Ghost Cam Query

[The_Don_72]

Hi all,

I came across a video here of this guy who installed a Lund ghost cam tune.

I have a 2019 GT 6MT active exhaust, resonator delete, Steeda H pipe and would love to have this option as long as it is not detrimental to my car.

My questions are:

1. the guy talks about having LT headers with his tune. Do you need to have LT headers in order to run this?

2. From reading the comments in the YT video, he doesn't seem to understand much about how the tune works, and thinks it may be harmful to his engine, but many people in the comments section are saying it is not harmful at all. What do you guys think?

3. What needs to be done to my car in order to set this up?

Thanks in advance.

Don

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[K4fxd]

The ghost cam tune runs the engine rich at idle, this can cause the cats to wear out.
Depending on the amount of lope it might wear out spark plugs a bit faster.

If you run E85 it can wash down the cylinders.

Should be no more damage than running a pushrod motor with a large cam.

 

[The_Don_72]

We don't have E85 where I am, would that be an issue? We have E10 lol

 

[rolfe.oliver]

It won't damage your motor. That guy in the video kind of seems dumb. All the ghost cam tune is, is a certain cam timing position where you get that chop sound. Will it wear through your cats faster? Probably. Do you need headers? No.

Will it be slightly worse in parking lots? Probably. No worse than driving a pushrod motor with a lumpy cam, give it a little throttle and you're fine.

 

[The_Don_72]

Will it be slightly worse in parking lots? Probably.

Worse in what way?

 

[K4fxd]

Worse in what way?

Have you ever driven a car with a big cam?

It will not have very good manners till 1200 rpm or wherever the tuner sets the cams to go back to stock.

 

[KingKona]

Jeeeeze that car sounds terrible. Broken.

 

[S550Joe]

I have the Lund ghost cam, but I do not do any driving on that tune. Lund has stated that their ghost cam is strictly a novelty and is not intended to be used for anything more than idling in a parking space at the local car meet. I believe wengerd sells full tunes with the ghost cam built in, and they seem pretty popular, but I personally don’t know much about them.

 

[HKusp]

Cylinder wash down is a thing, especially on Ethanol. I wouldn't run one.

 

[EFI]

Cylinder wash down is a thing, especially on Ethanol. I wouldn't run one.

Can you not get one that is not extra rich to cause this issue?

What's the difference between an LS motor running a lot of positive overlap with a static cam vs. Coyote motor adjusting cams at idle to provide overlap? LS guys don't seem to be burning cats left and right with big cams.

 

[HKusp]

Can you not get one that is not extra rich to cause this issue?

What's the difference between an LS motor running a lot of positive overlap with a static cam vs. Coyote motor adjusting cams at idle to provide overlap? LS guys don't seem to be burning cats left and right with big cams.

I came over from the diesel world a few years back. Lope tunes in the diesel world cause unburnt raw fuel to be injected and it washes the cylinders down as diesel is a bit of a solvent. Gasoline is much more of a solvent than diesel, as at least diesel has some lubricity where gasoline doesn't. Raw gas will wash the cylinder wall of oil, and gasoline will end up getting into your oil, and on your bearings. Ethanol is more of a solvent than gasoline, I believe, so it will be even harder on things than 93 will. There's a reason the guru's in this hobby/sport who use ethanol say to change your oil more frequently. You guys do what you want. I don't always go with the "prevailing wisdom" either. I am just putting it out there. There is enough anecdotal evidence for me to steer away from a lope cam tune. YRMV..

 

[Deleted member 69311]

I sometimes flash my ghost cam from Shrader Performance, just for fun. I don’t think it hurts your engine.

- Burns way more gas than my normal performance tune.
- Puffs out so much fumes and smoke. You smell it a lot more!!
- Sometimes randomly stalls
- Perf. Tune, I can drive in 3rd gear at 15mph, with Ghost tune, I almost stall out in 3rd gear at 15mph. I believe it’s because the tune changes timing.

Ghost cam tunes sound really cool, especially if you have aftermarket headers and exhaust.


In my video, I’m running the ghost tune and it’s about 40°F outside. It doesn’t puff out that much smoke on my perf. Tune.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I came over from the diesel world a few years back. Lope tunes in the diesel world cause unburnt raw fuel to be injected and it washes the cylinders down as diesel is a bit of a solvent. Gasoline is much more of a solvent than diesel, as at least diesel has some lubricity where gasoline doesn't. Raw gas will was the cylinder wall of oil, and gasoline will end up getting into your oil, and on your bearings. Ethanol is more of a solvent than gasoline, I believe, so it will be even harder on things than 93 will. There's a reason the guru's in this hobby/sport who use ethanol say to change your oil more frequently. You guys do what you want. I don't always go with the "prevailing wisdom" either. I am just putting it out there. There is enough anecdotal evidence for me to steer away from a lope cam tune. YRMV..

Great post with excellent description of what that “ghost cam tune” does to an engine…. Most think it’s “cool”, to those of us in the hobby for a very long time and seeing these “tunes” come about, it’s not so cool if you know what cylinder wash down does, more so if that tune is used for driving snd extended lengths of driving on it.

The same is true with the damn “crackle” tunes people do as well…

I guess if folks have the $5k-$12k to replace an engine, then more power to them (and that low end of the spectrum is if you can do the job in your garage, while the upper echelon is Dealer expense).

Most who do get these modern “ghost cam tunes” and think it’s “cool”, usually don’t have experience with a true push rod V8 lopey/muscle/racing cam or have never had the knowledge of how a real aftermarket or custom cam does affect the internals of an engine, more so if not properly tuned or tuned at all.

I mean, post #12 above mine says it all (no offense to that OP), but using excessive fuel (dumping it) and puffing out the tails (inefficient burn)…. that’s not healthy for the engine and is also detrimental to the stock catalytic converter honeycombs…

By no means am I preaching, just saying everyone does their own thing with their vehicles, but a ghost cam tune is the worst thing to come to market - and the tuners do not care if it washes down cylinders or an owner has a eventual engine failure…. They’re in it to make $$$, so you want a ghost cam tune, here ya go….

Want a ghost cam tune with no out of pocket expense? Go pull off 3 coil wires, you’ll get the same effect… LMFAO.

 

[The_Don_72]

I guess if folks have the $5k-$12k to replace an engine, then more power to them

Would love to see the evidence that ghost cams can cause this. Everything I have read suggests that long term use may damage your cats and foul up your plugs. Haven't seen anything suggesting engine failure due to it.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Would love to see the evidence that ghost cams can cause this. Everything I have read suggests that long term use may damage your cats and foul up your plugs. Haven't seen anything suggesting engine failure due to it.

Run any engine long term when it’s dumping fuel into and washing down the cylinders as well as the rotating assembly, it’s going to fail….

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