Thinking abouts cams...is it really worth it?

[apexi240sx]

okay here are my choices: Greddy easy cams of BC 264 cams....

my current engine set up... redtop sr20det STOCk, 12 psi stock turbo, full bolt ons.. Fmic.Full 3 in exhaust etc.. central 20 ecu (raised rev limit, no speed limit, etc.)

whats cams are best for me??

[ILoveJDM]

greddy cams

[Drifting-pedobear]

BC is the best shit hands down. that said, idk whats best for you. ask a pro, call up some garage.

[nismo tuned s14]

I'd go with GReddy over BC anyday.

I definitely think they're worth it. You'll be able to tell a difference right off, but once you start doing more mods (larger turbo) cams help out tremendously.

[godsmack]

i'd go with tomei poncams. bc is a bitch to time usually always need cam gears for them. But you'll def. notice a difference with cams in. I'd go with the 264 cams if i were you.

[djcobra]

I'm surprised nobody said HKS. I personally have HKS step 2's installed, and noticed my torque imporved alot. Mainly due to the lift etc...

Anyways, if I had my pick it would be HKS/Tomei/TODA/GReddy. umm did I leave BC out? hehe... you get my point.

HKS Step 1's are good for upto ~350-390whp just to give you an idea... along with supporting mods.

Steve.

[lightsource]

BC suggest you change the springs when you upgrade their cams...

Should you always update your valve train when you get new cams?

[slider2828]

HKS hands down pwns all

[WoolyS14DET]

JWT cams FTW IMO !!!

[apexi240sx]

i was reading up on the forums on the Bc's stge 2 264s..... and they arent exactly drop ins...compared to greddy easy cams... im trying to go the easiest way..
bcs require tunning and possibly adj. cam sprockets...
its either cams or s15 turbo upgrade.... thats all i can afford right now
what do u guys think?

[Zerolift Autolab]

HKS Cams is my recommendation.

I have seen 2 different motors in a week with Broken BC Cams.

With the HKS Step 2's we have seen better overall performance than any of the other brands. The only ones i do not have test information against are the Kelfords.

For what you are talking about i would suggest a few other small add ons.
You have PM
Thanks,
Robert

[Sleepy240]

okay here are my choices: Greddy easy cams of BC 264 cams....

my current engine set up... redtop sr20det STOCk, 12 psi stock turbo, full bolt ons.. Fmic.Full 3 in exhaust etc.. central 20 ecu (raised rev limit, no speed limit, etc.)

whats cams are best for me??

IMO cams are gonna be kinda of a waste for you with this setup. You'll see gains but nothing near the realm of what you COULD gain with solid supporting mods (Larger Turbo, Solid Tune). I personally run BC cams because I've always had good luck with BC products and he provides excellent customer service and help if needed. Also to be totally serious drop in cams are kind of like a cop out. If your going to get cams I would get some that DO require tuning. Otherwise your just wasting money on parts for minimal gains.

BC suggest you change the springs when you upgrade their cams...

Should you always update your valve train when you get new cams?

It might not always be necessary but for what its worth I would always suggest upgrading those parts while your in there.

[lightsource]

IMO cams are gonna be kinda of a waste for you with this setup. You'll see gains but nothing near the realm of what you COULD gain with solid supporting mods (Larger Turbo, Solid Tune). I personally run BC cams because I've always had good luck with BC products and he provides excellent customer service and help if needed. Also to be totally serious drop in cams are kind of like a cop out. If your going to get cams I would get some that DO require tuning. Otherwise your just wasting money on parts for minimal gains.


It might not always be necessary but for what its worth I would always suggest upgrading those parts while your in there.

Would you say the ONLY supporting mods would be a Larger Turbo & A Solid Tune? Or are there other things that need to be done.

Yeah, after taking my engine out and putting it back in... Doing all one area at once makes more sense.

[godsmack]

With bc cams you will need springs and cam gears. as far as something that is easy for right now i'd go with the tomei poncams or hks easycam. they're drop in and you will see improvements. the bc cams are good to use but depending on experience with building heads they're not user friendly. the poncams and easycam will have the same timing as stock. and also if you had vvt i know you can retain it with the poncams not sure about the easycam though.

[Sleepy240]

Would you say the ONLY supporting mods would be a Larger Turbo & A Solid Tune? Or are there other things that need to be done.

Yeah, after taking my engine out and putting it back in... Doing all one area at once makes more sense.

Obviously you would need other mods that coincide with the whole shabang: upgraded injectors, intake and turbo manifolds etc. People who just believe dropping a set of cams into their stock motor is gonna unleash super horsepower are very mistaken. My point is cams should IMO be the finishing touches to a build. Picking cams has a lot to do with the actual turbo selected, what your goals are drag, drift, street, autocross, grip :blah:. Regardless of what cams you select I do suggest upgrading the valve train while your in there. Its only going to make life that much easier for you, period.

[Def]

Cams on a stock turbo is pointless. The stock cams flow more than enough to outflow the stock T25.

Even a T28 can't flow enough to take advantage of cams.

A bigger turbo and they really shine above about 5.5k RPM though.

[ILoveJDM]

^^ not exactly

ALOT of people will tell you otherwise that s15 t28 with poncams/easy cams/hks step 1 is probably one of the most responsive/fun setups you can own.

[besTint]

i have hks 264 in one of my cars which is basically stock internals besides cams and 1.5 headgasket, and even running stock boost i can tell a whole lotta difference. YES MORE TORQUE is very noticable. not a bad upgrade and you dont HAVE to have aftermarket springs and retainers for a small step in a SR.

I'm surprised nobody said HKS. I personally have HKS step 2's installed, and noticed my torque imporved alot. Mainly due to the lift etc...

Anyways, if I had my pick it would be HKS/Tomei/TODA/GReddy. umm did I leave BC out? hehe... you get my point.

HKS Step 1's are good for upto ~350-390whp just to give you an idea... along with supporting mods.

Steve.

[slider2828]

Yes its noticeable..> BTW I have a stock intake cam and a HKS 256 Step 1 exh cam for redtop forsale... $100 shipped and noticeable gains on the top end...

[djcobra]

If I were you i'd just upgrade the turbo, S15 turbo sounds fine but why not spend a little more and get the GT28RS or GT2871r .64 (small trim). Opens up for future power goals with supporting mods. When I mean supporting mods, i'm talking bigger injectors, Z32 MAF, Power FC (or whatever), Cams etc...

S15 Turbo will be suffice for your stock injectors but your pushing it (high duty cycle on stock injectors *noticed you have S13 SR and not S15 SR; different injectors).

OR you can just wait, save up and spend money on Injectors, Turbo, Cams and ECU (Power FC or whatever) plus Tune. Spending all this money without a tune; you're just asking for trouble.

I always say keep it simple and be conservative about your goals. Please see the quick reference of turbo and cams to choose. Everyone has their own opinion and setups:

T25...Stock, 256/256
T28...Stock, 256/256, 256/264
GT28RS....256/256, 256/264, 264/264
GT2871R .64.....256/264, 264/264
GT2871R .86.....264/264, 264/272, 272/272

There are other variables with the cams, ie Lift, which requires upgraded valve springs etc.

Anyways, hopefully this helps.

Steve.

[s15specR]

Tomei Poncams and other supporting mods, couple weeks ago a friend of mines with a 2j broke his Brian Crower cam, just fyi.

[kalypso123]

tomei cams

[smelly240]

i've seen jwt cams break... also seen a hks step2 break. mazworx had a jwt cam break while just idling... Also seen it happen to a stock cam, and seen pics of a tomei that snapped. It happens to em all... least frequently with HKS than any others.