I need help. I was wondering if anyone knew the lift and duration of the RPW stage 1 & stage 2 camshafts. I have contacted RPW on several occations and I have not received a decent reply. Dave Thomas says that i should go with a stage 1 cam but i don't want to get something that i wouldn't be real happy with. ( i.e. - getting the 1 and wishing i got a 2 ) I use my car as a daily driver and i race it sometimes at the local strip. I can deal with the fact that i may have to get an additional fuel management system ( Greddy or AEM ) if i need. I want to get this done cause i love this car and i need MORE POWER ! ! ! I want it ALL ! ! ! RRM is prolly gonna get my tax check next year and I want to go ballistic. I just need help with the cams

 

I'll answer your question first: they won't tell us what the lift/duration of their cams are... or they've just ignored everyone who's asked. Either way, I don't think anyone knows for sure.

Having read just about every one of Dave's cam posts, stage 2 is too much if you plan to drive it on the streets. Basically, you have to launch a stage 2 everytime you want to go, there's no low end at all. But, let's say you're stubborn and can deal with that and an idle that nearly kills the car every 5 seconds...
don't forget:
cam gear
valve springs
FPR
eManage to retard timing and make the idle "tolerable"- plus the learning curve to tune it

Plus, if you wanna go RRM you're barking up the wrong tree going RPW. RRM would have to have your car in their shop for an untold length of time to do a custom tune of their piggyback to match your cam (that's the route you're heading, right?). If you're talking about intake, headers, exhaust stuff, why not stay with RPW? They got the TBs, too, their headers are showing faster strip times (prob because they replace the downpipe), they got the hook up on internals (just about any compression ratio you could ask for, IIRC) they LOVE eManage..... lots of reasons to stay with one shop or the other.

I appreciate a good Frankenstein, but I think you're asking for a headache if you try to mix RRM electronics with RPW internals.
One of the reasons I respect the RPW guys is they aren't trying to "sell" you anything. Look at it this way, they gain nothing by telling you to get one cam grind over another. They all cost RPW the same to make them and they cost the same to buy them. So if Dave tells me "you know, stage 2 is too much for a streetable car" then I don't get stage 2.
Have you inquired about a stage 1.5? did you know that guys like Uranium9V are talking about 30+ HP gains from a stage 1 cam?
Just my $0.02 and some food for thought

Good luck!!

 

I don't see the problem with mixing RRM and RPW unless you're trying to build a hybrid turbo kit.

If you're dying for power, natural aspirated is certainly not the way to be in a Lancer right now.

Don't buy an EMS because you bought a cam. It will NOT be worth it. If you do that I may personally have to drive down there and boot you in the ***. Overkill to the max! You'll come out with more headaches than you went in with. If you start doing heavy mods, then I'll gladly repeal that impending kick.

 

Sweet. Thanx guys - THAT was what i was looking for.

Hobie - don't worry, i won't get the EMS and i am not going for a hybrid turbo. I was wondering if the RRM piggyback would work with the cam; and by what you are saying - i think that's possible, right ??

EngineerBoy - your answer rocks man. Thank you so much. I will check on the stage 1.5 and i already knew about the other stuff.

Here is the deal guys - i wanna go nuts with my car. Cams, PB, IM, TB, rods/pistons/knifed crank, flywheel - you know, go insane. I'm hoping that this combo will give me in the high 100's WHP.

I've heard ( i think from rock but i'm not sure ) that the head don't really need any port / polish work. Is that true ??

I hope to have a real good car in a year or so and i am real excited about the potential of this project. Thanks for the responses and hope to get some stuff going in a few months. RRM just pisses me off cause they keep coming out with cooler and cooler stuff.

 

yea a port and polish will do very minimal gains, but wouldnt hurt u in the end, i think hobie said that and rock too, but if u have cash to blow and a lot of it go for it

 

Sorry if we have been incomunicative on emails recently especially with camshafts but we have had a host of people from the Mirage base who have been copying our cam profiles and bombarding me with questions and making no sales out of it.

Whenyou get one of our cams a spec sheet does come with it.

Additionally we have been hugely busy recently (Our own workshop is now in a crisis with people having to book 2 months in advance for medium to major work) as we are attempting to employ some more decent mechanics.

This means though I am on the floor working again instead of doing emails so anyone trying to contact via emails - we are sorry in advance but expect some delays.

Feel free always to get in contact with me via MSN or AIM as I am always usually talkable on them most times.

As far as camshafts go - I would always recomend as stated above a stage 1 for the majority of street lancer vehicles - especially the auto models which we do a specialised stage 1 profile exclusive to the auto model.

The stage 2 does require significant mods first just to get the benefits of it as well as comptuer ecu mods to run it properly like a greddy / aem etc with enough programming ability to handle it.

Porting and polishing does provide good results on the cars - but again it is one of those things you do last when everything else is done first.

Love the comment on our headers - I hadn't heard that before.

David THomas
www.rpw.com.au

 

i bought the stage 2, i am putting it in as we speak. i don't know how to get the old cam out to put the new cam in!!! n e ideas!!! any one?/

 

See - here's the deal. RPW's site says that for a stage 2

"Stage 2 grind is for improved mid range / top end at the expense of slight loss of torque at low rpm. Valve Springs required, Vernier Cam gear optional."

I could deal wit that. its just tough b/c i want to exploit the N/A possibilities of this car before i slap a turbo in it. The RPW stage 1 says that

Stage 1 grind is for all standard / lightly modified vehicles with or without ECU modifications

i am just concerned about the possibility of getting a 1 while wishing i got a 2.

I would be willing to get the S1 cause i know U9v had a cam but i don't think i heard the end result of his power gains. If someone can help me out, i would be real greatful. Thanx all. I appreciate the help y'all have given me and i am just here to learn.

 

Stage 2 grind for NA is different than the profile for TC. If you don't know the difference much, go stage one.

 

bahamut's got a point- if you get an NA grind now, and then decide to go FI, you'll need another grind later on anyway..... maybe you should wait onthe cam for right now.

Hobie- NA isn't the way to go for drag strip power, but it is the way to go in my autocross group if you're not looking to race with the fully prepped guys (SCCA pro class porsches, vette's, Lotus Elan, a bizarre open wheel that looks like an old F1 car.... those kinds of beasts ) Adding FI automatically puts you in race prepped, even if that's the only mod you've done.... actually, adding a boost controller to your stock turbo has the same effect for the STi and Evo guys... whereas you can go ***** out in NA and still be in your class- good times

 

vision imports has a great system that makes you only lose 100 bucks. buy the cam for the na grind, then when you do go forced induction, they will sell you the turbo grind for 100 + your old cam. can't beat that, they resell it. they could sell it for more in wich case you would pay less than 100 bucks. they are not trying to rip you off they just know people will call them wanting a cam and they can be like o wait i have a used one thats 100 bucks cheaper buy that and someone will, hell i woulda afterall they are gonna test it and fix anything that could be wrong with it. i went stage 2 and my car will be up and running tomm. i don't have the cam gear but i do have an safc and valve springs along with a host of other na mods.

 

Sure, if you wanna try to win. If you wanna compete, it doesn't matter what class you're in.

Hardcore, I'm going to PM you cuz I need to bug you with a crankshaft question that's in relation to the whole cam swap thing.

 

well, it's not even competing when you're 15+ seconds behind the next slowest guy But trying to climb to the top of my class is what I'm after this season and next.... maybe after that I'll go FI and join the big boys

 

If you are driving your car to work on the freeway and hit a lot of traffic or drive a steady 60-70mph, go with stage one. The profile I have is a 1.5 and the majority of the power it makes is after 4k rpm, which you wont hit often commuting. I'm still suggesting you go with the cam gear no matter what profile you get, plus an AFC will help with your new fuel curve.
Up-hill in traffic sucks......
But driving around in the 4-6k range is awesome.
U9V