First Cam?
 

Well hello there everyone! I'm new to the forum but have a good question on cams. I'm but a senior in High school but have been wanting to put a cam in my pickup since i got it. Next year i will be attending college to get my GM certification and will have to travel from the college to home and from home to the dealership every six weeks, so decent fuel economy is a must. My pickup is a 2006 Silverado Crew cab, slightly modded 5.3, 4l60E, 3.23 G80 Posi, with 255/75/R20 tires. the 5.3 has a K&N CAI and speed engineering shorty headers. The two cams i've found that i like are the SUM-8701 and the Texas Speed Stage 3 truck cam. I'd appreciate any input into which one should work.

those words are hardly said when looking for a cam lol

honestly id swap your 3.23 for a 3.73 to help get that truck rolling then install long tube headers (shorty headers do nothing) probably a better bang for the buck then a cam swap, as for the cam i'd call BTR and tell them what you have and what your wanting see what they say

Smaller the better. Didn't look at your linked specs, but I have a lot of miles under a TSP 212/218 .550/.550 112 and I'll be honest, after we added some timing off idle I've yet to drive such a snappy feeling auto

I used to have a much bigger cam in the truck. Like a 226/230 and it sucked. Below 2000 rpm she was dead

Stop light to stop light driving a performance cammed heavy vehicle like a crew cab is not going to be fuel friendly, hwy... not so bad. In general we can't have our cake and eat it too when it comes to performance and economy with the exception of the newer factory performance vehicles. Plus when we get that extra power we build for, it's hard not to enjoy the fruits of our work, so it's a double edged sword when you're looking for fuel mileage lol

The Summit 8719 with LS6 springs would be a better choice with your existing mods. The 45 years I've been into performance cars/trucks... It's always better to have a stock vehicle for a daily (even a beater) than having to drive a hot rod as a daily. You'll enjoy and appreciate the hot rod so much more every time you get in it.

when i bought my current 04 RCSB i told myself i was just going to leave the truck stock since the reason for buying it was i got tired of driving my zo6 for a summer daily "my hot rod" (manual z28 then zo6 then another zo6) the clutch just got to me, here i am after owning it for 4 years with a 4l80e installed, lowered it, been true 4 sets of wheels oh did i mention i have a h/c/i 6.0 on a engine stand for it lol i try but im just anti OEM lol

You sound a lot like me. Back in the mid 80's I had a 1975 T/A I bought for $500. Came across a super deal on a fresh sbc built by "Jungle of Belmont" strictly for drag racing. HUGE Crane solid cam, Sharp roller rockers, stud girdle, 12.5 forged, pink rods, slant plug 292 turbo nascar heads (odd name as no turbos were used), MSD, Edelbrock Tunnel Ram with two 650 double pumpers, TH400, 3000 stall, 4.56 gears, True Hooker Headers/Side Pipes made for the Camaro's etc.

I daily drove that beast for one summer and was SO HAPPY when I pulled the motor for a 55 chevy project and sold the T/A. Dad had a 1967 Impala 283 powerglide he handed down to me. It was heaven driving it after driving the T/A all summer lol. The truth is I had gotten into a little trouble with the T/A (racing). My lawyers worked it out if I'd sell the T/A I'd be able keep my license.

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I love these old stories! I have so many I can't even remember all of them but 7 Camaro's, 1 Z, 64 Goat, 67 Chevelle 396, and on and on and on...it's been really fun. All my shit hurts now so I do good to kill it in the gym under controlled conditions and still work in the field in my hvac business. I no longer get under my vehicles hardly at all. I do miss it but gotta pick my battles. 69 yrs old by my next powerlifting meet. Won't have the flu this time so I'm gonna murder it! Keep these stories coming and op...listen to these guys they've been there and done it many times over. Good luck!

I agree about the gears. Those 3.23s have GOTTA GO. 3.73 minimum.

And long-tube headers as well; they don't make all that much difference by themselves; some, but not "alot"; but without them, NO OTHER engine modifications have a chance of accomplishing anything.

I'd recommend, AFTER doing BOTH of those, yerbasic 212/218 112° cam, with springs and timing set and new push rods to match. I think TSP calls it the Stage 2. If you put a bigger cam in the truck with those ridiculous gears, you'll have the situation where the motor makes NO POWER WHATSOEVER until it reaches some RPM that you'll never be able to use, and your gas mileage will SUCK.

My long term average with my Comp 222/224, 390 gear, loose 3800 triple disc is 13.4mpg.

As has been mentioned, your best/first upgrades should be to swap in a 3.73 gear set, Transgo shift kit, and a good tune, will be night and day difference.