The 212/218 is a Comp cam, they make two versions (hi-lift and low-lift), no reason to get the low lift one, go big or stay home. You can also get Comp to make you a 210/218 on their lobes, and Cam Motion should be able to make you a 210/218 or a 212/218 on their lobes. You can expect to pay $350-$395 new from either manufacturer.

As far as install, it took me quite a long time, like 20 hours. We were very meticulous and methodical. A lot of that time was spent on spring replacement, but we struggled with a couple of things like getting the crank bolt on and off, and trying to operate the pulley puller. If I had it to do over again I'm confident we could do it in 8-10 hours. A cam only install (no springs) should take half that.

 

I don't know much about cam numbers but I was wondering what gives the cam its lope? Is it the LSA or is it the lift/duration etc.? I wanted a noticeable lope/low end tq, without losing good drivability. IS there a cam that will do this?

 

My cam lopes a little....not a funny car lope, but a lope nonetheless.

Personally I think it's LSA....all other factors remaining equal, if you ordered something on a 112 LSA, I think you'd get what you're after.

 

overlap

 

OVERLAP
Overlap is the angle in crankshaft degrees that both the intake and exhaust valves are open. This occurs
at the end of the exhaust stroke and the beginning of the intake stroke. Increasing lift duration and/or
decreasing lobe separation increases overlap.

How is it measured?
Overlap can be calculated by adding the exhaust closing and the intake opening points. For example, a
cam with an exhaust closing at 4º ATDC and an intake opening of 8º BTDC has 12º of overlap.
But keep in mind that since these timing figures are at 0.050” of valve lift, this therefore is overlap at
0.050.” A better way to think about overlap is the area that both lift curves overlap, rather than just the
crankshaft angle that both valves are open. Therefore, one can see that decreasing the lobe separation
only a few degrees can have a huge effect on overlap area.

What does it do?
At high engine speeds, overlap allows the rush of exhaust gasses out the exhaust valve to help pull the
fresh air/fuel mixture into the cylinder through the intake valve. Increased engine speed enhances the
effect. Increasing overlap increases top-end power and reduces low-speed power and idle quality.

 

 

Sounds like what I want would be minimal overlap, say 112 LSA? I want the low end tq but I want a little chop.

 

this is where getting Cam info based on others experiences helps out.

more overlap = more chop

 

Will a noticable chop damage the Radix?
Anybody got any sound clips of a 5.3 radix with a cam in it?
Is the chop affected by the exhaust as well?
I was planning on dumping the Flowmaster and going with a Magnaflow in the near future.

 

the LPE GT2-3 in the 5.3 is a Radix favorite, sounds stock to me, although BlownChevy swears there is some chop to it.