cams too big for stock manifolds?

[zebra]

so, as i've mentioned a few times earlier, i'm wanting to get a cam sometime before i leave for OTS in june. after talking to a few of y'all & some guys at Comp Cams, Texas Speed, & Thunder Racing, i think i've narrowed it down to a couple choices.

the specs for my truck are:
1999 NBS Sierra RCSB 4x4
2001 5.3 LM7, 1999 NV3500 trans
3.73 gears, 265/75-16 tires (changing to 285/75-16 when these wear out)
airaid CAI (filter & tube), Mellowtone muffler (similar to flowdisaster 50HD) - 3" in/dual 2.25" out the back
possible 243/799 heads later on down the road, but that still remains very undecided


i'm basically just looking for a bigger curve, mainly low & mid gains - 90% of my driving is under 2500rpm. any top end gains are just for kicks & giggles and showing off

now, on to the point of my post...
i know that some LT headers are a great addition anyway, but i don't know if i want to do them or the cam first (leaning more towards the cam), so i'm wondering if any of these will be fine to run with factory manifolds for a while. also which would y'all recommend based on real-world usage (feel free to add your own suggestions as well)

comp 212/218 522/529 114*
tsp 214/218 522/529 112*
tr 214/230 601/575 117*

they said the cheaTR works great with factory manifolds, but from a little reading, i'm leaning more towards either the comp or tsp.

thanks in advance for y'all's input!

[ducky]

If you keep your eyes out on pt.net, people sell longtubes + ORY for good deals.

[casey23]

in a N/A setup.. long tubes and a Y pipe help out alot... dont waste money with shortys

[Frenchy]

If I was doing the same thing as you I'd be doing the one from TR, the lower duration with the massive lift (in comparison to the other 2) would work great on the bottom end. If you want any hint of a nicer idle, I seriously doubt it will be any different than stock.

[truckinL33]

Comp LSR part#54-455-11

215/223 .604/.610 112

Now that's a cam!

[George C]

doing a cam before exhaust is like chasing your tail. youll see more gains tossing headers on right now then you would a cam with manifolds. When you install the cam once you have headers the cam will then shine

[zebra]

thanks for the responses. i was thinking the LTs would probably end up being the first one that needed to be done, but i figured i'd ask.


about that LSR cam: how's the DD-ability of it? i'm trying to not completely kill my mileage which is why i was looking at the slightly-bigger-than-stock cams instead of something like a TR224. besides... this ain't a race truck

[truckinL33]

Very streetable cam, would def. have a little lope to it. Naturally, will decrease gas mileage.

[Tank]

tr220 or old man cam. or a 212/218 .595/.590 114. has more hp than the high lift 212/218 and has more aggressive lobe. good with stock verter

[WARLOCK]

Headers first for sure.