question about cams

[az01gt]

i have been looking at cams for my car and have seen some of the more agressive cams require a low gear ratio and computer upgrades. my question is what does computer upgrades mean? what needs to be done to run a more agressive cam? any help would be much appreciated. thanks

 

[nickthegenius]

i have been looking at cams for my car and have seen some of the more agressive cams require a low gear ratio and computer upgrades. my question is what does computer upgrades mean? what needs to be done to run a more agressive cam? any help would be much appreciated. thanks

As far as computer upgrades, you basically need to go have your car dyno-tuned. Otherwise, it will idle poorly and die at stoplights, etc. plus they can help squeeze every bit of extra power out of you car with a good tune.

Gears- I would go with nothing less than 3.73s and if I had it to do over again, I would go with 4.10s. I thought at one time I would go with a blower, but now I think I may stay N/A a little longer. 4.10s will help keep you in the powerband better than the 3.73s.

Exhaust- Although not a "must", headers and a good free-flow midpipe would be a good idea to get the most out of the cams.

Intake- If you have the cash, a P51 or Bullit intake would be nice but if you are on a budget like many of us, a good upper plenum and 70-75mm throttle body will help on the intake side.

Valve springs- I would consider this a must. Some companies state that they are "optional" or "recommended but not needed". Many guys have found out the hard way that $200 for valve-springs is cheap insurance.

Torque convertor- I don't know if you have an auto or not, but a high-stall convertor would probably be needed for some of the more aggressive grinds like the Comp 270s or VT Engines Stage II. However, I do not know the specifics on what stall speeds are needed to support these cams.

 

[az01gt]

ok thanks that is really helpful. i'll hold off on the cams till i have the money to get the heads done at the same time.