When we originally started on this project, no major company produced an aftermarket cam set for the Saturn 1.9L Twin Cam.

For awhile we had heard of a company in California by the name of Gude Performance. It was rumored that they had sold a couple of sets of cams with very poor results. We took a look at their website, and they did indeed have a set of cams listed for the "94-97 Saturn 1.8L DOHC". This caused a bit of confusion in our office considering that we were unaware that Saturn made a 1.8L in ANY year, much less from 1994-1997. Well, rest assured that it is in fact a typo, and a very large one at that. This caused us to be dubious from the start. Then we considered that Gude Performance is a large name in Sport Compact performance. They have been tuning Honda's for a number of years. Based on this, we decided to give them a shot.

We contacted Bill Gude and explained to him what we planned to do. We mentioned to him that we had heard of serious driveability problems resulting from installing his cams. He assured us that he was aware of one such incident. A customer had called him asking for a very aggressive cam. He obliged the customer and delivered a set of cams with a wild profile. Once the cams were installed the loss of vacuum caused the motor to run very rich. This combined with the poor idle necessitated that the Idle RPM be increased. Bill explained to me that the customer failed to mention that his Saturn was an automatic transmission. Since he could not simply push in the clutch  at a light the higher RPM cause the car to creep.

We entered into this project with an excellent understanding of how the stock PCM can react to loss of vacuum. We explained to Mr. Gude that we wanted a profile that would give us a little extra punch without sacrificing driveability. Gude agreed and told us it would be no problem. He had a mild grind that he had been wanting to try.

A couple of weeks later our Gude Cams arrived. They were packed safely in two long white boxes, taped together with a funny little bullfrog sticker on them. We immediately setup the garage time required to install them.

We were overcome with excitement as the last bolt on the Cam Cover was tourqued down. We turned the key and our now mighty 1.9L DOHC roared to life.......and then died. We cranked it over again and it started, sputtered and stalled. We fired the engine again, but this time we kept some throttle to keep it running. We realized that we had to keep it running long enough for the computer to tune itself to the new addition. We could smell raw gas from the tailpipe, we only hoped that this would clear up as the computer adjusted.

To accomplish a cam install, several additional items are required.

Usually when you install new camshafts in a motor you will need to replace the lifters with new pieces. Over time the lifters match their face to the profile of the cam lobe. they machine themselves to each other to produce the best fit. This is especially true on American v8 powerplants. This is not entirely true on the Saturn motor. A set of lifters (16) from your local retailer will cost you over $100. This can add considerably to the cost of a cam install. If you remove your old lifter and find that they still have a mirror finish on them with no cracks or scoring, you can re-use them on a reground set of cams. Be aware that reusing the old lifters is not as reliable as a new set, but it will hold you until you are ready for a rebuild.

Another item that will be necessary if you wish to do your cam swap yourself is a Camshaft Installation Kit. This is a handy little set that you local Saturn Retailer uses to install and remove cams without removing the timing chain cover, timing chain, or sprockets. This can save you a ton of time. Saturn of Evansville was kind enough to loan us theirs for our install.

Lastly, the most valuable tool that we use is the Saturn Factory Service Manuals. You can do this job and many others without the factory manuals, but when you are pushing the limits, it is nice to know exactly what the factory limits are.

Abusing our poor clutch, we slipped it out of the garage and onto the street. A short test drive around the block revealed that lifting the gas too much with the clutch in resulted in an immediate stall. We could keep it running if the tach stayed above 2500rpm. This was beginning to worry us. After an extended test drive, our PCM had adjusted enough to allow us to sit at a stoplight without constant pressure on the accelerator. The smell of un-burt gasoline still followed us everywhere.

After we allowed our new cams to break in, we decided to take our limping Saturn out on the Highway. The on-ramp was an interesting adventure. The motor was so sluggish at low RPM that we had to launch almost as if we were at a dragstrip for every light. The only other option was to slip the clutch to the point that we could smell it burning.  Climbing the on-ramp it felt like our SC2 was magically transformed into a Mack Truck. It labored to reach 3,000 rpm. Once the tach touched 3500 our little Saturn once again showed signs of being a performance car. When the tach passed 4500 rpm it pulled like a mule. We were rewarded with higher G's the closer we got to redline. The acceleration didn't appear to level out until we had to shift at 6750. We had smiles on our faces all the way to the top of 4th gear, even though our SES light was winking at us the whole way.

There is no doubt that these cams like high rpm's and wide-open-throttle. After two weeks of constant in city driving, the computer adjusted enough that driving at anything other than full throttle was barely tolerable. On a scale of one to ten driveability ranks a negative ten. These cams should be labeled RACE ONLY.

If you are looking for cams for your Saturn racecar, then these may be the cams for you. If you are looking for a bolt-on to give your daily driver some added ponies, then stay away. Aggressive cams should only be considered if you have an intimate knowledge of the Saturn PCM. -SS