logic tells me it's just due to needing more air to fill the cylinders, so a bigger cam is needed.

is there something more indepth?

a 23x cam in stock 350 is pretty rough (trust me i know )

but its nice and mellow in a 383 or bigger.

any input....this is my random thought of the day

 

I'm sure that along those lines, a "stock" 350 cam would "choke" a big motor.

I think you're right ..... it has to do with the volume of the cylinders, thus, the volume of air required to obtain the proper a/f mixture. I mean, look at the cam specs of the new 7.0L LS7 (sorry, I don't have them on hand, and I'm not searching either) but it's something like a ~.591" lift! That's "STOCK"!! AND, it's exempt from the "gas guzzler tax" AFAIK. While yes, it peaks out really high, it obviously maintains a street friendly / emissions friendly attitude around idle and low RPM's. But if you put any ~.591" lift cam into a 5.7L LSx engine, you'd have a weapon on your hands.

There's no replacement for displacement, but with displacement comes the need for more air to fill the extra volume. More air = more camshaft required.

Just think, "performance" cams for the LS7 are probably going to be high .600's! (~.690"? )

 

so what would be an aggressive cam then for a 402, 408, 427? something like a 24x/24x, .06 duration, .609/609 111lsa?