The woods 555 or the tman 555 cams are the ones I would use. There are dyno sheets that prove the numbers above the 255's.

 

If your SG came with the 103 from the factory then you already have the 255 cam.

 

Not true. Only the CVO110 has the SE255; the stage 2 103 has the 255; the factory power pak 103 has the identical part number cams as the 96

 

Woods TW5-6

 

To answer your question, I think the best overall replacement cam in regards to considerations that you mentioned and would satisfy the largest overall group of people(not me but most) would be the Andrews 48

 

+1 woods tw555's they come on and stay there right through the normal cruising range.

 

I would also vote for the SE255's based on my experience with them in the TC96, but the factory 103 has a bit more compression than TC96's and coupled with 7 CI more displacement would work well with a few other cams without a compression increase. Included in this group would be the Andrews 48 (similar to SE255), Wood 555, and SE204. OTOH if low-end and midrange power are your priority and you want a bolt-in cam, the SE255 or Andrews 48 would probably maximize your satisfaction. You can pick-up low-mileage used SE255's on Ebay (mostly CVO pulls) for about $150, which IMO makes them the bargain of the group.

 

Do your air cleaner and exhaust mods (get rid of the cat) add a Power Commander V and leave the cams alone. I would bet money you will be happy.

Mark

 

+1 on the SE 204, This is a great cam in the 96 and I have seen some great numbers from the 103.... I would at least take a look at it...

 

I put Andrews 26H Cams in. I also went with a 103" displacement but used KB Pistons which give me 0.5 more compression ratio (than the MoCo kit) and also used an MLS head gasket (Cometic) for a even just a tad more compression and a better quench area. I am exceedingly pleased with this set up. It is very smooth and pulls hard right from the word go. Carries 2nd gear up to 60 MPH and is still pulling really damn hard when I run out of courage and shift into 3rd. Can also accelerate from 50 MPH in 6th, two up with no complaints from the engine.