Thread: Cams. Stock vs Aftermarket

bump

I can't help myself.
Blue is stock cams.
Red is BC Stage 2 cams.
Same car, same intake and exhaust bolt-ons, different dynos.

Any tuning changes? I would think they would gain over the whole RPM range, not just in the uppers.

@squirlz

Yes and no. I used what I had and I know it is less-than-ideal. I bought the stuff almost ten years ago and it just works so I stuck with it. Plus I have two other cars now that suck away all the money.

Red (stock 91 cam) is a G20 ECU with SAFC II tuned via with that goofy thing as best as we could with a tail pipe sniffer so it was obviously left safe rather than sorry.

Blue (BC 2 cams) has a JWT ECU with C1 program on it with the SAFC II settings zero'd out. (I sold that ECU and got another plain-jane P.O.P ECU that I still use today)

Here's a question, with ve's so cheap these days why pour so much money into a de?? I'm not bashing anyone just saying you get more power for the buck going ve.

^^^ but a propper VE set-up is much more than cams in a DE. If you go with a milder cam, you can just drop in. For the milder cams, although not ideal, the stock or g20 ECU (and safc if you want) is sufficient.

I plan, and have begun hoarding parts for a VE build, but also purchased mild cams for the meanwhile to make the commute a bit more fun. There is no comparison in price point if you already have a DE that is in perfect functioning order.

Because you already likely have a good and running DE in the bay. Basic bolt ons (cams/I/H/E) are better bang for the buck for most people. Especially since drop in cams work fine on a stock ecu. BTW in terms of drop in cams I refer to the JWT "S" series as that is the only cams I have personally worked with. I prefer actual knowledge to hearsay when dispensing advice.



Exactly my point.

A full bolt on DE with cams and a 100 shot will dip deep into the 12's driven well and tuned right.

This can be answered in multiple ways depending on your individual needs/desires.

- Our SR20de is used for w2w racing with NASA and they have rules in a group called Performance Touring. Putting aftermarket CAMS in a stock SR20de is much easier/less points than changing over to a completely different engine like a VE or det which changes everything.

- Its a lot less work/labor to put in cams than to change over to a SR20ve

- cost is still going to be less to just do cams (even if you buy brand new $560 S4 cams from JWT)

- S4 cams on a sr20de w/exhaust header change and no cat can yield 158whp (pretty significant for just cam and ECU tune change IMHO)

Your circumstance is different but for a daily driven car the ve is the better choice for all motor imo. You can sale your de after the swap and still be ahead of the game after the rpm switches, 2.5 header/exhaust and safc for tuning. Later you could get some n1s if thats what you choice to do. Like i stated before this is just my opinion.