I'm wanting to get a bigger cam to gain a little more power, and I was thinking about either a Crane 10 or a Comp 200, both very mild cams.

While a Crane 10 would require aftermarket springs, of course.

Would this work in my '05 SXT? Would I be able to just put it in and it works? Or would I have to get other aftermarket parts and/or engine management?

I do have a CAI, so it can handle the extra airflow, however other than an aftermarket cat, I have the stock exhaust, which I can change if need be.

 

You'll be alright with a Crane 10, but it is essentially an R/T cam. Might try finding one of those on the cheap. From what I've seen, the Crane 10 is good for about 3HP. The Crane 12 is more comparable to the Comp 200, and both can use the factory springs. All that being said, it really isn't worth the effort or money for anything less than a Crane 14/Comp 400, which will require more work.

 

Well, I'm basically wanting this so I can have some more room for improvement, should I want to go for more, or if the future owner wants to. So eventually, I will probably be getting a Comp 200.

What exactly would be involved if I were to get a comp 400? I'm wanting to use the stock springs if possible, but if it isn't much trouble to get stiffer springs, I would be willing to "spring" for them xD.

 

Well, the Comp 400 was designed more for the R/T Magnum engine (higher flowing head, R/T PCM and so on), so the intake, head and exhaust would need to be worked on. You'd need some good valve springs to prevent float. You could also swap in a Magnum head and maybe just upgrade the springs just to make sure all will be well. The Comp 400 is designed for 3,600 RPM and up, so you'll probably notice a little lagging when starting from a stop. You kinda go for broke (or not), so to speak, with the cam choices.

ETA: The other issue you could have with the NGC system, is if the cam lopes, it'll keep adding fuel until it stops. So now, you'll have a rich code and there's nothing you can do to fix it besides changing the computer system.

 

So you're saying I should get valve springs regardless? Also: Would the lope issue be prominent with just the 400? Or any aftermarket cam?

 

If you go with something bigger than the 12 or 200, yeah. The 400 has a good amount of lift and could destroy the springs if they aren't tough enough. Even with the Magnum springs, you may get a little float. The 200 is meant as an upgrade for the non-Magnum and the 400 an upgrade for the R/T. The non-Magnum springs are not optimal for a 400 as the Magnum springs are tougher, stock for stock. Just depends the route you go what you would want to do. As for the CEL/lope issue, the more aggressive the cam/lope, the greater chance you run of getting a CEL. Gains tend to be minimal with the NGC system because it'll just try to compensate for EVERYTHING you do to the car. It's not that the NGC system "undoes" mods, but it just tries to re-tune itself to run within the set parameters. That's what I meant when I said going for broke. You either just go with something like the Comp 200/Crane 12, or you go for it and start swapping more and more things out.