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Camshafts before manifold or supercharger?

bluto

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Hello all,

First post on this forum and I hope I put it in the correct location...

I have a 2017 GT 5.0 that I am in the process of upgrading. Performance-wise so far I have Pypes headers and a Borla cat-back S-type exhaust system. I also have a fully adjustable BC suspension system as well as an MGW short throw shifter. The car is running 325/30/19 rear tires so I should not have too much of an issue putting down the power.

I have a couple of goals for this car:
1. Better than average performance while retaining reliability.
2. I want the low rumble from the 5.0 of my youth.


Many people have mentioned that I should replace the camshafts first and see how I like the performance before going further. Besides the additional expense (roughly $2,000), I'm not keen on opening up the motor. I will do it if there is an appreciable difference, but I would have to do the camshafts now and wait on the next step..

To that end I'm thinking heavily of either the 302 intake or the Whipple Gen 5 Stage 2 supercharger system. I would go somewhat conservative and stick with the 6-rib pulley and heat exchanger. I'm in south Florida so heat and "thick" air are always an issue.

I really want to maintain daily drivability but also want the ability to run fast when I want and am really lost on where to go from here.

What are the advantages of replacing the camshafts? I've had the competition cams and brenspeed camshafts recommended. Thoughts?

Also, on the same vein, how important are the half-shafts? Will the stock ones suffice? I'm pretty conservative when driving and don't do many pulls, but when I do I would rather 'not' have anything break on me. Again, the half shafts are not cheap and I would avoid them if I could simply because of cost.

I know this is a lot for a single (first!) post, but if anyone can help out a noob it would be greatly apprecaited!
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Jay-rod427

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Cams on the 5.0 offer little benefit compared to the expense. $300 for a 2018 intake manifold, and $5-600 for a tune and it will drastically wake up especially if you have E85 available.
 

Dominant1

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Before I went boosted with my current Gen 2 car, I went all out with bolt ons for n/a, stage 3 comp cams, Livernois valve springs, gt-350 intake manifold & throttle body, JLT intake, opg's crank sprocket, LU 47 injectors, American racing headers full exhaust system circle-d 5c converter e85 flex fuel tune. It made 455 whp 370 torque. my best times were 11.7 @120 mph. I tallied up all I spent on the build & I could have gone boosted straight off and spent less money and went a lot faster.
 
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WhiteyDog

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Before I went boosted with my current Gen 2 car, I went all out with bolts for n/a, stage 3 comp cams, Livernois valve springs, gt-350 intake manifold & throttle body, JLT intake, opg's crank sprocket, LU 47 injectors, American racing headers full exhaust system circle-d 5c converter e85 flex fuel tune. It made 455 whp 370 torque. my best times were 11.7 @120 mph. I tallied up all I spent on the build I could have gone boosted straight off and spent less money and went a lot faster.
Yep, this right here. Keep this in mind.
 
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bluto

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Before I went boosted with my current Gen 2 car, I went all out with bolt ons for n/a, stage 3 comp cams, Livernois valve springs, gt-350 intake manifold & throttle body, JLT intake, opg's crank sprocket, LU 47 injectors, American racing headers full exhaust system circle-d 5c converter e85 flex fuel tune. It made 455 whp 370 torque. my best times were 11.7 @120 mph. I tallied up all I spent on the build & I could have gone boosted straight off and spent less money and went a lot faster.
Yep, this right here. Keep this in mind.
Jeez, I just joined and you guys already know me so well!

I kinda figured that's where I would end up. thanks for confirming my subconscious intentions. Supercharging it is!
 

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LethalBlake

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If your plan is to go boost at some point or the other i would save for that ultimate goal. If you do want to add modifications here or there i would recommend doing modifications that you could use to support the blower once that time comes. Custom tune, full exhaust, etc. Feel free to shoot me a message with any other questions or if i can help in any way.

www.lethalperformance.com
 

erikkire18

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Coyotes are made for boost, boost it and be done. Fore fuel system, better injectors, E85 and a lund tune. Of course once boosted youll need the right tires. Make sure you got side cash in case anything happens as well, unless its not your daily
 

ugstang17

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You are in Florida. VMP or Palm Beach Dyno would be your best source for a complete FI package. VMP has awesome packages that make big power and they do very good tuning. PBD offers Whipple products and does tuning for ANY setup. Lund is up in PA and does very good tuning as well, but being you are in Florida and close enough to take the car to them and have the tune done first hand I would go with VMP or PBD as a first.

As mentioned this isn't a push rod engine or 4.6L 3V or an LS swap. The stock cams (and the intake) on the Coyote suffice on setups I have seen running into the deep 9's on E-85 setups. PD or Centri or Turbo (if you have the big bucks) will never fall short of making you grin ear to ear.

Contact VMP and talk to them. DO the same with PBD. BTW - I don't get paid for referring you. I just know who has treated me well over my last 4 FI setups.
 
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AZ18yote

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As said before SC upfront may get you where you want to be for less. Sound wise the Coyote will not sound like the low rumble, and will start getting into drone territory the deeper you try to go. Lastly, what tire out back? 325 in say a standard street tire won't hook if boosted (or even NA with e). Consider a DR in the rear if it's not already.
 
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bluto

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Coyotes are made for boost, boost it and be done. Fore fuel system, better injectors, E85 and a lund tune. Of course once boosted youll need the right tires. Make sure you got side cash in case anything happens as well, unless its not your daily
Scaring me with that statement and I'm probably opening up a can of worms but... side cash for what? What could happen?
 

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bluto

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As said before SC upfront may get you where you want to be for less. Sound wise the Coyote will not sound like the low rumble, and will start getting into drone territory the deeper you try to go. Lastly, what tire out back? 325 in say a standard street tire won't hook if boosted (or even NA with e). Consider a DR in the rear if it's not already.
I'm running Firestone Firehawk Indy500's in 325/30/19 on OEM GT350 wheels. Not grippy enough? This will be by daily driver, so I don't want to go through tires monthly. What do/would you run?
 

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Scaring me with that statement and I'm probably opening up a can of worms but... side cash for what? What could happen?
Anything can happen and won't be warrantied is really the point. Pay to play with boost. Plenty of systems out there at the 600-750rwhp range that will drive with no issues for 50k+ miles. But you're still looking at potentially doubling the stock horsepower. This will lead to early fatigue of all drivetrain components. You're looking at a potential transmission rebuild or replacement, clutch if you're manual, driveshaft replacement, half shaft replacement, if running a boost-a-pump then fuel pump replacement, etc.

You also aren't immune to catastrophic failures. Oil pump gears can break and starve the bearings. Timing gear can break and you'll destroy the valves. You can have heat buildup pinch piston rings and destroy the ring lands. Cylinders can go lean and you'll melt a piston... This isn't to scare you, but going in blind and being surprised wouldn't be helpful to you either. Pick a system that stays in the 700hp range and be honest with your tuner about your risk parameters and you'll do great.

The coyote is a great platform for boost. But there's still no free lunch.
 

erikkire18

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Anything can happen and won't be warrantied is really the point. Pay to play with boost. Plenty of systems out there at the 600-750rwhp range that will drive with no issues for 50k+ miles. But you're still looking at potentially doubling the stock horsepower. This will lead to early fatigue of all drivetrain components. You're looking at a potential transmission rebuild or replacement, clutch if you're manual, driveshaft replacement, half shaft replacement, if running a boost-a-pump then fuel pump replacement, etc.

You also aren't immune to catastrophic failures. Oil pump gears can break and starve the bearings. Timing gear can break and you'll destroy the valves. You can have heat buildup pinch piston rings and destroy the ring lands. Cylinders can go lean and you'll melt a piston... This isn't to scare you, but going in blind and being surprised wouldn't be helpful to you either. Pick a system that stays in the 700hp range and be honest with your tuner about your risk parameters and you'll do great.

The coyote is a great platform for boost. But there's still no free lunch.
YES. You should be fine but once your boosted, anything can happen. My engine still good and no issues, just make sure to get a tune from a reputable tuner (Lund).
 

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I'm running Firestone Firehawk Indy500's in 325/30/19 on OEM GT350 wheels. Not grippy enough? This will be by daily driver, so I don't want to go through tires monthly. What do/would you run?
If you daily it the Indy's will work just fine. For more sticky tires go with a drag radial like MT et streets, Nitto 555rii's.... It's difficult to get anything to stick in a 19 or 20.
 

AZ18yote

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If you daily it the Indy's will work just fine. For more sticky tires go with a drag radial like MT et streets, Nitto 555rii's.... It's difficult to get anything to stick in a 19 or 20.
Yup check out the 555r II. DR made for the street. Can hook big power but still drive in the rain and has decent tread life.
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