[Hollinballin]

So im looking into getting ported and polished heads with cams. I leaning towards 268 cams, I just want the choppiest cams I can get. But im really looking to be pointed into he right direction for both. And some insight with some links to some websites.

 

[magnuman]

So im looking into getting ported and polished heads with cams. I leaning towards 268 cams, I just want the choppiest cams I can get. But im really looking to be pointed into he right direction for both. And some insight with some links to some websites.

Welcome to the forum. What year is the vehicle, how many miles on it, any current mods, what kind of budget do you have, and what are your ultimate plans for it?

Ported and polished heads are a waste of $$$$ unless you're going with forced induction and/or nitrous oxide injection. Even then, IMO, with a stock rotating assembly, it's not worth it. Both of my 5.7 Hemi's have ported, polished, and milled heads and they don't deliver near what I had initially expected......maybe only 25-30 hp. Here's what I am talking about: Hemi Head Test - Mild & Wild

As far as a cam goes for a 5.7, "choppy" cams generally have lots of lift, duration and overlap and, with an otherwise pretty much stock engine, you'll end up losing a good share of low end power (worse than stock) and have a lot of driveability issues.....specifically with idle and off idle. With an otherwise stock 5.7 Hemi, IMO, cam selection is very critical and lots of research should be done BEFORE choosing one to suit your end goals. There are a zillion different manufacturers and choices.

 

[Hollinballin]

It's a 2007 with 212,000. But I planned on getting rebuilt with the mods installed at the same time. I didn't plan on doing forced induction. It is a daily also. I was also kicking the idea around of stroking it.

 

[Hollinballin]

Welcome to the forum. What year is the vehicle, how many miles on it, any current mods, what kind of budget do you have, and what are your ultimate plans for it?

Ported and polished heads are a waste of $$$$ unless you're going with forced induction and/or nitrous oxide injection. Even then, IMO, with a stock rotating assembly, it's not worth it. Both of my 5.7 Hemi's have ported, polished, and milled heads and they don't deliver near what I had initially expected......maybe only 25-30 hp. Here's what I am talking about: Hemi Head Test - Mild & Wild

As far as a cam goes for a 5.7, "choppy" cams generally have lots of lift, duration and overlap and, with an otherwise pretty much stock engine, you'll end up losing a good share of low end power (worse than stock) and have a lot of driveability issues.....specifically with idle and off idle. With an otherwise stock 5.7 Hemi, IMO, cam selection is very critical and lots of research should be done BEFORE choosing one to suit your end goals. There are a zillion different manufacturers and choices.

What cams do you suggest then? Either way I plan on upgrading the valvetrain. It can't hurt.

 

[magnuman]

What cams do you suggest then? Either way I plan on upgrading the valvetrain. It can't hurt.

Again, it depends on your ultimate goals for the vehicle. Mine was both more horsepower and better fuel economy. With my mods. and MDS friendly cams on both of my early 5.7's, from stock, on my Magnum, I've gained about 125-140 hp. and normally about 28-32% improvement in fuel economy.....from 24 mpg to current 30+ mpg. My latest trip with it was the best so far.....361.4 miles on 11.1 gallons of 87 non-ethanol fuel or 32.558 mpg. This was done at altitudes of about 2800-5200 ft. My Jeep, with the same mods and tune as Maggie (except for cam advance), doesn't do quite as well because of its additional weight (about 700-800 lbs. heavier), full time 4WD, and worse aerodynamics (drag coefficient 0.39 compared to Maggie's 0.358) has only improved by about 20-23%.....from about 18 to current 22 mpg. My latest trip with it was 219.8 miles on 9.95 gallons of 87 non-ethanol fuel or 22.09 mpg. This was done at altitudes of about 2400-4600 ft. with two fairly steep climbs.

The biggest horsepower and fuel economy gains with the 5.7 will come from a well selected cam, a good, low restriction header back exhaust system and a good tune. Lesser gains come from some of the other mods. you may choose to do.

Cam timing makes a lot of difference and a lot must be taken into consideration when selecting one.....vehicle weight, engine size, gear ratios, etc. The stock 5.7 Hemi passenger vehicle cams have a .499 lift, a 196 degree duration @ .050 and a 113 lobe separation angle. The stock 6.1 cams are "split lift/duration cams" and are more of a top end cam and have a .521 lift, a duration of 202/205 degrees @ .050 in. and a lobe separation angle of 117 degrees. IMO, fairly mild split lift/duration cams with about .520-.550 lift, durations of about 210-220 degrees @ .050 in. and lobe separation angles of about 112-114 degrees seem to give the best results for street vehicles and generally don't cause too many driveability issues.....mostly idle and off idle. Cams in the range also will not "kill" the bottom end power near as much as the more radical cams. All of the better street cams will require a 6.1 or better valve train.....pushrods and valve springs. You can see the "mild and wild" torque curves in the Hot Rod Network's article above. IMO, the key is to do a lot of research before you select one.

 

[Hollinballin]

Well that's why I'm here is for research also. At least a little more in depth than what I could find. I do want horsepower gains. The fuel mileage would be nice. But its more of just having a nice car with alot of power. I'd like to put choppy cams in for the sound obviously. What all would it take to keep from losing the low end power if I went the radical direction with cams.

 

[magnuman]

Well that's why I'm here is for research also. At least a little more in depth than what I could find. I do want horsepower gains. The fuel mileage would be nice. But its more of just having a nice car with alot of power. I'd like to put choppy cams in for the sound obviously. What all would it take to keep from losing the low end power if I went the radical direction with cams.

I hear you on the "rumpity rump" cams. Many years ago I used to run one in my hot rod Oldsmobile, but it was 455 cu. in. and put out about 500 hp. I also used a close ratio 4 speed hydramatic transmission and ran gears ranging from 3.90 to 4.88. Cruise RPM with it, using the low gears, was nearly 4000 RPM. IIRC, it would do the WOT 1-2 shift in less than 60 feet or so.

Probably the best way would be by installing a lower ratio differential area so you could keep the RPM up closer to the power/torque range all the time. Without messing with the rotating assembly or going with forced induction, you'll be fairly limited with your options. Best to talk to a few cam manufacturers and tell them what you're trying to do.

 

[Hollinballin]

Right on. I guess my next question would be what manufacturers do you recommend. Maybe a link to a website also. Appreciate all the info buddy.

 

[magnuman]

I'll give you a few that you can plug into your search engine. I start with a few that I think might be more knowledgeable on the Hemi's and quite a few folks on here have used their products.

Comp Cams: I used one of theirs in my 06 300C SRT8 and it really brought the low end to life. They have a good selection of Hemi cams.

BFNY Performance: They bought out Frank's Racing cams years ago and now are the only ones that distribute the cams that I have in both of my 5.7's....FRI Sidewinder, MDS friendly....at least the ones I have are. The Sidewinder was one of the first and most popular when the 5.7's first came out. I think they started making that grind in about 2006. I installed both of mine around 2010-2011.

Summit Racing: They sell several different manufacturer's cams, and I believe they have a product selection guide or place (phone or email???) you can ask questions.

Here are a few others that have been around for quite a while and some of the forum members use their cams. I don't know anything about any of them though:

Crower Cams, Howard Cams, Spartan Cams (Inertia Motorsports), Hellfire Cams, and Littleboy Cams.

Hope this helps you a little. If you talk to any of them, be sure to tell them as much as you can about your vehicle and a complete list of the mods. you are planning to do......along with your ultimate goals for it.

 

[Hollinballin]

How hard would it be to put a set of 6.1 heads on my 5.7. I found someone local selling a brand new set.

 

[magnuman]

How hard would it be to put a set of 6.1 heads on my 5.7. I found someone local selling a brand new set.

They bolt right on but, to do it right, you'd need the 6.1 exhaust and intake manifolds. If you reuse your 5.7 stuff, you'll have both intake and exhaust port size and shape mismatches. The 6.1 heads also don't have an EGR Valve, so you'd have to find a way to shut it off otherwise you'll get never ending codes. One other thing, they have a slightly smaller combustion chamber, so your compression ratio will be a little higher than 9.6:1.

 

[Hollinballin]

So I bought the heads and some BBK shorty headers came with them. And a trinity 2 tuner. But I was wondering if the coil packs I have on my 5.7 now will swap over to the 6.1 heads, when I do it. Or if I need those also.

 

[Hollinballin]

And im not sure if the BBK headers are a better option to the srt8 headers. Here's a link to the cam I was looking at. Stage 2 HRT 220/230 Hydraulic Roller Master Cam Kit for Dodge 5.7L/6.1L HEMI 2003+

 

[magnuman]

Be sure to make sure they're 6.1 heads...square ports and no EGR provision on passenger side head. I didn't know that BBK made shorty headers for the 6.1? Why would anyone want them anyway, as the stock 6.1 headers are better than the shorties?. If they are indeed 6.1 heads and the headers are bolt on's to a 6.1 exhaust, you'll have a problem connecting the headers to the 5.7 cat. back, as they're quite different. I think, after verifying everything will hook up correctly, I'd just bolt it all up (after setting up the heads) and give it a go. The cam sounds good (lift, duration and LSA) and getting the entire kit is the best way to go, especially if you have a lot of miles on the engine.

 

[Hollinballin]

Appreciate it. The coil packs and spark plugs are the same I'm pretty sure, right?

 

[Hollinballin]

I was also told that I'd have to get the heads matched up to the engine.