When cam shopping, there are lots to consider
Among the most important things to decide is whether you want to stick with your cars stock torque converter, or go with an aftermarket converter.
This question is a very important one to answer, because typically your cam choice hinges on your decision.
Many people choose to stay with the stock converter, whether they enjoy the way the stock converter drives, or maybe they just don’t want to have to drop the trans and do all the extra work.. regardless, there are a lot of DECENT cams out there that will suit their needs.
But how many GREAT cams are there?
How many will yield them great results while allowing them to use the converter they’re used to?
enter rcr’s little thumpr!
Arguably one of the greatest LS tuners, period. Rick did not leave out the stock converter guys when developing his race winning camshafts
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING, OR IN THIS CASE, IN THE HUB DYNO RESULTS
This car here, if you don’t know, is a 2011-2017 Caprice PPV, it is the bigger sister to the Pontiac G8 and runs a damn near identical powertrain.
The mods on this car are:
- RCR Little Thumpr Camshaft
- Stock Mufflers
- 1 7/8″ Speed Engineering Headers & X-Pipe
- VCM OTR Intake
- Stock Heads – Milled .030
- Recapped Injectors
- 4″ MAF
- .036 Cometic Head Gaskets
- 3.45 Differential
- ZL1 Converter
Now, this customer does have a ZL1 Torque Converter, but this same setup is just as doable on your stock converter without sacrificing drivability.
THE RESULTS
For the sake of transaparency, the “Before” results were on Pump 93, and “After” results were on e65 – Keep in mind, the PPV came from the factory with the ability to run Flex-Fuel.
BEFORE
Max Power: 305
Max Torque: 329
AFTER
Max Power: 447
Max Torque: 448
These are HUGE gains, by anyones metrics.. but to be able to pull something like that off with bolt-ons and a stock converter is just amazing.