cammed v8 fuel economy

[VR028]

hi guys just after some fuel figures from people who have experienced any cam change in a 5l. i know there are other factors but im just after gerneral info.


thanks

[Clint_G]

my senator has a stage 1 crane cam in it. i get about 300+ kms out of a tank depending on how its driven. its also got a shift kitted auto with after market stallie

[VR028]

my senator has a stage 1 crane cam in it. i get about 300+ kms out of a tank depending on how its driven. its also got a shift kitted auto with after market stallie

so how does that figure compare to when it was standard? or did u buy the car with a cam already?

[ari666]

depends on what cam/tune/diff gears/tranmission/how you drive/city or country driving/etc/etc./etc


basically, if you put a high lift, long duration cam in; dont expect fuel economy.

[VR028]

I was planning on using the crow 4666 with 204/214 after reading that a similar wade cam with the same duration was good on fuel. I contacted crow but they advised against it and suggested the 4502 with 218/214. What do people think?

[ari666]

has not been dug up for a while:
Stock 304, Guide to choosing a camshaft

[Darren_L]

222@.050 113LSA cam
5spd, 3.08 diff
averages 10L/100 on the highway
doesn't really do much city driving now, so not sure what the city cycle is

[Clint_G]

so how does that figure compare to when it was standard? or did u buy the car with a cam already?

i bought it already done. but for a rough comparison my dad said he lost about 40kms per tank from his Ute when he did some work to his 5l.(diff gears 3.7, high ratio roller rockers, extractors, tune). so depending on how big of a cam your going you might be about the same

[VR028]

has not been dug up for a while:
Stock 304, Guide to choosing a camshaft

thanks ari ive read through that thread a few times before and its hugely informative. its the fuel economy side of things people never seem to mention. it was in that thread i read the wade 204/214 was good on fuel but then crow cams said the 4502 would be better on fuel aswell as giving more power..

[Warranty Void]

Cams are a hard choice but if the rest of the motor is stock and the diff gears are stock then I've always liked the idea of this one:
"But Wade have a some more sneaky cams one that I really think is cool is the Wade 963A961A10 it's a tiny little thing at 203/213 but as an angry LSA for such a little cam of 110 and will make crazy grunt off the line (fair bit better than the stock cam) BUT it will also make more top end than the stock cam, this is a good cam, especially for a heavy car like a stato. Overal 1/4 mile times about the same as a 284 but better off the line and on fuel etc." From Greenfoams Cam Guide as in shortcut posted by Ari.

[VR028]

Cams are a hard choice but if the rest of the motor is stock and the diff gears are stock then I've always liked the idea of this one:
"But Wade have a some more sneaky cams one that I really think is cool is the Wade 963A961A10 it's a tiny little thing at 203/213 but as an angry LSA for such a little cam of 110 and will make crazy grunt off the line (fair bit better than the stock cam) BUT it will also make more top end than the stock cam, this is a good cam, especially for a heavy car like a stato. Overal 1/4 mile times about the same as a 284 but better off the line and on fuel etc." From Greenfoams Cam Guide as in shortcut posted by Ari.

i agree with you 100%. this is the cam i had my heart set on. but after contacting crow cams they told me the 4502 will be better for low down torque and fuel economy. they werent very convincing though..

[VR028]

just for the record i have a standard hsv 185i engine manual with 3.08 diff gears. i plan to use pacemaker extractors with either a twin 2.5" or merge it into a single 3". standard manifold with hsv cai and 70mm tb. nothing special really but i get between 500-600 out of a tank right now with about 50-50 highway and city driving.

[ari666]

crow cams they told me the 4502 will be better for low down torque and fuel economy.

what a surprise a supplier telling you that their product is better than somebody elses. heh.

[VR028]

what a surprise a supplier telling you that their product is better than somebody elses. heh.

Haha of course they'd say theirs is better. But it was compared to thier own 4666 with the same specs as the wade cam

[ari666]

i like wade. i dont know why. i have no basis of fact behind my opinion, but of wade or crow i would always go wade... for some reason crow just seems like a bunch of cheap skates.

[Darren_L]

I've used Crow cams & valve springs in all 3 Holden V8's that I've built, including my current 304.
I bought the cam for my current engine back in 2001, which is obviously about 10 years ago now, so I can't speak for their products these days, but I've personally never had reason to question their quality. Fair enough the memcal they supply with their EFI cams is bin material, but it's more intended to just get you started, they never claimed to be tuners.
My current engine has about 70,000kms on it now, no valve train issues, and still making a healthy 206rwkw with stock heads. Not bad figures for a fairly conservative grind cam with great street manners.

[VR028]

thier products maybe good but ive never seen such poor customer service. they have been very un helpful answering my questions so far. i think ill go the safe bet and go a smaller cam rather than a larger one, and most likely from wade

[Adamvr93]

i think ill go the safe bet and go a smaller cam rather than a larger one, and most likely from wade

i thought the same thing when i chose my cam as it was my first time changing a cam and i wasnt sure what to expect with how it would drive on the street and stuff.. now i wish i got a slightly bigger one lol

although that was in a ecotec V6 not V8 :]