2008 Pontiac G8 New Era Performance Turbo Camshaft Package Install

We know what you're thinking. It seems almost impossible to pick up so much horsepower (142.6 rear-wheel horsepower) from just a cam swap. There must be some sort of trickery or magazine inflation going on.

We assure you that there are no tricks here, just well thought out parts, a pair of turbochargers, and a solid GM-built G8 GT. Unlike other cars (Mustangs, mainly) where it seems like you have to fight tooth and nail for just a couple of horsepower, the new generation of LS motors seem to amaze us with every new modification.

Our test subject is an extremely low-mile Pontiac G8, which has had a set of APS turbochargers installed since day one, courtesy of the boost fanatics at Carter Racing in Savannah, GA. Always looking for more power, we made a call to New Era Performance to put its new Twin Turbo camshaft to the test. One of the issues with the current G8 L76 engine is the Active Fuel Management, otherwise known as Displacement-On-Demand, or DOD for short. While a great idea for people looking for maximum fuel economy, the DOD is somewhat problematic on high-performance, forced induction motors.

These issues are two-fold. The first problem, which is especially prevalent on a turbo car, occurs during transient boost situations. Since a turbo is driven mainly by load, instead of RPM, it can lead to some very strange situations, where the DOD is trying to cut back to four cylinders, while the turbo is coming into, or out of, boost. During initial street tuning, this caused the car to buck and surge, which made driving very uncomfortable. The other, more serious problem is the potential failure of the DOD-specific lifters. If you have been following Mike Ficacci's ProCharged G8, you may recall that we replaced the lifters with LS7 units, after collapsing several of the stockers during a dyno session.

In keeping with the K.I.S.S. theory (Keep It Simple, Stupid) we decided it was best to remove all of the DOD parts, install a traditional camshaft and lifter package, and make some big horsepower along the way. Follow along as Carter Racing takes this G8 from a stout 469 rwhp to an amazing 612 rwhp, with a fairly straightforward camshaft installation.