Jay,
I think you got to the essence of it on Lobe Separation (LSA) -
If you have enough gears, closer is usuallyl better and makes the wholce curve tighter. Tradeoff is a rougher idle and quicker falloff on top.
If the cam is small enough, as you noted, the idle isnt going to be rough no matter what - the stock six cam LSA are all under 110 but they idle smooth as we know. Monster cams (eg the 302-z28) will run a wide LSA like 116 just to get a decent idle on a street car.
On a bigger cam, a closer LSA will eat more gas too, so a wider LSA is a compromise.
On the intensity, higher intensity is of course always better, ideally the valve would just pop open to full lift and then pop shut again. Stuff like mass, geometry, metal strength and fatigue prevent that so again there is a compromise, the factory tended to go for longer life/reliability ie less intensity.
I always degree the cam and measure all the angles at lifts of
.006
.050
.100
.200
max lift
.200
.100
.050
.006
that is not only a double check on installing the cam but gives you a good idea, vs the stock one (which I also measure) of how much you're adding.
