BumpSticks . . .

[damacman]

Given my mods and the following:

>2k3 GT 5-speed
>Daily driven
>Future bolt-ons to include intake & TB and maybe a squirt of nitrous
>Would be nice to pass smog tests
>nice lopey idle would be a plus
>Want 12s on DRs!

What should I buy? And, should I also look at replacing the springs at the same time given my car only has 20k on the clock?

 

[twogts4us]

NickTheGenius has some excellent first hand knowledge on what works on our 'cammers' - if he doesn't chime in, shoot him a PM.

 

[stangman]

my vote goes for VT engine cams. i'm going to be getting a set soon & installing them. i'm just debating between stage I or stage II's hearing nick talk about how big of a pain the valve springs were, makes me lean towards the stage I's that don't "require" valve springs (i belive nick has comp cams if i remember correctly though)

 

[nickthegenius]

Given my mods and the following:

>2k3 GT 5-speed
>Daily driven
>Future bolt-ons to include intake & TB and maybe a squirt of nitrous
>Would be nice to pass smog tests
>nice lopey idle would be a plus
>Want 12s on DRs!

What should I buy? And, should I also look at replacing the springs at the same time given my car only has 20k on the clock?

The only thing that has been holding me back from replying is this:

>Would be nice to pass smog tests

To that, I honestly don't know. If I had to take a guess, I would say that the Comp XE262AH or VT Stage I grinds would be about "wildest" you could get depending on what type of smog tests you have. If your smog tests are like some states where they simply plug in an OBD scanner and check for codes, then I wouldn't hesitate to go for the VT Stage II or the Comp XE270AH grinds.

When I was doing my research on cams, it was stated in various threads here and on other forums that for the level of nitrous that 99% of us would use (75-150hp), we don't need a nitrous-specific grind. Just pick a cam that makes good numbers N/A, hit the giggle gas, and have fun.

As far as springs, IMHO they are $200 worth of insurance for your engine. I would change them with any of the cams listed above even though the VT Stage I's state that you can retain the stock springs. It just gives you a far better chance that you won't float the valves or break a spring.

BTW, as stated above I have the Comp XE270AH cams. They have a nice lope and pull hard up to the rev-limiter. In fact, I need to have my limiter moved to 6500 so I can take full advantage of them at the track. My car is not a daily driver, but I would not hesitate to drive it everyday because of the cams (I don't drive it due to other reasons). With a good tune, the car drives just like it does when stock except for increased power and a lopey idle.

 

[GT2000JAY]

Like Nick said, the springs are cheap insurance and I would swap them regardless. For the purposes of passing smog, I would stay with a mild cam and good tune. It's a crap shoot regardless, but the more aggressive cams are obviously going to make it tougher to pass emissions.

The lopey idle can really be a function of the tune, as well. Depends on where you want to set the idle. I played with several different idle RPM's when I was tuning my car (VT blower cams). I could add a little idle air and drop the RPM's down and it would gently lope, or I could raise the RPM some and the lope would smooth out a bit at idle.

Hope it helps!

Jay

 

[Jackie Chan]

whats the elevation at your track, im assuming you say 12's, which a few street tire guys have done with the same mods as you, but you are at a 3k' elevation so you need more like a mid 12 car to get there

 

[Bullitt4691]

lots of guys on modulardepot.com have cam
swaps....vt engines make great cams...they are very safe......BUT guys with the compcam270's are making the most power....but if you have any type of engine work...IE they arent stock.... you might wanna get it checked ....but on a stock motor i would go with some compcam270's.......or i could be saying this just because i have a set for [email protected] if you wanna know the price!

 

[damacman]

whats the elevation at your track, im assuming you say 12's, which a few street tire guys have done with the same mods as you, but you are at a 3k' elevation so you need more like a mid 12 car to get there

Their website is down now, but it seems like its around 1000' plus or minus a few. I've also got about 200 pounds of audio gear and have never run the car any way other than in full trim. Next time I go out, I'm going to do a little weight reduction and remove the front anti-sway bar in hopes of shaving a few tenths. Hopefully, they will get their act together with the track prep . . .

Thanks everyone for all the feedback, 'specially Nick. Sure am seeing lots on piston to valve clearance issues with the aftermarket cams lately . . . certainly do not want that.