Input or advice from others on cam swap for 6.2L 2011 Yukon Denali

[Denaliz]

TSP for the win I guess

 

[Denaliz]

Wanted to get some thoughts on keeping the VVT from you guys.

Mentioned earlier TSP was all out against the VVT below was their replies about my wanting to keep

I would not. It will not help any and will only hinder the build. This is based off dyno performance as well as real life input. It is best to delete it
Vvt Delete will not change how it drives at all. In a 6.0 and 6.2 the vvt does nothing. Deleting it simplifies the setup as well as tuning

 

[Geotrash]

Wanted to get some thoughts on keeping the VVT from you guys.

Mentioned earlier TSP was all out against the VVT below was their replies about my wanting to keep

I would not. It will not help any and will only hinder the build. This is based off dyno performance as well as real life input. It is best to delete it
Vvt Delete will not change how it drives at all. In a 6.0 and 6.2 the vvt does nothing. Deleting it simplifies the setup as well as tuning

Their advice matches my experience with my 2012 6.2 perfectly which has a 3-bolt cam (no VVT). I don’t miss it. It still has more power throughout the range than the 6.2 in my 2007 that still has its original cam and VVT. I get to drive them back to back and I can tell you that I don’t miss VVT at all.

 

[91RS]

Bull. It only hinders you putting in a hawg ass cam. If you want better drivability, keep the VVT. You can tell mine is cammed but it isn’t obnoxious, works great with the stock converter, and makes great power. The 6.0 was always a dog off the line and the VVT in the 6.2 fixed that. There is no way you could convince me to delete the VVT or that it doesn’t do anything.

 

[Foggy]

I did quite a bit of research (not real world testing like Geotrash) and decided
to keep VVT. I didn't have to replace the timing cover, etc which was a bonus...
From what I've seen, it does help with torque and will help a little with gas mileage
in the midrange.
Remember, that VVT in our 6.2 can only "retard" cam timing.. So basically
the ecm retards a "small" cam up top for more HP in upper range and also
retards cam timing in the midrange (cruising) which helps MPG in those areas.
So when going with a "bigger" cam, always go small as the VVT will give you back
the upper HP of a big cam without killing the bottom end power..
There is a reason the ALL the OEM's use VVT in some manner

Disadvantages of VVT IMO: you'll need to add a "limiter" to your cam phaser - not that hard..
You'll want to do a correct "tune" to change the VVT #'s in the ECM - not that hard
as you'll have to "tune" for ANY cam change anyway.
And make sure you use the correct valve springs (not a disadvantage, but critical to choose correctly)

 

[Denaliz]

Much appreciated everyone. I’m out of my wheelhouse of knowledge on this one but catching up as best I can.

CM did send me over their package they suggested. I’m attaching for reference and feedback.

 

[Geotrash]

Bull. It only hinders you putting in a hawg ass cam. If you want better drivability, keep the VVT. You can tell mine is cammed but it isn’t obnoxious, works great with the stock converter, and makes great power. The 6.0 was always a dog off the line and the VVT in the 6.2 fixed that. There is no way you could convince me to delete the VVT or that it doesn’t do anything.

You are welcome to your opinion and I won't try to change your mind, so I'm responding here for the benefit of the OP so that he has the complete picture. I stand by my analysis.

1/ The 6.0 has a significantly different head design than the 6.2 (e.g. cathedral intake ports vs rectangular) which means the flow dynamics are different. So what applies to the 6.0 doesn't necessarily apply to the 6.2. Most of the advantage that the 6.2 has comes from its head and associated intake design. This is also why my first and second cam swaps didn't generate the gains of my third - I was buying cams that were optimized for the cathedral port engines and while compatible with the 6.2, they were not optimized for it. For my third, I bought a 6.2-specific cam.

2/ For larger than stock cams, you end up having to limit VVT operation to about 12-15 degrees of total rotation (~5 degrees advance and 8-10 degrees retard) so its benefits diminish the further you get from a stock cam. The benefit to VVT on a stock cam is about 15 lb ft on the low end, and decreases as you progressively limit its range of operation. There is a sweet spot between VVT effect and cam "size" so that is the more salient question, I believe.

3/ In a pushrod engine, there is no way to vary the intake and exhaust cam rotation independently. On DOHC engine designs, it is possible to vary them separately which leads to much greater gains in both power and efficiency, which is why it became so common in the market and became part of the marketing and differentiation strategy of other brands - you could FEEL the difference. But on a pushrod V8, I believe its benefit is more marketing than reality and benefits fuel economy more than driving experience.

To each their own, but for my needs and if I had it to do all over again, I would still not worry about retaining VVT on a 6.2.

 

[JPS0284]

I am surprised tsp suggested the vvt delete. The 6.2 is an absolute monster with an aftermarket vvt cam, I personally haven't delete vvt in a 6.2 truck for a few years now. The last one I did was a tsp stage 2 in a 2010 sierra denali, and the thing pulls more like it has a screw supercharger, than a cam.

I am actually putting together a 418 stroker with a tsp stage 3 vvt cam right now. I know for a fact it will give up some top end power, but have a hunch it will be the most amazing powerband ever created.

I know this is a old post but I’m in the same situation as OP and I’m struggling on what cam to choose for my L94, I originally picked out the TSP L92 stage 2 VVT cam and everyone’s been suggesting ditching the VVT and now reading this just makes it even more frustrating. The trucks my DD I pull a fishing boat and do short road trips. Do you still like the TSP VVT cams how are the springs holding up?

 

[hagar]

I know this is a old post but I’m in the same situation as OP and I’m struggling on what cam to choose for my L94, I originally picked out the TSP L92 stage 2 VVT cam and everyone’s been suggesting ditching the VVT and now reading this just makes it even more frustrating. The trucks my DD I pull a fishing boat and do short road trips. Do you still like the TSP VVT cams how are the springs holding up?

I have done a few more since, still love them. I have never in my life had a spring fail on any of the supplied tsp PAC springs. I use them on cars pushing over 7 thousand rpms as well. I have personally installed traditional delete cams in 6.2s, and stand solidly by my statement that the vvt Cams are super awesome for the heavy trucks.

 

[JPS0284]

I have done a few more since, still love them. I have never in my life had a spring fail on any of the supplied tsp PAC springs. I use them on cars pushing over 7 thousand rpms as well. I have personally installed traditional delete cams in 6.2s, and stand solidly by my statement that the vvt Cams are super awesome for the heavy trucks.

I’m still leaning hard towards the TSP L92 stage 2, it says it’s okay with the stock converter. Are they hard to tune with HP Tuners?