Thanks for the great info. Learn something all the time here!

 

A lot of the cams offered I know for the 3V are for sound. IE. Hot rod cams, thumpr cams, detroit rockers, etc. They do add a little bit of power though due to the slightly higher lift. There are cams out there that have a rough idle but make more power than the popular cams like mentioned above. These cams require stiffer springs, retainers, cam phasers/lockouts too. An example is the Stage 2 Comp. 127500 cam.

 

Wow, I had no idea the trackey would do that. Learn something new every day!

Cams seem to be a hot topic among some, but I'd say that the previously listed FRPP cams and similar are far from being a for sound only mod. The power they give isn't huge, but for <$800 (especially if you have LTs and an intake), it's pretty much on par for most bolt ons.

Spending $500 on axle backs, now that is just for sound, and yet that's not an issue to anyone, but spend a little more than that and get 20 or so HP AND sound? I don't see the problem there. The issue with cams that make more power is that they aren't nearly as streetable and end up costing a lot more once you do all the supporting mods. Speaking of cost though, if you're paying to have cams installed then the power to cost ratio ends up a little off, but I'll take the lope AND 20 HP for $800, sure.

 

I uploaded this vid of mine with the ghost cam tune

Current mods:
Stainless Works LT Headers, Hi-Flow catted x-pipe, Pypes super system exhaust (3in from x-pipe back)

 

With the 5.0, the only way you can add a lopey idle is to get a ghost tune either from Lund, AED, or Bama. I know Steeda used to have their own ghost cam tune but I believe they discontinued it.

I certainly wouldn't use it as a DD though, you sacrifice some power for the lopey idle and a lot of the tuners run the idle a little bit rich so you will certainly get a smell of unburnt gas coming from your car and you should really be running an O/R pipe if you want to run one of these tunes. Low speed driveability seems to be a hit or miss thing across all tunes though.

The thing is with the Hot Rods, Thumpers, and Detroit Rockers, they were ground specifically to create a lope and as a side benefit they also make power which IMO is why they are known as "sound only" cams. Now when you compare those with say the 127400/500/600 cams or their equivalents from Lunati or Fox Racing etc., they will show increased power because they were made specifically to make power especially at certain RPM's and some have the side benefit to creating a lope. I think that is why the sound only group is classified as such.

 

From the factory, the new 5.0 has a nice hint of lope already. It really comes out when you upgrade from the nearly silent stock exhaust. If you let the car idle and just sit down next to one of the mufflers.. you can hear how interesting this engine really is. Most people like listening to children play and birds sing.. but getting more familiar with your car is just as appealing to me

 

Except that they STILL aren't sound only, being that they add power, nor were they designed for sound only either. They were designed to be drop in replacements that require no other modifications, aka NSR cams, so yes, they aren't as aggressive in power as other grinds, and yes, they were made to sound good as well, but to say they were designed for sound only is ridiculous.

For me, the drivability of an NSR cam would make it the only choice for a DD. If you've got a weekend car or race car, then by all means spend a little more and go for a more aggressive grind, springs, etc.

 

Thought a ghost cam tune would burn your cats up since it's running richer......?