Cam Installed... Battery/Brakes Weak?

[NOS2006]

I love the new cam/headers/tune. However, did it make my battery/brakes weaker?

[98Camaro3.8]

Re: Cam Installed... Battery/Brakes Weak?

Uhhhhh, no. Why would it?

[$*Blake*$]

Re: Cam Installed... Battery/Brakes Weak?

ur car is faster so it makes everything seem weaker lol

[NOS2006]

Re: Cam Installed... Battery/Brakes Weak?

Well I was reading some book that said bigger cams tend to make the brake vacuum weaker and the brakes are a bit weaker.

Anyway, I was heading home and took the ramp on the e-way (getting off) and decided to floor it from 50 (my speedometer gauge is low because I had them calibrate it for 3.73s instead of wasting another $100 for it later). Soon it said 70 (probably around 80), then I nailed the brakes and they felt weak, but that's probably because I was going so fast and had so little time to stop.

The battery thing is true though. Last night my battery gauge kept dropping when I came to a stop and/or when I hit a dip in the road and all my lights would dim severely. Just coincidence?

[AZ3.8Camaro]

Re: Cam Installed... Battery/Brakes Weak?

The cam would lower your idle vacuum, which would make your brakes HARDER to apply slightly but not weaker.
Mine isn't noticable at all.

I have noticed slightly lower voltage levels since the cam.
In fact, if I stomp the brakes while sitting in neutral, you can see the gauge dip. I attribute it to lower VE at idle speeds, less power at idle, less vacuum etc.

[98Camaro3.8]

Re: Cam Installed... Battery/Brakes Weak?

Well I was reading some book that said bigger cams tend to make the brake vacuum weaker and the brakes are a bit weaker.

Like AZ3.8Camaro, it's just the brake booster that's being effected. The brakes themselves are not any different, the pedal just feels harder to push. And that should only be at low RPM. With higher RPM there should still be enough vacuum so you wouldn't even notice the difference.

The battery thing is true though. Last night my battery gauge kept dropping when I came to a stop and/or when I hit a dip in the road and all my lights would dim severely. Just coincidence?

The engine sometimes drops to a lower RPM before it recovers back to the right idle speed. This causes the alternator to put out a low voltage and the lights may dim. But it's not because the battery is any weaker.