So lately ive been thinking to myself how it seems like everyone is ragging on "shelf grinds" like the G5X3 etc and telling others how much better "custom grinds" are for every application... So I want an explanation on why they are so much better, especially since even the guys with stock heads are getting these lectures by others...
While youre at that im going to explain my views on things and I encourage you to analyze it and give your response...

As Most of you know, im a very large LG Motorsports cam supporter as ive installed many, and seen results of many... yet when threads pop up like "which cam for my combo" people instantly say "custom grinds are best NO MATTER WHAT!"... So I got to thinking didnt all cams start off as a custom grind for someone? The G5, G5X2, G5X3 and G5X4 were all at one time made for a given car... usually a stock head, bolt on, 4.10 gear ratio car... So figuring this, and theoretically speaking this custom grind, say the G5X3 in this case, was perfect for Joe's 1999 trans am with bolt ons, long tubes, 4.10s, stock heads etc. This cam is now a custom grind made for Joe... but soon after people see Joe's results and now want that cam for their car... which happens to be the same combo. Now this "custom grind" cam is still custom because it was made for Joe's car, but now Arnold wants the cam for his car... he just so happens to have the same mods Joe has on his 2001 camaro...
Now the explination... why is the G5X3 a bad choice for Arnolds car because it came off the shelf of Lou's shop? Its still a custom grind so to speak because at one time it was custom ground for Joe's car, and Arnold has the same mods... so techincally wouldnt it just still be that custom grind cam?
Then lets go further on that... hundreds of people run the G5X3 cam... and sure enough the majority have stock heads, bolt ons, and have LS1 based FBodies with similar gear ratios... So in theory isnt that cam also a "custom grind" for them as well? I mean they have the same car... what would Lou change to make the cam different if it worked so well for Joe in the first place with the identicle combos?

Now lets hop to the other side of the spectrum... For those who tell everyone "Custom grind is the ONLY way to go!"... Lets say you got a custom grind cam from XXX cam distributors made for your car... Now youre bragging to the whole world how your custom grind is the best ever made and it smokes the G5X3 because its custom taylored to your setup... Then Mary comes along and has that cam duplicated because she noticed in your sig she has the same combo as you and wants those numbers... Is your all-so-holy custom grind cam now an "Off the shelf" cam? I mean by most of your theories, the X3 is off the shelf because hundreds of people use it... now that your cam is in production and people with the same combos are using your cam, what does that make it?

Also this is more towards stock head cars... obviously those with strokers and head/cam cars are in a different ballgame due to the fact the engines can be EXTREMELY different!
Enjoy

 

well custom cams take everything thing you have done to your car into condsideration. and i mean everything. every cam manufacturer have designed and tested their products. and when they work well, then people want it. then it gets labeled a shelf cam. only because more than one person can buy it.

you look over at ls1tech and you'll see i'm not a big fan of custom grinds when the so called "shelf" grinds can do just as well. and the people that preach custom only make the others feel stupid because they bought a shelf grind. you'll even notice a particular thread over there where someone got a custom grind for his current application. now here's the kicker. i stated well if you ever change anything on the car, you'll have to get another cam because it will no longer be matched to the exact application.
cliff notes:

custom grind = only one person can buy it
shelf grind = anyone can buy it and it's in a listing (website, catalog)

now on anther note. mary cannot get a persons custom grind for her car just by looking at what someone put in their sig. there are many elements to a cam. even if you had the .006 and .050 duration along with total lift, you could not duplicate it. lobe profiles and valve events are but a few other details needed to duplicate it. even then when two people buy the same exact cam (shelf grind), they won't get the exact same results. ever. unless everything, and i mean everything, is identical right down to head flow, head gaskets, etc...

nothing wrong with a custom grind. just not needed for every application.

 

God you bitch alot.

 

If Mary knew which shop made the cam though, as most people brag about where they got it, chances are she could get an identicle one... I was more or less saying what happens when your "custom grind" gets replicated... if the shop sells another one, is it now an off the shelf cam? my G5X4 was a custom cam made for Sean, now that I own one as well its an off the shelf cam because it did so well in our cars that more people want them...

 

A custom cam is for the hard-core drag racer or Dyno God. They go to a shop with a list of their mods, and their ideal sound, RPM, power, lift, etc. in order to achieve their specific goals.

Custom cams aren't necessarily better than any shelf cam, and anyone who says so is an elitist or someone with a "my dad can beat up your dad" inferiority complex. Most people haven't invested in enough mods to justify a custom cam, nor do most of the people in here have the experience to know what is best suited for their car. Furthermore, changing any of the car's mods might result in drastically different cam performance.

The benefit of the shelf cam is the flexibility of applications, and knowing that it is a proven performer. The benefit of the custom cam is obviously that it's custom tailored to one specific car's goals, which puts the user in a bit of an "exclusive" club compared to the general populace who are satisfied with a shelf cam.

Both have their drawbacks, and both have their up sides.

Both problems can be fixed with 2 simple words: DYNO TUNE. Any shelf cam can perform like a custom, and vice versa, just takes the right tuning to make it happen.