I've done a lot of research on this board before asking this question... and haven't found some good info... but not all my questions have been answered with the Search function, so here it is:

What I am Getting:
I am getting a Heads/Cam package installed in a about a month. My stock LT1 Heads will be ported and new larger valves will be installed (ARE Stage 2 Heads). The top end will also be done with 1.6rr and all the goodies to make it reliable and strong. The car will also be dynotuned and will have the intake cleaned up to fit a larger throttle body for the future.

What I Have so Far:
See Mods in my sig..... but having an A4 with a mild stall and headers is the important stuff.

What I am Looking for:
The car is NOT a daily driver... but I do like cruising in the summer. I will sacrifice some comfort for Power...but not much.
I do like the sound and power of an aggressive Cam, and this is what I'm looking for. After doing research, I like the power gains from the CC306 or GM847 however I want a Cam that is less "top end" with power in the mid range, and where I'm not loosing too much on the low end.... I also will not be changing my stall converter. Lastly, the car has almost 100k so I don't want to be increasing the powerband too much to prevent any potential bearring issues.

So the Question is:
Is there an "off the shelf" Cam that would fit my needs? If not, what type of Cam would you suggest I use (ie. duration, lift, etc.)? And what HP/TQ gains do you think I'll see from this setup?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

*I* would contact Bret Bauer, and let him develop you a nice custom cam that will fully meet your needs and expectations.

bret@bauer-racing.com

 

Thanks Zane, I may do that... but I was interested in hearing some concrete information here before I go anywhere as I'm assuming there is a lot of experience on this Board, and I'd like to know a little more before approaching someone.

Anyone else?

 

Seems like you know exactly what you want - so liek stated above i would bring those to a cam guy and let them do a custom grind. It'll be far better than trying to pick an off the shelf cam.

 

I think the best advice was already given. I would go custom cam. If you are dead set on a off the shelf grind then i would look at one of the XE grinds. They offer more midrange power and aren't as peaky as the two big cams you listed. I would look at the 227/233 or the 230/236 based on what you want in an off the shelf grind.

 

The problem is, you don't get any concrete information from an online forum...everyone's opinions and experiences are different.

If you want choices, I would look to Bauer and Advanced Induction for custom work. IMO, if you have specific needs, you need a custom cam.

 

I strongly suggest you don't get your heads from ARE/Autoworx! With all the problems and complaints they've had why would you want to? I see your local so they probably won't screw you, but why risk it? Anyhow, I've never seen a heads and cam LT1 from them to produce good numbers. Go with a proven set up like Lloyd Elliot. Plenty of vendors have repaired ARE heads with poor valve jobs, hogged out etc.
Its a lot of money to be spending and you only want to do it once and enjoy it. Trust me, talk to a few vendors/porters tell them what your goals are and they will help you. Who on this board has reported excellent results with a LT1/4 head and cam package from ARE?

 

GM 846 cam. VERY streetable. More power than hotcam. Tons of TQ.

Specs are roughly 222/230 .509/.520 112 (w/ 1.5 rockers) If I remember right.

Just a though.

 

What are the differences in getting a car dynotuned and getting the PCM retuned? Is the dynotune more accurate? What are the advantages of it?

 

Your PCM will need to be retuned no matter what - whether on a dyno or otherwise. When we say "getting your PCM tuned" that simply refers to changes to the tables in the ecm to compensate for changes in the car. A dynotune is simply using a dyno test to adi in tuning (this is more accurate since you can retest and see how your tuning affects power and your A/F ratio without guessing). Mail order tunes (where someone on the itnernet sends you a new tune or pcm witht he new tune allready in it) are more guess work based on your cam specs - if you have an off the shelf cam they can usually get the tun really close. With custom cam and headwork you will likely want to get your car dyno tuned...although a mail order tune will at least get you in the ball park to start with.

 

I know that I'll need to get it retuned when I get heads/cam. Odds are I'll get it dynotuned, how much roughly does this cost? I already had my PCM tuned by madz28 so I know what that is

 

my advise is to get a good dynotune or dont get one at all. If you know much about tuning, you will know what PE tables are. Some tuners only touch those when they dyno tune. Make sure if you get a dyno tune that they do more than just WOT tuning. WOT tuning is basically childs play compared to part throttle tuning. Just make sure they are knowledgable.

 

Thanks for the info man.

If I did go to get my car dynotuned, what certain things should I ask for so they do it? I just don't want to trust them to know what they are doing.