Cam Questions
 

Okay guys & girls, am thinking might as well install a new cam while I am at. Am putting in GT40 P heads & headers, Trick Flow Track Heat intake, cobra rockers, 65 mm TB, EGR spacer and a few other little things. Want to know what you all think I should go with for a cam. Please let me know why! I really have no clue about cam's. Have done very little research, am just starting too, thats why I need opinions!

Thanks in advance!!

Amanda

Daily Driver?
 

Is this car gonna be used for a daily driver, or street/strip application? I mean you could get a massive cam if you only wanted to drag with it....

you can do wonders with a plain jane b-303..thats my recremedation for that combo

I recomend Comp Cams smallest Xtreme cam. They have been known to add great power. Good Luck.

-Billy

Car info
 

First off the car is AOD, and will be that way a little longer, possibly will stay that way. A friend recommended with the hp I am shooting for AOD is the way to go, I am inclined to agree. The car is going to be streetable.

I talked to a guy who knows mustangs like you wouldn't believe (Micheal - can't remember his last name) but his cars are in MM&FF, 5.0, etc... The yellow Ranger... Anyway, he suggested the cobra spec cam if I never want to swap to a 5-speed, and the comp 2020 for either AOD or 5-speed... I am inclined to go comp 2020 just so I have that flexibility.

Let me know what you all think, like I said am still open to suggestions, if you can provide a link.... that would be great!

Amanda

is not the 2020 a wolverine or a crane..i dont think it is a comps and the cobra spec cam sucks and is ment to be used with 1.7RR

SkadonyaCA, you have to realize that the cobra cams weren't that great. I know what you mean about being streetable. The AOD is a great choice. I would suggest that you get a converter. That would magnify the hp + torque gains a lot. I have an auto and wanted it to be streetable as possible. I got a custom cam done for my car so I could see the best gains for what I was doing to my car. I have noticed the the Comp Cams Xtreme cams ar very similar to my custom cam. It is just a suggestion. If I were you I would call an experienced engine builder and cam grinder. They could give you a lot of info. I would call Ed Curtis, he has done many people well with his cams. Good Luck.

-Billy

Green9550
 

I already have a new converter, I installed it back in January when I rebuilt my tranny. I am putting in a new cam because I am building up my engine for two reasons, 1. more power, and 2. get it ready to handle a blower better.

Thanks

Amanda

The B cam is a pretty good choice for a mild combo like you have, but I think you need something with a little more low end "umph" as the B cam actually makes alot of power up top.

I reccomend you get ahold of Ed Curtis at flowtech induction, and check out his website http://www.flowtechinduction.com/
he can custom grind you a cam that will fit exactly your heads/intake/tranny choice.

good luck with your decision,
-Drew

Cobra cam, lol, no one that knows anything would recommend a cobra cam.

Comp cams part no# 35-310-8.

Its mild enough, yet has a sweet idle. It works well with an AOD. The AOD needs lots of low end to get its inefficient butt moving. This cam has it. It has an RPM range of 1500-5500, perfect for P heads. It has a 114 degree LSA, which I recomned for AOD cars(wider power band).

You could also consider part no# 35-351-8. Both are good blower cams and AOD cams for mild street/strip use and for an AOD.

Get the comp cams catalog and choose something with a 215-220ish intake duration @ .050 and a 114 LSA.

www.competitoncams.com

I do have to say....
 

....that she's in CA, and i'm sure you know about emissions there.

I don't know much about what cams you guys are talking about (new to ford) but I hope your giving her suggestions for a cam that'll pass smog here in CA.

Cali. emissions are a big concern, but people that live in cali have pass them with much wilder engines. There are many things you could do to your car to get it to pass. But, you should worry about it.

I think your best option would be to call Ed Curtis like fiveohpatrol and I have said. He cam make a cam just for you, not everybody else. Good luck in your decision.

-Billy

The B303 cam is a horrible choice in this application. It has a very poor LSA. A higher LSA is key to getting the car out of the hole with an AOD. The B cam is also a very poor choice for forced induction because of it's LSA.

Since you have chosen iron heads that will more than likely have valvetrain setup for a maximum lift of .500, I would recommend a Steeda #18 cam.

.480/.480 220*/226* LSA 115.

You could also choose an E303 .498/.498 220*/220* LSA 112, but I think the extra duration of the Steeda cam will work better for you with the supercharger, and the very good LSA will allow you to make power down low. The P heads should be very good at making low end power, while the track heat intake is more setup for high rpms.

If you choose to go with a Xtreme energy series cam you might as well step up to some different heads because the cost of adding high lift springs and components will make the GT-40P's much more expensive. People seem to forget the XE series cams(which I think are junk) are very high in lift, and very short in duration. Their advertising says "more power than other cams with the same duration" or something to that effect. Wow. Pretty impressive considering their duration compares to extremely mild cams.

The Cobra cam is very weak. It's a really poor choice for any performance application if you don't use 1.7:1 rockers, and even then, it's not good. The one advantage the Cobra cam has in this case, it's a good stock AOD cam, LOL. Since you're not stock, and you don't intend to be stock in the future, it's a poor choice.

The e-303 doesnt have a 112 LSA. It has a 110 lsa. And the comp cams are proven performers. Do more research

FYI
 

The guy who suggested the Cobra spec cam is one of the top Mustang mechanics in the states. He does all kinds of things for them. Programming is one of them. He races, had 3 of his cars at the shop, two of which have graced the cover of every ford/mustang magazine out there... I think he knows his stuff. He suggested it due to the fact that I want drivablity, I want to pass emmissions easily, and I don't want a rough ride, also because I may not ever swap to a 5-speed and you have to be careful what cam you put in cause it can really screw your set-up up if you install the wrong one.

Thanks for the link to Flowtech, cool site. Will look more into getting one made.

Amanda

Re: FYI
 

Well, I guess you wont be needing our help then? Oh, tell him the 2020 isnt a comp cam, but a crane. Good day.

SkadonyaCA, I hope you realize that we are in no way trying to put you or your friend down. We are just trying to say that the cobra cam sucks for good performance. It would hurt the combo. I would just call Ed at Flow Tech Induction. He can help you more than anyone else here. He is VERY experienced with mustang combo's. He knows his stuff. I hope you take this the right way. You can get more out of your combo with a custom cam and still go through emissions. Good Luck with the cam decision. Take care.

-Billy

Sorry I misquoted the LSA on the E cam :rolleyes:

You're dumb if you think the XE series is good, especially on stock E7's or GT-40P heads. I've done enough research to satisfy myself. Huge lift means HUGE power loss and valvetrain stress. It means HUGE springs that rob even more power. Do you have any idea how much power it takes to lift 16 valves against higher rate springs an additional .050" 3000 times a minute? High lift cams mean more expensive components to keep from destroying parts (like upgrading the basic valvetrain that comes on standard GT-40P heads). GT-40P heads aren't even made to flow beyond .500 from the factory. You'll see a lower flow rate at .600 than at .500 or even .400 for the intake valve on P heads. Yeah, I haven't done any research or anything. The flow on the stock P heads intake drops after .500 lift. Exhaust is equal to a minor improvement of 2cfm or so.

If you want a performance cam, get one. If you want a lot of hype, get an XE series cam and make the same power you would with a cam with .050 less lift. The only difference is you'll be spending a lot less on the other cam combo.

The HO cam is a proven performer too, but that says nothing.

I don't care what Mr. Brainiac in CA says. The Cobra cam is NOT a good performance cam. It's a good stock AOD cam. You're better off with the stock HO cam and 1.7:1 roller rockers.

I think you are greatly over stating what affect more lift has on your valve train. You dont need HUGE springs, and the comp cams dont have HUGE lift. Most of the comp cams run around .533 to .540 lift. That is not HUGE by any means.

Comp like to run more lift because that what roller cams are good at. Thats what their advantage is over flat tappets. Factory computer controlled engines can have driveability problems with lots of duration, so why not take advantage of extra lift the roller cam allows?

Most aftermarket heads can handle at least .575 lift. Dont know about the P heads, but if they cant, then you should upgrade the springs anyway.

XE cams arent hype, they are proven performers. Might not be the best choice for some crappy springed P heads, but stronger springs are a wise upgrade on any mustang, even a stock one.



If a heads max flow is at .500 lift, and you go slightly over that, say .533, wouldnt you be spending more time at the .500 mark than a cam that has say .490 lift?

I would have gone into detail why the cobra cam sucks, but if some guy in a magazine said its good I'm sure it is.

Have you ever looked at most of these morons in magazines. DOESNT MEAN THEY KNOW ****.

Im not by anymeans being rude, but I do know wtf Im talking about.

Your beginning to build a mismatched combo that isnt going to run right. You need to build lowend on a lightly geared AOD. IF your going to use a cam, go with a E-303 and advance it it 2 degrees to help build lowend. But using the HO w/ 1.72's is way better than a POS cobra. Ever seen how those run in stock trim? No good untill the computer/cam is gone. Track heat doesnt build lowend either.

The P heads stock springs are good to ~.520 lift I believe, but I aam not positive on that. Also those heads love compression. They have a very efficient combustion chamber and don't require a lot of timing for HP. So you can get away w/ more compression than you can on other iron heads.

The Comp cams ain't bad, but I wouldnt say they are anymore of a proven performer than the FMS series. No reason to ***** each other out over a messed up LSA.

Skyler

BTW, most morons at shops know nothing.

Last guy w/ a 700rwhp stang that touched my car said it put out 332rwhp hahaha, Unit you know the story behind this one!

Skyler

These guys are right, the Cobra cam is a POS.

As far as the P-heads. You're asking for trouble if you don't upgrade the valve springs. I know, I had to. The P-heads were made for the Explorer and Mountaineer. If you've ever driven a 5.0 Explorer you'll know they don't rev well past 5k, let alone 6k. I about died laughing after comparing my new springs with the factory springs.

I'd like to mill my heads for more compression, but I have hyperteuctic (spelling?) pistons. Anyone know how much compression these pistons can take?

Compression isnt a concern with hyper pistons, only power adders. Mill away.....

Not a bad idea to change them, but RPM and lift are too different things.

Skyler

I think 89 Cobra LX is trying to say that with the amount of lift and higher RPM's valve float will be inevitable. With better springs that problem will be fixed, well as long as she doesn't try to go to high. Hope this makes sense. Take it easy.

-Billy

The GT40 P heads have a max lift rating of .500. Just like the factory E7TE heads. Nothing wrong with the springs, they just aren't designed for high lift, neither is the head.

The GT-40P heads drop in flow after .500. Which means if you have a .533 lift cam, you're pushing beyond max flow. The P heads flow nearly the same at .400 as they do at .500.

Take a midline XE series cam. XE266HR. .544/.555. That's more lift than: TFS TW, GT-40, GT-40P, Windsor Jrs, etc allow. It may not run into piston to valve clearance problems due to the XE cam having poor duration. About the duration causing issues with the newer computers. First off, this isn't a newer computer controlled car. We're talking pre SN95. Second, it's not the duration the cars have issues with, it's the LSA. Roller cams have obvious advantages in any lift situations, especially high lift because their design allows them to work with much less friction. Friction isn't what I'm getting at here. I'm getting at work. It's a crapload of work to run a camshaft. When my belt broke on my 2.3L LX and I cranked the engine over, that starter was at least 1 1/2 times as fast. That's how much load the valvetrain puts on a starter cranking 200rpms. The more you lift, the more power loss you're going to have. Friction doesn't really enter into the equation, and neither does the roller cam since all the cams suggested are of the roller variety.

Like I stated before, the HO cam is a proven performer too. That doesn't mean it's a great choice for a performance cam. The XE series may perform better than stock, but at the cost of upgrading hundreds of dollars onto the parts that she has chosen. On a budget, with GT40P heads, the XE cam is junk.