually runs vs non truck labeled cams

[@HeadFlowInc]

Iirc the 5.3 HO/L33 cam has .482/.482 @.050 193/193 LSA 116. larger than the LM7 cam.

[@viperstd]

Amazing content on your channel. Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise.

[@jubjub905]

Im curious with these junkyard ls’s with cam swaps how much can be made on 87 octane compared to 93. Ive only seen 1 article on it and they didnt compare it to high test. Would be interesting to see because it could save a lot of $$$$

[@UncleScoob]

I believe the ls6 Z06 camshaft is different than a stock ls6 camshaft, I noticed a pickup in power in my 2000 z28 m6 once it was installed and retuned for that cam.

[@richardholdener1727]

there are 2 LS6 cam grinds

[@CrankAddict]

@@richardholdener1727 make sure you get the later 405hp version

[@PMcGuffin]

Richard Holdener do you know which one was tested?

[@LSswapGarage1]

The 01 and up LQ4 or LQ9 cam has always been listed as 196/207 duration and not 196/201. I have admittedly never measured one because I didn't really care that much but I may now just for fun. Another fun fact is if that grind is indeed the 196/207 split it's almost identical to the static number on the VVT cam from the LY6 and L96 which GM states is 196/208.

[@michaelking1869]

I like all of Richard’s videos. This one needed a bit of help. The 2002-2007 LM7, L59, LQ4, LQ9, and LR4 used the same camshaft. The 2001 and 2002 LS1 also used the same camshaft. The 1999 and 2000 was different between these engines, but not the case from 2002-2007 in the cathedral port truck engines and LS1. The L33 was a bigger cam as you listed. I have the specs for it somewhere. If I dig them up I’ll list it. When listing power the year of the 4.8L, 5.3L, and 6.0L will make a difference. Great work, thank you for your testing.

[@richardholdener1727]

thnx for the comment-please check your facts

[@michaelking1869]

I have a lot of this info saved from when I was taking classes at the dealer when these were our everyday thing. I'm not trying to be the internet troll to pick at your video btw... The stock LS1 cam changed a few times. When the EGR delete happened for 2001-2002 in the F-Body it received a new camshaft to make it cleaner without the EGR. From memory (without my paperwork in hand) the 6.0L shared that same camshaft with the change over to aluminum heads. The LS1, LQ4, and LQ9 should show the same part number currently for the years of 2001 and up. I can check that with a few vin's and a call to my dealer friends. At one time the baby motors were listed with the same part number, but as engine updates happen the part numbers changed as well. The all famous LS2 timing chain became nothing more than the part number all Gen III's and IV's were listed with as a replacement. The same with the famous LS7 lifters. That part number is now listed as the same lifter using a vin for the Gen III and IV line. I was lucky enough to work for one in the good days from 1996 to 2009. The 1999 4.8L and 5.3L were rated at 255hp (4.8L) and 270HP (5.3L). The 2000 received a camshaft change bringing power up to 270 and 285 along with a raise of the factory rev limit from 5600 to 6000. If I dig around I can try to find my info and part numbers for this and possibly a screen shot of it. Around 2004 or so the 4.8L went to 285hp and 295hp for the 5.3L and if memory serves correct the much better rods came into play. There are bits of my memory that may be foggy.. LOL I'm old and have to refer to notes on occasion. I will check what I can for current listings, but I will also try to dig up the factory numbers and info before part number changes happened. This isn't a big deal, but matters only if someone is picking up a junkyard engine that's an earlier model. From memory there was also a rod bolt change around 2001 that was designed for the LS6, but was used across the entire line. Without me digging to much you may be able to find that. If you plan to spin your junkyard engine high the 2001 and up are a better choice for this reason. The L33 cam should be 193/193 .483/.483 although I've seen GM list it as .479 as well in SI at one time or another. Richard or anyone else have info on this stuff? When I get to my storage next I'll try to give better or more info without my old man memory. Thank you again for the videos. I've subscribed and watch frequently.

[@robertmacpeek424]

Michael King, spot on brother. Not that my opinion matters but your extended response is (numbers, years, eng wise) verbatim everything I have read & saved over the last 15-20 years as far as gen III/IV specs👍

[@jcanfixall1585]

​@@richardholdener1727I know this is a very old comment but I can't help it, this guy has no clue what he's talking about, maybe he could use Google for "instant info" but I guess when he gets to his storage and reads his "notes" he will realize how wrong he is...

[@peted5217]

All this info on LS mtrs exists because it's the most sold versatile motor in the world. Development is bound to go on for a few more decades. Varible Valve timing and direct injection will eventually become 'Old Hat' Hot Rodding techniques 4 more power

[@ericmaysonet3135]

H.O cam specs are 193/193 @.50 .482 in. duration 116Lsa

[@richardholdener1727]

thnx

[@jamest.5001]

Looks like a lot of trading of power, I been looking at the BTR 4.8 turbo cams, s1 & s2 and the turbo truck cams, I don't want so much low-end torque it's breaking things on a somewhat street only vehicle , but want good low-end. With the gains if a turbo up mid and high, an S-truck with 4.8/5.3 tune only would be fun to drive, but a mild cam to wake it up, and a bit of pressure to wake that combo, that would be how GM should have done it!

[@kylestewart9004]

I dunno if anyone else agrees but that LS2 cam seems like the perfect NA street/strip set up, minimal low end torque loss for like 400 hp roughly a 50 hp gain

[@Crysmatic]

great info. LS3 cam and 1-5/8" headers will probably make 430 bhp with more torque than the LS7 cam. The Corvette cams are also meant for 11:1 compression vs 9.5:1 in the LM7. That's probably good for 450 bhp with stock idle and mpg is probably better than stock.

[@raymar1209]

Just took the L33 5.3 HO cam out an engine and the specs I have for that cam is .482 L @.050 and 193 D 116 lsa

[@nmsmitto]

I’d like to see the lower rpm curve in your vids if possible. Noticed it started at 2250 or so this time, it’s nice to see as these motors can lug around down low. Shows stop start traffic stuff.

[@Maverick09171]

nmsmitto the wot power down that low doesn’t relate to how smooth it runs at part throttle. But I do agree that’s important to consider.

[@tompickrell9125]

I wanna see you throw some massive massive cam in a stock lm7, like a Texas speed magic stick 3/4 etc

[@woodgrain18]

Iv had a ms3 in a 5.3

[@KreatorOfDeath1985]

@@woodgrain18 how was it?

[@TheTmshuman]

I had an MS4 w/ 110LSA in a 383 LS1 and it was ridiculous. 1,100 RPM idle, backfires, poor vacuum, all until about 3,500 RPM. Came on like a turbo and would do a roll on burnout in third gear at a hundred on 275’s.

[@woodgrain18]

@@KreatorOfDeath1985 it was in a 3560 pound 4th gen z28 5.3 with decked 799's ms3 cam pac springs and trunion upgrade ls2 intake with a nick Williams TB and 2" long tube headers with 3 and half inch dynomax bullets with turndowns bolted two the headers T56 speed 12 bolt rear end with a 4.30 gear it was actually pretty stout for what it was especially up top it was a lot of fun to play around with on the street and track I think I revved to around 7300 or 7400rpm and shifted at 7000 car also had a nitrous outlet plate kit jetted at 150 on a good pass it would run mid to lowish 6's on the bottle and low 7's in the 1/8

[@woodgrain18]

@@TheTmshuman i had a ms3 in a sbe lm4 aluminum 5.3 and it was a damn good running car o never had any vacuum problems I think mine would idle around 8-900 rpm

[@andy347495]

Great video, love the factory budget test. keep them coming. When you've tested everything you can on a LS are you going to do similar test with some ford 351 windsor and some more BBC stuff? Peanut port heads vs vortec heads vs 049/781 heads would be a cool test and informative for us budget big block chevy guys. Maybe just throwing in a cam or two with the factory heads to see what you get too. Oh, and maybe some heads from a 396 also. Factory cast iron intake vs edelbrock performer too. Anyway thanks again for the video.

[@timothybayliss6680]

Think he would love to do all that but for this he.just has to call a local yard and get a wrecked Lm7 short or long block. Even finding good running Windsor or GenIV big.blocks in wrecking yards is almost impossible. The last car to have a 351 Windsor was police interceptor crown vics in 1991, and the last truck was either a 1997 or 1998 F Series. They are kind of gone. It's gets worse looking for a set of closed chamber oval port 396 Gen4 big block heads. Guys hoard them like a set of camel hump heads, and it ends up just being cheaper to call summit racing and having the cheapest set.of Chinese aluminum castings delivered to your door as opposed to rebuilding a set of 50 year old boat anchors.

[@richardholdener1727]

I've tested tons of 302 and 351W stuff-that's how I got started in the industry way back in 1990 (with Turbo magazine)

[@richardholdener1727]

lots of 351W in EFI trucks at the yard

[@andy347495]

@@richardholdener1727 shhh😁

[@andy347495]

@@richardholdener1727 i know the big blocks and 351w stuff isnt as popular as the LS engines, but maybe some test could help enough people.

[@pmd7771969]

It may work well to shave the heads for more compression and use a thin head gasket to boost compression when using an ls9 cam.

[@dpracing1]

Love your vids Richard. Lots of time and effort is put into your content. Much appreciated bud. 🙏🏻

[@sr20dett1000]

Test the SDPC SDR51906 LS6 max power plus camshaft and SDPC SDR55308 LS6 max power camshaft. It take care of the low end torque loss.

[@anthonypritchard7710]

Love these vids. This vid shows it doesn’t make sense to swap a stock cam for another stockcam. To much low end lose to justify it.

[@Mtnbike121]

Ls2 cam only lost below 3000rpm. Which your never going to see while racing and picked up 50hp up top. So how does that not make sense?

[@Joesmusclecargarage]

@@Mtnbike121 I completely agree. And it didn’t lose much at that. 20ish lb/ft. I have a 3-bolt LS2 cam that I paid $25 for. It’s a hell of a lot better than the LM7 cam.

[@DavieJones_Lockr]

I wish you had run the LM7 cam with the 1.8 rockers to compare against the entire field....... the rocker upgrade on the smaller cam may have been the most cost effective power without major sacrafice in the torque curve

[@victordahn2150]

Amazing amount of work! Thank you!

[@grahamboydboostedls1069]

I have herd that the non DOD L33 cam is a good upgrade but I haven’t really look into it Good video thanks keep up the good work

[@middlesiderrider]

He ran that cam. It lost 4lb-ft at 2500rpm, only started making more at 4500, and made a total of +12lb-ft and +14hp at 6200rpm. Maybe worth it if you like swapping cams and already have one...

[@grahamboydboostedls1069]

Ya not with the time

[@poolesperformance6146]

Test an ASA cam and the LSX 454 crate cam in a 5.3 please

[@Maverick09171]

Poole's Performance asa cam is junk. It sounds sweet but makes terrible power and drive ability. And that’s in an ls1. In a 5.3 it’s going to suck even harder.

[@jasonnichols5215]

I would really like to see a cam comparison between a thumber style cam that has lots of overlap to something that has less like most “boost” style cams. In n/a and boost configuration. I been shopping for a cam and all the specs are close together besides lobe separation/overlap.