Im going to purchase cams and head studs this week and wanted to know what everyones opinion and thoughts are about GSC cams. Im going with the 272's cause i will upgrade the turbo in about a year. My main concern is being able to drive it daily. Also, If i did valve springs and retainers what would that do for me?
If your main concern is being able to drive daily, then GSC 272s are 0 concern whatsoever. There's nothing about regular cams like this that would cause any issue with daily driving. Springs and retainers would do nothing for you now, because they would make it safer to rev higher, but the stock turbo doesn't like to rev high. With a turbo upgrade, this becomes helpful.
Are the GSC camshalfts extremely mild cause im looking for good power while still idleing smooth and good drivability. Is there another brand that would be better? Also, what gaskets will i need to replace? Spark plug gaskets, valve cover gasket, camshaft seals. would that be all of them.
Extremely mild? No. They are just like all the other regular cams on the market. If you go with the crazy cams like Jun or Revolver, then you need a standalone ECU and upgraded head internals. I don't know of any gaskets to replace. I didn't replace those you listed.
I have the GSC 272's on my 8 and they perform great. I would recommend that you replace your valve cover gasket, cam seals and spark plug gaskets. The parts are inexpensive and since you will be removing them, might as well have piece of mind and replace with new parts.
As far as good idle and driveability I HIGHLY recommend a reflash when you install them. The engine will lope and your idle will suffer. Without a flash it will also cause your car to idle very low when you use your A/C. This is due to the huge draw on the motor and lesser vacuum created by the larger cams. I know this because it happened to me
Warrtalon is correct about not needing springs and retainers for these. Their ramp speed does not overpower the stock springs so unless you plan to rev past the stock redline you shouldn't need to replace them.
Warrtalon is correct about not needing springs and retainers for these. Their ramp speed does not overpower the stock springs so unless you plan to rev past the stock redline you shouldn't need to replace them.
To be clear, that would be REV LIMIT, not redline, because redline is only 7krpm, and the stock rev limiter is 7600rpm. It's fine to go to 7800 without worry, which is where most flashes are set.
When i have the car apart im going to send in the ecu to get flashed so ill get i back when im about done with the cam/headstud install. Thanks for your help.
Fellahs, since I've been in Iraq, I've been able to buy a few parts that I've had my eyes on for awhile. One of them being the GSC 272/272 combination. This is my first day back in the States for a much-deserved leave. Eight months away from family and friends is enough to drive anyone crazy. I'll have about five more to go once it's all said and done. Since the weather in Texas is wet, rainy, wet, rainy, I'll take this opportunity to install the set that I got. I have to admit that I'm pretty excited to get things dialed in with a nice tune. I've decided to max out the stock turbo and see how that feels before upgrading. It sure does feel good to be back home!
